Discussion Struggling with Mental Health (Call Beyond Blue (1300 224 636), Lifeline (131 114))

[Simon Templar]

Bad thoughts are with most people i think. At different times in my life I didn't want to live. Bad thoughts would take over. Over lots of time, help, and other positive influences, I'm not so bad anymore. It helps to find someone to talk to it also helps with back pain (at least for me) to find something to distract you. 16 years ago I developed pain in my neck down though my arm to my fingers ha s. It turned out that I had collapse discs, degeneration etc etc. It took many years to get where I am now. But still my self esteem is s**t.

It how you try and live your life anyway that can help.
Footy should be not bad this year.

I can empathize with you in regards to the collapsed disc... I had that problem too. C5 & C6 I think, long time ago so my memory is not great... smoked a lot of pot at that time. Worst time of my life. So many bad things all at once.

I hope your pain has subsided, mine has after an operation.

 

[gringo2011]

I can empathize with you in regards to the collapsed disc... I had that problem too. C5 & C6 I think, long time ago so my memory is not great... smoked a lot of pot at that time. Worst time of my life. So many bad things all at once.

I hope your pain has subsided, mine has after an operation.

I stuffed my back when I was younger and had about 6 months of constant pain. It gets to you after a while. I don't know how people get through years of it.

 

[Simon Templar]

I stuffed my back when I was younger and had about 6 months of constant pain. It gets to you after a while. I don't know how people get through years of it.

Nerve pain is the worst. I fell out of a tree when I was 10... that's when it started with me... Prolonged pain messes with your head.

 

[gringo2011]

Nerve pain is the worst. I fell out of a tree when I was 10... that's when it started with me... Prolonged pain messes with your head.

Definitely. You get irritable and snappy so people get shitty with you, then you feel bad and the spiral starts.

 

[Simon Templar]

Definitely. You get irritable and snappy so people get shitty with you, then you feel bad and the spiral starts.

There are so many elements that can cause or add to depression, pain is just one. Now I am in my mid sixties & am financially & emotionally stable with a clear mind I can look back & see all the major contributing factors that lead me to being depressed.

 

[Remboy]

There are so many elements that can cause or add to depression, pain is just one. Now I am in my mid sixties & am financially & emotionally stable with a clear mind I can look back & see all the major contributing factors that lead me to being depressed.

One of the difficulties for me dealing with depression was trying to explain to people what it was like for me. I think there are many people with no experience who think that depression is a one size fits all illness. It took me until my forties to begin to understand that my problems began in childhood.
It makes it hard to overcome when you’re trying to unravel stuff that has been ingrained for decades and I’ve been unaware of.

 

[Simon Templar]

One of the difficulties for me dealing with depression was trying to explain to people what it was like for me. I think there are many people with no experience who think that depression is a one size fits all illness. It took me until my forties to begin to understand that my problems began in childhood.
It makes it hard to overcome when you’re trying to unravel stuff that has been ingrained for decades and I’ve been unaware of.

In the early days of depression I shared it with some people close to me & their response was less than helpful... "just get over it" or "pull yourself together" was the call. So after that I kept it to myself & didn't dare mention it.

 

[Remboy]

In the early days of depression I shared it with some people close to me & their response was less than helpful... "just get over it" or "pull yourself together" was the call. So after that I kept it to myself & didn't dare mention it.

I got similar before I'd shared anything, which is probably a big part of the reason I never shared anything at that time.
It was only when I started missing work and got caught up in the Bourke St mall incident I thought I had no alternative.
Fortunately, the people I shared with at work were incredibly understanding, which helped a lot. Both of my parents had passed away by then so I'm not sure what response I would have got from them.

 

[sammm]

I got similar before I'd shared anything, which is probably a big part of the reason I never shared anything at that time.
It was only when I started missing work and got caught up in the Bourke St mall incident I thought I had no alternative.
Fortunately, the people I shared with at work were incredibly understanding, which helped a lot. Both of my parents had passed away by then so I'm not sure what response I would have got from them.

Back in the day, I shared something with my parents, and I got the "why are you telling me now". Didn't share with them again. I eventually found my way through most of it.

 

[ScrappyDo]

sammm
Brains Trust66
Simon Templar
I went through a decade of chronic back pain after an injury but came out on the other side after some alternative therapy few years ago. I'm happy to pass on my experience only via PM if you'd like, as not all was entirely legal.

