i 've been off work since oct 2006 due to severe depression that has not responded to meds very well...it's been a struggle for the last 6 months....
then i seemed to get just a little bit better with the warmer weather and the promise of spring....

on march 11th, i was helping my mom down some steps and slipped on some ice i didn't see and guess what....i broke my knee:dizzy: after seeing the results of the mri, i'm possibly looking at total knee replacement. OMG, the
depression went off the charts...i'm ready to give up...what's next? it's very hard not to get way into negative thinking and catastrophising....this just plain sucks and is so unfair. i also have a history of chemical dependency so am reluctant to take pain meds altho the doctor is willing to prescribe them. she is aware of the addiction.

how do i think about this? i'm having a real hard time rolling with the punches. any input? Help please peace:dizzy:

I hear ya! I can empathize with the physical issue. Iv'e lived with depression for 15 year or so...that's hard enough. Then..about five years ago...go hurt at work ( a job I loved) and 4 surgeries later they disability retired me cause they were sick of paying. I have always been an active person and an athlete...so pain is a way of life...lol. But this ankie injury was devastating to me. The pain was terrible....plus not being able to do what I loved.

For the past 4 years I've have a surgery every summer. It's funny...cause I was joking to someone the other day...I got to school for a semester then have a surgery...then school...the a surgery...ugghhh.

I"m not sure how to tell you to get thru...cause I'm not thru yet.....you guessed it...I'm having another surgery this summer. I'm so sick of laying on my back for the summer!!

It's hard to not see the negative side of it. But....ya can't let that consume you. Hey...maybe the surgery will go well and you'll be in much less pain!! That's what I"m thinking! I'll be running by december. You have to think like that. You have THE CHOICE to think of the negative...or think of the positive...so choose to think of the positive.

One thing I would say....is make a decision. I think the indecision of "will my knee get better in another month" will drive you nuts. Set a firm time table...and stick with it. Make the decision. If you have no improvement by such and such a date....get the surgery. Personally I find it's much easier to deal with a situation when there is some type of decision made....you make a decision...you deal with the result. I dunno...that works for me. It just takes the wondering out of it for me......

good luck.

it's very hard not to get way into negative thinking and catastrophising

Stay in the moment and quit living in the future.

My mom had a knee replacement 6 weeks ago.She is back to work and doing great!If you have to have one,it will be alright.Make sure you research the doctor you are going to use.I know how hard depression is without having an additional problem.Hang in there.