Gwyneth Paltrow on post-partum depression: I felt like a zombie - 04/27/2012 | Entertainment News from OnTheRedCarpet.com

Gwyneth Paltrow on post-partum depression: I felt like a zombie - 04/27/2012 | Entertainment News from OnTheRedCarpet.com

I thought this was definitely worthy of a read...Val

Postpartum Depression for My Mom...

I was sitting here thinking...I have a pic. of my Mom when she was probably in her 20's, happy, smiling, dancing with some hot Latino, and it made me question...did she go through postpartum anxiety and depression with my sister and I?  And why haven't I thought about that until now?

I know that I have been selfish in thinking that I so-wish-to-God that she could have been with me through the birth of my two children, as well as the Postpartum anxiety that followed...and almost put me in a mental hospital, and a grave.  But I never really thought about what she went through.

I am 44 so in my Mom's day they didn't have anti-depressants to take.  If she did have PPD or PPA did she know it?  Or did she just think she was crazy?  Did she tell anyone...like my Dad? Her Friends?  Did she have a Circle of Moms that she could go to to get advice and commiserate?

Speaking of crazy...my Dad reminded me that back in my Mom's day they really did lock women up in mental hospitals which I am sure was a result of Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety...

And to think I was going to check myself into a mental hospital just like back in the day.  I am on meds. I had a little bit of support, I called my doc. when it was really bad.  You want to know what he said???

Since it was the weekend he told me if I seriously thought about harming myself, I needed to go to the ER...Huh!  Like I was at a point where I could make any logical decision at all.  I would have rather harmed myself then think I could make it to the ER.

A neighbor actually saved the day.  Read my post about "Southern Neighbors" to see what happened.

And it all comes back full circle doesn't it.  Women with PPD for the first time think they are crazy.  Women like myself who have experienced depression and anxiety at some point in their lives still think they are crazy when the PPD/PPA fog shrouds them in darkness.  Women think other women are weak who are experiencing PPD.

I would not wish this malady on my worst enemy.  So much more needs to be done on this issue.

We need more resources.  We need more awareness.  We need more understanding.  We need something more...

Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation in Atlanta, Georgia

Why a drug or alcohol rehabilitation center?  Well, if friends and family members have suggested you need drug or alcohol rehabilitation it’s likely that you have a serious problem; very serious. 

And if you have questioned that maybe your drug or alcohol usage may be a bit much, combined with your friends and family advising you to go to a treatment center, well then, it’s time to go.

It is a scary proposition, because you don’t believe or think that you can go totally sober. Especially, if you’ve been using for many years, it may seem like you can’t survive or go it alone without your drug of choice.

Here is why you need to check into an Atlanta alcohol rehab program right away.  There is no hard and fast data about success rates for rehab programs but the figure seems to be somewhere in the 70% range.  If you go it alone the chances of success are highly unlikely, especially for those who have a serious dependency and will go through withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms will cause you to use almost immediately and an Atlanta Drug Rehab can alleviate those symptoms for you.  You have to have the motivation and desire to go, but once you make that decision it will be the best one you have made for your future.

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for Prostate Cancer

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2007 approximately 227,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States and approximately 29,000 died. 

These statistics show that since 1998 the incidence of this disease has either remained level or decreased significantly.  Also, the mortality rate has decreased significantly since 1998.  The reason for the reduction in diagnosis and mortality is due to the improvements in treatment.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men.  The good news about prostate cancer, if there ever is any good news with a diagnosis of any kind of cancer, is that it is one of the slowest spreading cancers that you can be diagnosed with.

Because of this, many men can live with the disease for years without having to risk the side-effects that are inevitable with certain treatment plans.

There are many treatments for prostate cancer with varying success rates.  One of these treatments is High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU).  HIFU is a precise medical procedure that uses localized intense sonic energy that heats and essentially vaporizes damaged tissue.

The good news about using HIFU to eradicate prostate cancer is that it has a high success rate, and a low rate of risks or side effects.  After one year, 95% of men who received HIFU treatment for prostate cancer, remained cancer-free.

This is great news for men with this disease because the other options, like surgery and radiotherapy, have a higher risk of causing incontinence or impotence than HIFU.

HIFU uses a highly-focused laser that can target an area as small as millimeters in size which makes it a highly desirable alternative to traditional surgery which removes a portion of the prostate.  Traditional surgery can also cause sexual dysfunction and more frequent trips to the bathroom for men.