 

[sammm]

sammm
Brains Trust66
Simon Templar
I went through a decade of chronic back pain after an injury but came out on the other side after some alternative therapy few years ago. I'm happy to pass on my experience only via PM if you'd like, as not all was entirely legal.

In January , I joined upwith social internet group called Meetup. Lots of different groups. I joined up with a number of walking groups.5km -7km walks. I've found that it has helped my back alot.

I didn't go one week, back started hurting again.

It gets me out of the house, and because I sign up to a walk I get nagged with the number of reminders to go.

So I'm trying to go twice sometimes 3 times a week

 

[Remboy]

In January , I joined upwith social internet group called Meetup. Lots of different groups. I joined up with a number of walking groups.5km -7km walks. I've found that it has helped my back alot.

I didn't go one week, back started hurting again.

It gets me out of the house, and because I sign up to a walk I get nagged with the number of reminders to go.

So I'm trying to go twice sometimes 3 times a week

I’ve tried a lot of things over the years. I’m never sure what helps and what doesn’t but sometimes I’d stop doing one of my regular activities and notice that I’d feel off. Started doing it again and noticed the difference.

 

[Brains Trust66]

i walk our two chichihuas every day when i can . About a 20 min walk , they are getting old and walk pretty slow and they dont pull on the lead. However by the time i get home im in pain again . i tried just walking myself a few times but still got the pain . i went for new CT scans last week . the nurse who did them said we are finished but i have to email to the doctor to make sure ive covered everything . Then he came back and did a 3d scan of my back , another ct scan and then asked if i was getting more pain higher up now which is why my specialist wanted the new scans . Of course they dont tell you whats going on but the annoying thing is i cant get into see my back specialist until the end of August .
ive realised that if i get depressed or stressed the pain gets worse. But ive had this pain for 20 years now and feel like my life has been wasted in so many ways . There is so much i cant do that my wife has to do for me . im not even allowed to put the dogs food bowls down or anything involving bending over , no reaching or twisting .

I have a spinal cord pain stimulator in side me back which is supposed to send fake signals to my brain to try to hide the pain signals . i would say it worked well for about two years but it doesnt seem to be helping anymore , or maybe my pain would be alot worse if i didnt have it , i dont know . The nurse who did the ct scans said they see alot of these stimulaters but the success rate is probably only about 30% . He said most people end up getting them taken out which my specialist never told me .

Anyway i am battling away but i can feel my depression getting worse as time is going on . My wife has battled hard to help me but she now has sore hands and is struggling .

i have hardly been on this site this season for two reasons . First , i miss my mate Neil who passed away from cancer probably 2 to 3 years ago. Second i can only sit in front of the computer for short periods of times these days before i get too much pain . Every now and again i pop in just to read what people are saying which is always fun . i do miss when i used to do the player comments each week but i just cant do it anymore like everything else. i will try to pop in more often on my ipad which is a bit more comfortable as i can do that lying now on my bed . Who knows i might even leave a comment or two .
I guess most people wont know me but that doesnt worry me at all . Maybe if i come on here more often it will lift my spirits up a bit , i know it used to .i do miss the chat alot .

 

[Saintos The ITK]

i walk our two chichihuas every day when i can . About a 20 min walk , they are getting old and walk pretty slow and they dont pull on the lead. However by the time i get home im in pain again . i tried just walking myself a few times but still got the pain . i went for new CT scans last week . the nurse who did them said we are finished but i have to email to the doctor to make sure ive covered everything . Then he came back and did a 3d scan of my back , another ct scan and then asked if i was getting more pain higher up now which is why my specialist wanted the new scans . Of course they dont tell you whats going on but the annoying thing is i cant get into see my back specialist until the end of August .
ive realised that if i get depressed or stressed the pain gets worse. But ive had this pain for 20 years now and feel like my life has been wasted in so many ways . There is so much i cant do that my wife has to do for me . im not even allowed to put the dogs food bowls down or anything involving bending over , no reaching or twisting .

I have a spinal cord pain stimulator in side me back which is supposed to send fake signals to my brain to try to hide the pain signals . i would say it worked well for about two years but it doesnt seem to be helping anymore , or maybe my pain would be alot worse if i didnt have it , i dont know . The nurse who did the ct scans said they see alot of these stimulaters but the success rate is probably only about 30% . He said most people end up getting them taken out which my specialist never told me .

