Effect of Clinical Depression on IC

[RandiBPD]

Hi all. I am new, and grateful that this whole board is here. I thank our Foremothers in their Infinite Wisdom and Hard Work.

I wrote this about my situation in another thread:

feel the same way you do. I am newly diagnosed, and although I have a mild case, I am afraid I have been feeling sorry for myself. And I feel guilty because I haven't had the intense pain and other trauma that many people here have. It's more the diet and the incredible changes in my lifestyle and the enjoyment I used to get from eating.

The thing that bothers me most about the diet isn't giving up individual foods, but the enormous difficulty in lifestyle, restaurants and stuff. My husband does all the cooking, so it affects him. The onions and vinegar and tomatoes thing makes it--as u know--sooooo difficult to find recopies that work. Yes, I have the IC cookbook, but I am used to a different kind of food--spicy, Indian, Mexican. Right before this happened, for other health reasons I had to cut out sweets and reduce carbs. Now, take away these things and you have cottage cheese (which I like, by the way.)

AND I HATE EGGS. I can eat them if there is enough other stuff there to mask the egg. But there is something about them early in the morning...

I can subsist on the diet, but I haven't seen a recipe and thought, "oh, I really want to make that. Don't get me wrong--I am incredibly grateful to Bev. What a labor of love. THANK YOU. I do see things there I want to make. But I approach it with the same enthusiasm I would to run around and do errands.

Many years ago, I went into a remission that lasted so long I forgot I had this. Lurking beneath the surface is the fear that this time the Elmiron won't cut it and I won't be able to go back to a normal life this time.

Other chronic health problems include severe depression. Enough to be hospitalized three times. Oh, by the way, back stuff. And I have a demanding job.

Anyway, like I said, I know I have it good compaired to others. Maybe it's a combo of depression and IC that makes it worse.

Still, think positive, right? Thank u for reading this far.

Randi
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As I said, I have depression and have been under treatment for a long time, hospitalized three times. My question is--as I thought as I was writing this--can clinical depression make IC worse? DO u notice it work less when u r depress--or are u always depressed (fun fun!)

By the way, are the people here depressed in general, or depressed because of IC? Are most people on medication?

THANKS.

Randi

[vm]

I had depression problems before my IC ever started - hospitalized once for it (and anxiety). That said, I certainly think that IC and the fallout of it can be one of those "environmental" triggers for an underlying depression disorder.

I didn't get treated again for depression until my IC was under control ---- not by design, it just happened that way.

Depression can make coping with a flare that much harder and it may make a flare worse if you are one for whom stress aggravates your IC - most of us are. Definitely worth treating depression when we have IC. It's hard to have hope and a "keep fighting this" attitude when we are in a bad, bad funk.

[Betsie]

Hey Randi!

Welcome to the "club of many symptoms" (both physical and emotional in my opinion)!

It really can be so overwhelming can't it? I think so many of us here understand so fully what your frustrations are. Kim (VM) covers the clinical part of depression very nicely, but it can be very hard to understand or even come to terms with.:confused:

I am treated with a low dose anti-d, mainly in an effort to help with some multiple chronic issues. IC was the final straw, but there have been worse ones for me actually.

As for the diet, I had already spent many years adjusting my diet for reflux disease, and a pretty severe case. I was so used to no-no foods that I think that part was easy for me. Many seem to be cross-over ones for IC, as well as just common sense.

I truly hope that by coming here combined with a really good working plan with your health team, you can find ways to eat successfully and enjoyably again. I also hope the depression part is tended to and you will/have spoken to someone who can help you sort out the true depression from the "overwhelmed" state we chronic illness people can find ourselves in.

I really think a decent diet, good rest (which for so,me is difficult) and keeping life as normal as possible all go a long way in helping with this.

The complexities of life just day to day can really make us feel so inadequate at times, so trying to break things down into small issues to take on is sometimes helpful. I know for me, I can often want to get EVERYTHING under control at once and then I am very overwhelmed. If that is depression, by clinical measures, I am not sure...but once I remember I can't do it all at once, I find it is helpful. "most of the time"......:wink:

Try to keep laughter in your heart, even if you have to laugh at yourself. Sometimes it can be the best medicine, but hard to find the humor when life is so challenging.