Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[lovinchickypoos]

OK I am going to talk very serious about something. I hope that EVERYBODY will PLEASE read this even if you don't like my posts.

That was a very sincere and honest post and I thank you for it. It is very scary when you feel like your emotions are uncontrolled. It is also a struggle to decide if you want to try medications that are supposed to alter emotions, especially when some have possible side-effects such as suicidal thoughts. I know quite a few who have been greatly improved on certain medications. Its been a major conflict for me. I've tried a few different ones and just hate some of the side-effects. Currently, I've struggled with a major distrust in the major pharma. companies and I am trying to drastically change eating habits and hope to change our lifestyle to see if I can get off of all medications. It is an extremely hard thing to do and is going to be a long road. I'm also experimenting with high doses of niacin to see if that will help.
It helps so much, though, if you have caring people around who can tell when things are "off" with you and can discuss it with you. It is sometimes hard to tell by yourself. Being able to talk to someone about how you feel is so valuable!

 

[CarolynF]

Okay, on to more cheerful things -- Rodents!

I spoke too soon a couple of weeks ago when I said we don't have a problem with rodents getting to the feeder. Wrong! Last week DH found a tunnel under the new dust bath I put in the corner of the girls' pen, with several pieces of layer feed. So we put out a rat trap and 3 days ago got a nasty big rat! Yuk! Since we have woods around us we were pretty sure there would be more, so we set it out again. As of this morning we've reduced the rodent population by three. But only the first one was a rat. The other two are either mice or baby rats, but either way I was surprised. But no more... we're on high alert now.

 

[Hinotori]

OK I am going to talk very serious about something. I hope that EVERYBODY will PLEASE read this even if you don't like my posts.

DH was on a blood pressure med years ago that turned him into Satan. Longer he took it, the worse he got. He was getting in trouble at work, ticking off our friends, making me want to just leave. He did listen to me and quit it. It was just totally out of his normal character and started a few weeks after he started the med. It took a few weeks after stopping before he returned to normal. He told the doctor that he could not take that med so they found something that didn't have much side effects.

 

[Hinotori]

That was a very sincere and honest post and I thank you for it. It is very scary when you feel like your emotions are uncontrolled. It is also a struggle to decide if you want to try medications that are supposed to alter emotions, especially when some have possible side-effects such as suicidal thoughts. I know quite a few who have been greatly improved on certain medications. Its been a major conflict for me. I've tried a few different ones and just hate some of the side-effects. Currently, I've struggled with a major distrust in the major pharma. companies and I am trying to drastically change eating habits and hope to change our lifestyle to see if I can get off of all medications. It is an extremely hard thing to do and is going to be a long road. I'm also experimenting with high doses of niacin to see if that will help.
It helps so much, though, if you have caring people around who can tell when things are "off" with you and can discuss it with you. It is sometimes hard to tell by yourself. Being able to talk to someone about how you feel is so valuable!

I've had depression issues. That's a nasty roller coaster. Had a bad low last year. I get up each day now and tell myself "I am a happy person". It's helped some. I started taking melatonin at night. I've always had issues getting to sleep and the melatonin totally changed that. I sleep much better and not as much now. That has helped with my mood. My doctor told me to go out and get some vitamin D3 pills and take them. She had my levels checked on my blood draw and they were very low. She told me that can effect mood greatly.

So since starting the two things, I haven't had any off days.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

OK I am going to talk very serious about something. [COLOR=FF0000]I hope that EVERYBODY will PLEASE read[/COLOR] this even if you don't like my posts.
I am sharing this information in hopes that it may help someone. It is not intended for any other purpose. 
If by chance you notice changes in yourself or someone around you. PLEASE DO NOT just pass it off. Try to determine a cause. Now more specifically what I am talking about is mood / emotional changes. There could be an underlying cause that could be solved very easy but if left unchecked could be terrible.
OK so I guess about the only way I know how to relay this is to jump under the bus. Please try to understand that I am only doing this in attempt to help others and maybe in that some may have a better understanding of me, especially those who have met in person.
OK so here is my point. If you notice changes give a good look at things such as MEDICATIONS !!!!
See I had been on a med then 9/2010 the Dr. changed that med. I was OK with that. Well I had been on a downhill spiral since. I really didn't know how bad or the cause until last week. See I ran out of that med and while waiting was forced to go back to the original.  Now this is the part that is embarrassing but  I feel the need to share just so others can see what kinds of things can happen. See on the med I started 9/2010 I had reached the point where simple little things like just reading certain posts would cause me to become teary. I am sure many who have met me may have noticed and wondered what the heck! I was also struggling with other VERY bad thoughts nearly daily. I have now been back on the "old" med for one week. No Tears No VERY bad thoughts. My point is PLEASE if you or someone around you seems to be having problems of this nature PLEASE get help /try to help them. I was VERY LUCKY that I had a couple of AWESOME friends on more than one occasion. While they were there for me. They didn't know me before so it was hard for them to do much more than be very supportive and I am so thankful to them for that. 
I truly hope that nobody else goes through this kind of thing but I hope that this post may shed some light and maybe help others to catch things like this earlier than I did.
Hopefully you will soon see a better (more like) the "old" me that most of you don't know!
Rob 

Good post, and good message.