Anyway i am battling away but i can feel my depression getting worse as time is going on . My wife has battled hard to help me but she now has sore hands and is struggling .

i have hardly been on this site this season for two reasons . First , i miss my mate Neil who passed away from cancer probably 2 to 3 years ago. Second i can only sit in front of the computer for short periods of times these days before i get too much pain . Every now and again i pop in just to read what people are saying which is always fun . i do miss when i used to do the player comments each week but i just cant do it anymore like everything else. i will try to pop in more often on my ipad which is a bit more comfortable as i can do that lying now on my bed . Who knows i might even leave a comment or two .
I guess most people wont know me but that doesnt worry me at all . Maybe if i come on here more often it will lift my spirits up a bit , i know it used to .i do miss the chat alot .

Welcome back BT

 

[austinnn]

i walk our two chichihuas every day when i can . About a 20 min walk , they are getting old and walk pretty slow and they dont pull on the lead. However by the time i get home im in pain again . i tried just walking myself a few times but still got the pain . i went for new CT scans last week . the nurse who did them said we are finished but i have to email to the doctor to make sure ive covered everything . Then he came back and did a 3d scan of my back , another ct scan and then asked if i was getting more pain higher up now which is why my specialist wanted the new scans . Of course they dont tell you whats going on but the annoying thing is i cant get into see my back specialist until the end of August .
ive realised that if i get depressed or stressed the pain gets worse. But ive had this pain for 20 years now and feel like my life has been wasted in so many ways . There is so much i cant do that my wife has to do for me . im not even allowed to put the dogs food bowls down or anything involving bending over , no reaching or twisting .

I have a spinal cord pain stimulator in side me back which is supposed to send fake signals to my brain to try to hide the pain signals . i would say it worked well for about two years but it doesnt seem to be helping anymore , or maybe my pain would be alot worse if i didnt have it , i dont know . The nurse who did the ct scans said they see alot of these stimulaters but the success rate is probably only about 30% . He said most people end up getting them taken out which my specialist never told me .

Anyway i am battling away but i can feel my depression getting worse as time is going on . My wife has battled hard to help me but she now has sore hands and is struggling .

i have hardly been on this site this season for two reasons . First , i miss my mate Neil who passed away from cancer probably 2 to 3 years ago. Second i can only sit in front of the computer for short periods of times these days before i get too much pain . Every now and again i pop in just to read what people are saying which is always fun . i do miss when i used to do the player comments each week but i just cant do it anymore like everything else. i will try to pop in more often on my ipad which is a bit more comfortable as i can do that lying now on my bed . Who knows i might even leave a comment or two .
I guess most people wont know me but that doesnt worry me at all . Maybe if i come on here more often it will lift my spirits up a bit , i know it used to .i do miss the chat alot .

Mate, herculean effort just to get through, I can imagine it feels pretty hard. Hopefully something gives you enough pleasure to give you relief from time to time, if not the Saints, then something else. We're in your corner, keep on punching!

 

[Brains Trust66]

Mate, herculean effort just to get through, I can imagine it feels pretty hard. Hopefully something gives you enough pleasure to give you relief from time to time, if not the Saints, then something else. We're in your corner, keep on punching!

Thanks mate

 

[Brains Trust66]

In the early days of depression I shared it with some people close to me & their response was less than helpful... "just get over it" or "pull yourself together" was the call. So after that I kept it to myself & didn't dare mention it.

I got the same sort of reaction from people. The worst reaction I got was unfortunately from my mum who said “ I just had to smile more “ . That really hurt as I was expecting at least some concern from my parents and my family but didn’t get any . It got worse when my friends of a long time slowly started to stop calling as well . I was really in a bad way but luckily my wife stuck by my side . Then i discovered this site and talking Saints football every week really cheered me up . Then I read there were people going through similar things to me on this thread which was nice to find out I wasn’t alone in my troubles. Hope that doesn’t sound too bad . So I threw myself into doing updates on the players and things like that. Unfortunately my back got really bad and I couldn’t sit at my computer for very long . That’s why I’ve pretty much been missing for the last year or two . Also my friend Neil passed away . I met him on here and we started doing podcasts together, not just footy but Amazing Race , Survivor and other things . Amazingly, although we became best friends we never actually met . Neither of us could make the drive to get to each others places . But we did face to face chats and talked a lot of rubbish about footy . But when he passed away I found it difficult to come on here because it would bring back memories. But I’m finally starting to move on . As usual I’m rambling way to much .
I hope you are all feeling a little better . Always feel welcome to contact me if you need someone to chat to . And of course there are a lot of good people on here who are good to chat to as well .

