Thursday, June 24, 2010

Post Liberation Procedure Depression

*Post Surgical Depression*
June 24, 2010
You can’t be serious! After all the waiting, money, years of dealing with MS, money, testing, body invasion, criticism, anxiety and… did I mention money? What can you possibly have to be depressed about?

Anti-climatic events, such as a giving birth, buying a new home, landing that great job or getting through college, can be unsettling. You may experience a ‘let down’ or ‘blue’ feeling sometime after having a successful procedure. None of us know what to expect or experience with this simple but headline making surgery. A few things to look for when the cheering and celebrations wind down are:
  1. Stress:  We all know about stress and the havoc that comes with it. Any long awaited event will cause some stress once it is over.
  2. Guilt:  You did what was best for you and aren’t responsible for how other people react to your liberation. Sharing your experience could help you as well as those who aren’t there yet.
  3. Grief:  Believe it or not, I feel like I am starting Kindergarten sometimes. I don’t miss my disabilities, but making the transition from the MS world to my new one is a bit unnerving. I don’t know what to expect any more than I did when I was in a relapse.
  4. Perception:  Friends and family are as shocked as they were when I was diagnosed with MS. They aren’t sure what is ‘politically correct’ to say or not say. All of us remember how hard it was for everyone to adjust to our individual circumstances when newly diagnosed.
  5. Credibility: Expect negativity, especially online. All of us are painfully aware of the in house fighting that CCSVI has caused.  At home and in your community people may not be accustomed to seeing the “ lame man walk”, so to speak. Only you know how you feel about all of this, but not all of the time.
I’m not handing out any real answers, because no one has asked the questions as yet.
All of us will have to deal with post recovery, and a tad of the unknown. Remember that we are part of a new discovery. It’s just common sense to consider our reactions, before we have to cross the bridge.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great points, mammananny! This is something that I hadn't thought about at all, even though we are pursuing treatment. Thanks for the head's up!

Be gentle with yourself as you process the changes. Listen well to what you need. It is a big adjustment, I'm sure.

Love to you!
Cecilia

Anonymous said...

.... one more thought!

What kinds of comments / questions would be most welcome to *you* post-procedure?

I hope that you'll share... With luck, lots of us will be talking to lots of people who are seeing improvements, and you are in a unique position to teach us.

Thanks, mammananny!
Cecilia

Unknown said...

Wow.. a world I do not know about. I read about people losing their MS symptoms, but it is not a world I live in. I was treated on May 20th for my left jugular vein, but still experience attacks and have more disability than before the procedure.

Good for you that you are doing so well.. in my perfect world I would be dealing with the issues you deal with, rather than mine of questioning whether the treatment worked, whether another veins has stenosed, or ... So many questions.

Enjoy your new-found freedom! :)

Anonymous said...

great points, and things I've thought about but weren't sure who to discuss with. I've had a couple of meetings one where someone severely disabled was understandably upset that he wasn't doing as well, but we are fighting for them.

Brenda

Anonymous said...

When you have MS, I think we all take on what is called Parson's "sick role", to one degree or another.

Shedding it is also a process too. It takes time and adjustment to "fit back in" when limitations are no longer hindering you.

And when the excitement dies down, there's also the adjustment back to the sidelines, where life returns to "normal" and isn't revolving around all things CCSVI.

A therapist isn't a bad idea to help.

Anonymous said...

@Dawna, I can only imagine your letdown and dashed hopes. I think we have such high hopes, I can only imagine how upsetting it's been to feel worse off after all the time, money, hope and stress. I am so sorry. :-(

Unknown said...

Some have gotten the wrong impression by this blog entry. Things have been mostly fantastic since liberation. I honestly did not expect to recover so well and so quickly. Still there are adjustments to be made by me and my friends and family. 15 years is along time to be disabled. I worry about the future as we all do, but these last few weeks have been a treasure for me.
Thank you all for your support and kind words.

Unknown said...

Thank you for the support. I am adjusting. It is hard to see other people with MS get such negative responses from the doctors who are supposed to be there for them.
It's got to get better, and it will!
mammananny