I was going to finish my three-part series on Staving Off a Depression, but as I write this post (It's Thursday night) I'm still feeling ill. I don't want to blame Vitamin D3 if it isn't the culprit, but it may be. What I do know is that the only thing I did differently on Thursday was to take a 400 mg. capsule of Vitamin D3 because I read online about a guy who's taking it to prevent seasonal affective disorder.
What continues to amaze me about my constitution is not only how sensitive I am to medication, but also to vitamins, minerals, amino acids and so forth and so on. When I awakened yesterday morning I felt great. I ate breakfast and took one 400 mg. capsule of Vitamin D3. Within an hour I was so tired I had to take a nap. Throughout the day, I felt poorly, and had a number of distasteful symptoms.
The worse I felt, the more I was reminded of my decade on the medication (and vitamin and mineral) merry-go-round, where I had a ton of debilitating symptoms. However, in my never-ending quest to achieve wellness (and try and forget about illness), I spent the day reading gardening books and magazines, and napping.
Last night my husband and I watched one segment of Ken Burns The National Parks. What a treat. While I've been to Yosemite a few times, I knew relatively little about John Muir, and now I can't wait to read all about him. And the vistas of Yosemite were extraordinary.
Hopefully, I'll feel better today. But, I'm tossing the Vitamin D3 capsules, and vowing to get through the next few months without trying any new pills--no matter what they are.
Thanks to Lili's prodding, I signed up for a free yoga lesson next week. If I'm feeling better, I'm going to check out a local swimming pool, and find out where I can take tap dancing lessons!
Hope you have a happy and healthy weekend. See you on Monday!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Vitamins Aren't Harmless
Posted by sbwrites at 12:01 AM
Labels: Bipolar Recovery, Depression Recovery, Ken Burns, SAD Recovery, The National Parks, Vitamin D3
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12 comments:
Hi Susan,
Every doctor I ever saw has told me there is no such thing as too much vitimins, if you take too much they come out in the toilet.
I take one very good doc prescribed mulivitimin, and a calcium supplement. I also take Folic Acid. I feel very good from this mix.
I sympathize with the cold. Mine is going on 3 weeks now, and I feel miserable. Lots of chicken soup, with Matzoh or Kreplah.
I really should check out that Ken Burns show. My parents really really like it too.
Have a great weekend and think of fun things like Jellystone National Park and bears stealing picnic baskets Boo Boo!
Love,
the other Susan
I don't think it was the D3, you most probably have another underlying medical condition.
Dear Susan,
Thanks for letting me know about your experience with vitamins. Actually, at this stage in my life, a multivitamin and a calcium supplement would make sense.
Interestingly enough, I tried Folic Acid, and felt awful after taking it. And years ago, I spent three months seeing a doctor of neuropathy who prescribed a ton of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and I felt much worse after spending a thousand dollars buying all the stuff he recommended.
And the same thing happened when I saw a "famous" wholistic psychiatrist.
Perhaps, I should have seen a doctor who recommends matzoh ball soup, because you're right: It always makes me feel better. And my Catholic husband makes the best matzoh balls in the universe!
Susan
P.S. I don't have a cold. I had a terrible case of the "runs," and felt "drugged." But I'm fine this morning.
Dear Rosso,
Thanks for your comment. But, I do know my own body. I stopped taking the vitamins yesterday, and I feel fine today.
Susan
I don't know about the vitamins. David swears by them, but I suppose it's an individual thing, depending on our own chemistry. I don't feel that much different whether I take them or not.
See if your local pool has water aerobics. I found that it was easier on my joints, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, until the pool closed in order to be rebuilt. :<
Dear sallyo,
You're sure right about vitamins. It depends on the person. Great idea about water aerobics. That might be fun!
Susan
Susan,
Lots of 'natural' products can affect me too and so I do sympathize. Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks Wendy. It's kind of amazing how different people respond to different remedies--natural and otherwise. I felt much better today (Saturday) and was able to attend my late afternoon/evening digital photography class!
Susan
Susan,
Glad you are feeling better and found the culprit so quickly. Sometimes the over-the-counter stuff can be just as bad as prescription drugs!
I used to take a water aerobics class but it was in a therapy pool so the water was nice and warm. No heated pools where I live now. Bummer because I hate getting in cold water.
Good luck with the new things you are trying. I hope you have lots and lots of fun. I totally understand the need to not talk about, read about and think about depression all the time. I love the way you never stop working to figure out what will make you feel better in the moment.
Hugs,
Tamara
Dear Tamara,
It's so funny you wrote this about liking a warm pool. The reason I've been hesitating taking a water aerobics class is that I feel the same way. I only like diving into a colder pool when it's summer and really hot.
And, it is good I could identify the culprit right around.
The reason I'm constantly trying to figure this out is because I'm just not going to let this illness "win." And, since last year was so unbelievably terrible, I've got to find a better way to overcome it.
Thanks for your support...as always.
Love,
Susan
P.S. I'm glad to hear from you. You haven't posted on your blog--at least last week--and I was concerned.
Susan,
I hear you about not letting it (depression) win. I agree. I do the same thing. Usually, I will try anything and everything under the sun to not let depression or illness beat me. I was that way with abuse and I won. Now, my biggest issue is this dang lupus and fibro and I want to try EVERYTHING and yet I also want to say EVERYONE BACK OFF. I begin to feel pressure from those around me t conquer my illness. This may be imagained but it feels real. Plus, I put so much pressure on myself that sometimes I think maybe this is just an illness that I can't beat. Should I be accepting it and figuring out how to live with it? In the long run, I don't think that I really believe this but I have to say there are those days that I want to lay down my sword.
My friends and family will never, can never, truly understand this because they are all totally healthy.
I am glad that you don't give up. You are an inspiration for me not to give up, either.
Hugs,
Tamara
Dear Tamara,
As you know, I don't know anything about Lupus or Fibromyalgia, so I'm not sure what to say.
I do know that depression can be overcome, and possibly these illnesses can be as well.
What I don't know is when it's time to say, "I may not be able to overcome this completely, but I will learn more effective ways of coping with it, or learn new pain management techniques."
I guess that's because I still believe I'll beat this depression after living with it for 40 years.
But, know that I support you fully in doing whatever you need to do. Also, I believe it's always more difficult to heal when we try to meet other people's expectations!
Love,
Susan
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