 

[Simon Templar]

I got the same sort of reaction from people. The worst reaction I got was unfortunately from my mum who said “ I just had to smile more “ . That really hurt as I was expecting at least some concern from my parents and my family but didn’t get any . It got worse when my friends of a long time slowly started to stop calling as well . I was really in a bad way but luckily my wife stuck by my side . Then i discovered this site and talking Saints football every week really cheered me up . Then I read there were people going through similar things to me on this thread which was nice to find out I wasn’t alone in my troubles. Hope that doesn’t sound too bad . So I threw myself into doing updates on the players and things like that. Unfortunately my back got really bad and I couldn’t sit at my computer for very long . That’s why I’ve pretty much been missing for the last year or two . Also my friend Neil passed away . I met him on here and we started doing podcasts together, not just footy but Amazing Race , Survivor and other things . Amazingly, although we became best friends we never actually met . Neither of us could make the drive to get to each others places . But we did face to face chats and talked a lot of rubbish about footy . But when he passed away I found it difficult to come on here because it would bring back memories. But I’m finally starting to move on . As usual I’m rambling way to much .
I hope you are all feeling a little better . Always feel welcome to contact me if you need someone to chat to . And of course there are a lot of good people on here who are good to chat to as well .

It's an all too familiar story...

My family was pathetic in dealing with my depression, like you particularly my mum & older brother, were the worst culprits. My mum passed away 15 years ago but my brother still beats the same drum. I've learned not to mention depression to him

I've never had a confidant or a BFF... So I can only assume that having a supportive wife as a massive asset.

It's great to have an outlet... I use AFL as my main focus too. I don't know how I cope in the off season.

I don't post here a lot as footy fans are way too critical for my disposition... I spent 5 years away from this site because of personal abuse just because I had an opinion.

My daughter keeps telling me... if I'm going to neck myself, at least tell someone first, so somebody doesn't have discover my month old rotting corpse... Lol... It sounds so cold but it just her pragmatism.

To be honest I'm over necking myself... having a terminal illness puts life in perspective.

Tomorrow might be a better day, it may not but there are better days ahead at some point... just keep that in mind.

 

[Brains Trust66]

Has anyone tried cbd gummies? I tried cbd oil for awhile but it was so expensive I ended up having to stop . There was this guy who was advising me on how much to take but he kept increasing the amount and then increasing the amount of cbd in the oil I just couldn’t afford it . I also didn’t like putting some oil under my tongue and trying to keep it there for however long he said . He also kept going on about being one with the hemp and blah blah blah . Think he was a total pot head who lived up in Queensland somewhere.
I’ve read that cbd gummies are very popular in America but they are legal over there these days , as is pot , well in most states anyway . I’m friends with a couple of American dudes who can just go to the local shop and buy good quality pot which helps their problems. Never thought Americans would be ahead of us when it came to things like that . None of the major Australian politicians will even talk about legalising pot . I must say that i actually haven’t had any pot since I was in my 20’s which is way before my back problems so I don’t know if it would actually help me . Although it did help me get through some bad depression times up until the guy I was getting it from quit his job and headed somewhere overseas so I was told lol .

Anyway I was reading an overseas site about cbd gummies and I thought it sounded promising but they mentioned sending to Australia is a big risk because its illegal and I would probably never receive it anyway .

 

[gringo2011]

Has anyone tried cbd gummies? I tried cbd oil for awhile but it was so expensive I ended up having to stop . There was this guy who was advising me on how much to take but he kept increasing the amount and then increasing the amount of cbd in the oil I just couldn’t afford it . I also didn’t like putting some oil under my tongue and trying to keep it there for however long he said . He also kept going on about being one with the hemp and blah blah blah . Think he was a total pot head who lived up in Queensland somewhere.
I’ve read that cbd gummies are very popular in America but they are legal over there these days , as is pot , well in most states anyway . I’m friends with a couple of American dudes who can just go to the local shop and buy good quality pot which helps their problems. Never thought Americans would be ahead of us when it came to things like that . None of the major Australian politicians will even talk about legalising pot . I must say that i actually haven’t had any pot since I was in my 20’s which is way before my back problems so I don’t know if it would actually help me . Although it did help me get through some bad depression times up until the guy I was getting it from quit his job and headed somewhere overseas so I was told lol .

Anyway I was reading an overseas site about cbd gummies and I thought it sounded promising but they mentioned sending to Australia is a big risk because its illegal and I would probably never receive it anyway .

You can get medicinal weed in Oz easily Brains. Try Googling Plant Medicine. You don’t even need to see a doctor. For severe pain it’s meant to be incredible