Me, I have to white-knuckle some severe depression and anxiety problems after twenty years of bad reactions to all the usual pharmaceuticals and then finding something that worked really well at low doses only to have to discontinue it when I was diagnosed with diabetes. Even unmedicated it helps to know (and to remind myself on bad days) that what's wrong with me is bad wiring and not something I chose, nor anything I deserve for being a bad person or most importantly something the people around me are doing to me.

 

[Hinotori]

Okay, on to more cheerful things -- Rodents!

I spoke too soon a couple of weeks ago when I said we don't have a problem with rodents getting to the feeder. Wrong! Last week DH found a tunnel under the new dust bath I put in the corner of the girls' pen, with several pieces of layer feed. So we put out a rat trap and 3 days ago got a nasty big rat! Yuk! Since we have woods around us we were pretty sure there would be more, so we set it out again. As of this morning we've reduced the rodent population by three. But only the first one was a rat. The other two are either mice or baby rats, but either way I was surprised. But no more... we're on high alert now.

I hate rodents. Really do. We had them get in the house. The kittens have scared them off apparently. Since they started playing around in all the small spots, haven't seen evidence of them inside.

Our German Shepherd gets one or two a week outside. She's very good at it, if she can get in the space. She got a huge one a few days ago when I lifted one of the dog houses the birds sleep in. It didn't even get a squeak off before she had it dead. She makes me go do the rounds with her every night. The population outside has been severely reduced.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr, another gate bites the dust!!! I think we're gonna have to give up privacy and use chain link.

1. You need to hang your gate on something much heavier, an 8X6 at least. 2. Wooden gates keep longest if they have a trolley wheel under the outside end so that the weight is not all being carried by the hinges. 3. Cladding a steel gate with thin cedar planks is a good look and cuts down on the weight problem. (I speak as someone whose quality of life is determined by the gates between me and big hungry herbivores). ETA: one thing I forgot, that I'm relearning right now with a hand-made cedar gate at the corner of my house: wooden gates get HEAVY in wet weather, which is why the old kind had a shed plank over the top, or metal flashing, or were painted to naval standard (entirely waterproof).

 

[TerrorBird]

Quote:
Except maybe puppy diarrhea a few hours later!

 

[TerrorBird]

On a chicken-related note, Pengin has started laying. She didn't even start with a small egg. Just a long egg.

 

[lovinchickypoos]

I've had depression issues. That's a nasty roller coaster. Had a bad low last year. I get up each day now and tell myself "I am a happy person". It's helped some. I started taking melatonin at night. I've always had issues getting to sleep and the melatonin totally changed that. I sleep much better and not as much now. That has helped with my mood. My doctor told me to go out and get some vitamin D3 pills and take them. She had my levels checked on my blood draw and they were very low. She told me that can effect mood greatly.

So since starting the two things, I haven't had any off days.

I've recently been trying melatonin for sleep due to having restless leg syndrome and various pains from neuropathy. I do find that it helps me sleep without weird feelings like Benadryl. My D levels have been low in the past so I probably need to step that up too.

1. You need to hang your gate on something much heavier, an 8X6 at least.
2. Wooden gates keep longest if they have a trolley wheel under the outside end so that the weight is not all being carried by the hinges.
3. Cladding a steel gate with thin cedar planks is a good look and cuts down on the weight problem.
(I speak as someone whose quality of life is determined by the gates between me and big hungry herbivores).
ETA: one thing I forgot, that I'm relearning right now with a hand-made cedar gate at the corner of my house: wooden gates get HEAVY in wet weather, which is why the old kind had a shed plank over the top, or metal flashing, or were painted to naval standard (entirely waterproof).

Thanks for the advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We'll certainly take it!!!!!!!!!

Except maybe puppy diarrhea a few hours later!

OH NO!!!!! Hope your pooch is feeling ok! Maybe some bland rice and boiled chicken would be good to replace the food until his/her belly is better!