It is my Avatar but the idea was Sunny's as was the produce. I did start the plants but then spent almost all of the summer in the hospital. There is so much more than what is in the picture. There is even a pumpkin we had to roll into the house. It is only two feet across so I guess someone could have carried it but not us. It will make quite a few pies.
I can't recommend enough the benefits of even a small garden or greenhouse. Besides good food it is so relaxing and such a feeling of success to actually grow something that tastes so good. I won't say you will save money (except on potatoes and other things you save seed on) but what price can you put on health.
On another note, three days a week I take an antibiotic for my arthritis. The biggest side effect, in fact the only one I get is anxiety and irritability. So I guess you could say I have three days every week that I have to survive. I manage but then I have a reason to. There is no cure for late stage Arthritis but this has slowed down the progression. CBT does little for the side effects but it has taught me how to live with it and what to do when I want to fly off the handle. Medicine induced anxiety can be stopped with other medication or you can do what I do, just live with it, tomorrow is another day and there are still people worse off than me. I have to do almost everything sitting down, even digging potatoes, but it is worth it just to get outside and take my mind off my troubles.
Time soon to go enjoy some of the fruits of our labour.
Hugs, I agree with Davit in recommending you see a health care provider if your symptoms persist. I hope you've been feeling better throughout the day.
Davit, You provide such great insight and encouragement to members here. Your determined spirit, despite trying situations you have experienced in life, is inspiring and motivating. As carmie said, you have taught others in more ways than you can probably imagine.
On a completely different note, your avatar pic is making me hungry. Looks like you will be enjoying wonderful meals!
I have to comment on this. Anxiety can cause ulcers. Ulcers and anti inflammatories (even aspirin) can cause perforations. This is life threatening not to mention inconvenient. I nearly died from this this summer.
If you think you might have this, (pain that is in a larger area than just your stomach) See your doctor right away to treat it. Ranitidine is what is usually prescribed (OTC- Zantac).
On the other hand Anxiety can also cause tense sore muscles for which muscle relaxing would work.
Perforated ulcers and infections are the leading cause of death in Arthritics according to my Rheumatologist.
Don't guess, see a Doctor.
Davit
Hugs, people get rid of their anxiety by passing it on to others in the form of b.........g and complaining. You get rid of it by knowing it and ignoring it or simply agreeing.
This morning I was cooking an omelette, and mom snapped at me with sarcasm. I had to remark on that, since it's hurtful. I've had stomach pain all night, and intermittently during the last week.
I am so sorry to read that you suffered so. I admire you very much for using your experience to teach and inspire others.
I'm not able to visit this site as often as I used to but I keep everyone in my prayers and I use what I learned here to lead a happier and peaceful life.
Thank you for sharing your story - and thank you Hugs for bringing up a thoughtful subject!
It was at times very bad panic wise. The hospital is a training hospital mostly third year students except ICU, they were all experienced RNs in ICU. I could do it again knowing there is medication to help ride it out. I would not want to though. I always thought if it got bad enough I would black out because I know pain will do that but not panic it seems. It seems you just go further into survival mode. This is a case where medication is very appropriate and I'm glad it was there even if it was late. I'm also glad I had CBT to rely on when I started to get better and got anxious. Hospitals will do that especially if you have been there two months already. For three weeks I was not allowed food or water, not even ice chips. All they would give me was sublingual Ativan. The hallucinations intensified the cycling in and out of panic from too little Ativan to carry me 24 hours. I survived those days with CBT till they could give me something else.
I'm being very careful to make sure this never happens again but I don't dwell on it. Worry does no good. I don't know why I lived when others don't, but attitude might have played a big part. It certainly does when it comes to panic.
For all those who drop out because CBT doesn't seem to work for them, never give up, keep trying. It does work.
Davit, What a surreal experience! I am glad to hear you are in a place that you can revisit the event without it triggering panic or anxiety. I hope you do not have to go through that again.
Vincenza, Health Educator
I debated putting this in because it will sound unbelievable and even those who know about it are probably few.
This happened during my last operation. I'm sure everyone has had hallucinations at some time. When infection passes surface only and becomes septic it clogs the arteries with toxins. This causes hallucinations but of a different kind. With most hallucinations you still live in the real world and know you are hallucinating. This other kind takes you to another realm and every thing real around you disappears. You cease to live in the real world even a little bit. But since in your mind it is real there is no panic. It was like stepping off one planet onto another. And in my mind it was totally real and I still have missing days where if I try to access them I get this other reality. I am slowly replacing and covering them.
Now this is not my worst day. My worst days were when I could not roll over even let alone walk. In my hallucinogenic mind I was confined to a small area and all my perceptions were in little boxes that I could not access so my world did not exist outside this area. I could move around in this area but outside it nothing existed. For a claustrophobic this is sheer terror. I tried to access my perceptions but they were in the form of birds heads with huge beaks. There was only one colour too, everything was shades of brown. This lasted for days till they thought to give me an anti hallucinogenic. Those days are still missing (like PTSD) but I survived them. This is the first time since the operation that I have thought about them. They are safe to look at now. No trigger.
Looking at what I just wrote I realize that it was worse than I can ever explain because it lasted all day and night with no relief till the medication took it away. One of the few times when CBT did not work, how could it when I did not have control of my own mind.
I hope none of you ever experience this and I'm sure few of you will, the infection has to take you close to death first. But if you do, remember that the mind is programmed to survive and when free will fails survival takes over.
Davit.
PS. Sunny was my anchor, she could tell me when I drifted into this other reality. I could not tell on my own.
Looks like you will be enjoying wonderful meals!