HIFU is an excellent and successful new alternative treatment plan for prostate cancer that will allow men to significantly improve their quality of life.                                                                                         

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

sitting with the crazies...

okay...that sooo wasn't nice i know. i was referring to sitting in the waiting room of my therapist's office.  mind you this is coming from someone who identifies with crazy.  i'm not used to sitting in a waiting room of a shrink's office, sorry for all the stereotypes, because my last 3 therapists (yes, I am now on 4), didn't have a waiting room.  more like either a small alcove with a chair, a house, or lobby.  never a waiting room.

so on days it's packed guess what?  it's awkward...i don't know why, it just is. i always advocate that this isn't about taboos...thus this blog.

but it's just funny when you're sitting in a waiting room, desperately wanting to be by your own crazy self, when suddenly there are 8 others in close proximity.  and one of them has a crazy 2 year old who's alll over the place. oh wait...that's me...cause yes as a mom not only do you not get to pee by yourself you also don't get to therapy by yourself either.

so there we were...and i try to smile at others, and make eye contact.  which is pretty stupid because i know when i was at my crazy worst, or crazy  best depending on how you look at it, i was in such panick mode i would be on the verge of screaming hysterically if someone so much as glimpsed my way...but i want to be friendly and give that knowing glance that it's all good.  it's all going to be okay.  we're not crazy, or we're all crazy because the whole world is crazy when you get right down to it so who cares right?

anyway, just making a craazyyyy observation...because i can....because i'm one of them...he... he... he...

everything changes

so my life looks nothing like it did almost two and a half years ago when my baby son was born and i suffered from severe postpartum anxiety.  crazy times.  who knew?! I can honestly say i am Happy.  Wow.  i have been unable to say that for a long time.

as to postpartum anxiety...gone.  ladies it can be done.  i am living proof...emphasis on the living.

regular' ol depression and anxiety...gone.

what's my secret? having a person come into your life who shows you that you are a good person. that you are lovable. that you are important and matter. this person could go away today, and i would have fond memories and be extremely thankful to this person, knowing they came into my life for a short period of time for a reason. to save me from myself.

now the rest is up to me....

Have You Been a Victim of Mesothelioma?

Many people have been victims of mesothelioma as a result of being near or working around asbestos-contaminated buildings. Unbeknownst to the victim, they were being poisoned by this extremely toxic material that is now illegal to be used in any building construction whatsoever.

Mesothelioma is a lung-related disease from inhaling the toxic chemicals released whenever asbestos has been disturbed. Asbestos started being used in the late 19th century. It was unknown for many years that asbestos was toxic. If you are a victim of asbestos poisoning then you will want to contact a mesothelioma lawyer. Only an expert in asbestos-related cases can provide you with the best representation to help you get compensation you need for the resulting medical bills.

There are many mesothelioma lawyers who have acquired the necessary knowledge to represent your rights in being a victim of this silent killer.
Unfortunately, the prognosis for this malignant cancer is extremely poor. The other unfortunate issue is that symptoms usually don’t appear until ten or 20 years after the exposure to asbestos.

If you or a family member has been a victim of mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure it is of utmost importance to contact a mesothelioma law firm. They specialize in only asbestos-related mesothelioma cases and can assist you in getting the compensation you justly deserve.

suicide ideation

sucks. It's the preoccupation with death and thoughts of suicide. Not necessarily something you would actually act upon, but the preoccuaption is incredibly scary.

Particularly if you drink. I hate to admit this out loud but I actually thought of how I was going to do it. I had too many glasses of wine, too much pain and sadness, and it seemed the easy way out and the only way out.

When I woke in the morning and that first realization that I had given such serious thought to this...scared the living hell out of me.

You see I have 2 young kids.

Why does suicide ideation occur? Not sure but here's my theory: I've had my fair share of depression, anxiety, postpartum anxiety so the death thoughts aren't anything new. I think your body can only take so much overwhelming stress and anxiety that your ability to handle ongoing stress becomes limited.

In other words, your threshold is lowered. So the next time you get a huge blow in your life, you don't have the same capacity you did before to deal with it.

Thus anxiety and depression occur.

And suicide ideation.

Postpartum Depression Anxiety and Marriage

Did you need your husband to be supportive? Were you barely keeping your head above water, barely taking care of that newborn cause you kept thinking it wasn't yours and the "real" parents were going to show up and take it away any moment now? And you would look up at your husband like that cat from Shrek 2, who now has his own "Puss 'N Boots" Movie, with those big, round, dark eyes, that just pleaded "Help Me?"..."Please?"

And were you left wondering why he wasn't doing anything?

If this has happened to you, it's definitely happened to me, please leave your comments. I would like to address this and get to the bottom of this. And it doesn't involve giving them the benefit of the doubt when you were the one that needed it the most...!

Manilla FREE Organizing System Online - Enter Contest to Win $500 for Your Bills

I read about this in Oprah's Magazine (it was an ad) and I bookmarked it but never got around to checking it out. I use Mint.com which I LOVE and I love anything that is free and makes my life easier but is quality stuff! And this one looks like it is. I will talk about it somewhere once I check it out. I thought I would tell you about it here because if you're anything like me when you are depressed, you let the paperwork and bills pile up. In fact I still have stuff from when I had my Postpartum Anxiety sittin' around in a drawer somewhere. Which now explains my bad credit score.

Anyway, here is the link to signup for FREE: Manila And here is the link to enter the contest: Manilla .

Want to win $500 to pay your bills? Click here to tell us you signed up for Manilla and answered the hub page question to be entered to win. Official Rules (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KlCwG17ZyTv5WonKW5Nr2oBfuLOOMIz-8Ej2hQsdKw8/edit?hl=en_US&ndplr=1&pli=1)

And they made me say this: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Manilla.
I was going to say this: And yes if you do something with this offer I will get a small monetary compensation, but I still thought this thing was really cool before I found that I might get paid for it.