I'm evidently very treatment resistant, any hope?

Hi Robbie! You write you have a few stomach issues. There is more evidence coming forward that our gut health is somewhat related to our mental health. I believe even Mayo has research on this. It could help to learn more about your gut health ...maybe could help a bit. Stool tests for candida, probiotics, foods that may be making you feel worse. Also a complete blood panel for hormones and perhaps lacking some vitamins/nutrients. Magnesium...vitamin D etc Functional medicine or Integrative medicine seems to do more extensive testing on these issues. Just an idea to try. Keep on keeping on!!

I am 52 years old and have complex P.T.S.D. and childhood trauma and have been told i have bipolar by some and that i don’t by others. I was in the military and have gotten my 4 year degree. i wanted to strive to be anything but what my family was and some still are. but that being said i lost medication that did work due to my husband losing his job and have been on a roller coaster of generics to find what works. apparently i am in the class of people that generics throw them all over the place mentally. so i just winged off everything and yes it can be done slow process but i was frustrated and angry from growing up with both to now having my world turned upside down again. i am tired warn out and have had all i can take of life and myself at times. but i have experienced being off and trying other alternative means from herbs to amino acids you name it i tried it. but i know i need to be on something because nothing i have done works without its own set of long term problems. so i am bound and determined to make this square peg in my life fit this round hole. I have been through mental heal this past year and with my family that’s still living. i cry most of the time grieving what i will never experience with a mother or father on a love, caring compassion supported level and i will probably grieve it till i die. but i’ll be &#$’l if they are going to win. I have an inner light that guides me and keeps me fighting to the bitter end whenever that may be. but i have lost pretty much everything u cannot buy, and some that can be bought, but i persevere. i will find what works for me even if it isn’t perfect because i’m worth it. Even though i was brought up thinking i wasn’t, i hope this helps in some way, because i totally get what you are saying i have been through med hell. the thing is you are on here talking and sharing and people are listening and replying that’s freaking awesome in itself that you are worth listening too. you matter, people love you in your family. i hope something i have shared helps you.

@scrollsbc Good morning and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. We're glad you found us. First off, thank you for your service. Your response is a breath of fresh air, to hear how you continue to overcome your past. We each have our own journey, and finding just the right combination to winning can be tiring, and difficult. Like you said, "don't give up". I am encouraged to hear your positivity, as it really hits home for me personally this morning. You are absolutely right, we are worth it, and we matter! Here's a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate raised in toast to all of us on this incredible journey, grieving what cannot be replaced but determined to make our lives the best we can.
Ginger

Hi, thank you for the resource!
And yes, that is my dog, Dexter. He is very alert, curious and always ready to play, haha

Hello! @tricks, Robbie, Welcome! I am a bit late getting into this conversation, but better late than never, right?

My beloved father would say "Better never late!!!" How I miss that man. He died a long time ago. 1976. I am five years older than he was when he passed away. But you know something really neat, Robbie? The people who are meant to find each other usually do. You and I are poles apart. Yet we have so very much in common.

I almost hesitate to even speak of the similarities. Can we just say that almost from the time I first arrived on the planet, I was overwhelmed with depression. I had plans to run away from home before I could even read. I knew how I was going to kill myself even as I watched the original Mickey Mouse Club on our black and white TV.

My father was my angel sent from Heaven.
My mother was a very unhappy survivor of childhood abuse, and did not want to be a mother.
I learned early on to mask, to lie, to minimize my own needs and dismiss whatever was going on with me to help my mother.
I was misdiagnosed all my life. One of the finest Psychiatrists in all history told me that she couldn't figure out if I was Bi-Polar or ADHD. She honestly did not know what to do for me.

Neither did I. I double majored in Psychology and Sociology in college, because I wanted to know everything I could to help myself and to understand my clan of "high strung" relatives.

Fast forward to my original point: We find each other. If we are lucky. We find the members of our "tribe"....the ones who have been through the same kinds of things, and survived. We help each other, we listen to each other, we encourage each other. We find ways not only to survive, but to thrive.

I cannot give you all the answers that I found for myself in one " fell swoop."

That would be too long, and too overwhelming, and that would be adding insult to injury. But bit by bit, if you will bear with me, I would love to share with you some of the roadblocks I have had. And where I am today.

One of the greatest blessings in my life is to have found this group of people called Mayo Clinic Connect. I loved it so much, in fact, that eventually I became a volunteer mentor. I have had many different occupations in my life. This is by far one of my greatest assignments yet.

My teenager says I talk too much.
He's right. I do.
But here's a secret.....I talk so others can speak.

You keep talking. Keep sharing. My friends here at the Connect Table are waiting for you. Joy and peace are not so far away from you as those thoughts inside your head tell you.

God has given me a great love for those who are going through tough times. I may only be words on a screen, but I am real. I exist outside of this space. I survived. You can too.

Love and light to you, my friend.

Mamacita

Thank you for all the replies. I'm very very appreciative. Things haven't changed a ton, but I am getting a blood panel done and some testing to rule out potential autoimmune diseases or other health problems (malnutrition and/or malabsorption is likely in my case with my GI problems) that could be causing similar symptoms. Hopefully I will find some answers there while I wait for this ketamine treatment center to get back to me. 🤞

@tricks So good to hear you are getting the bloodwork done. Our body is such a miracle, and we sometimes forget that our body has many different systems all working together. When one gets out of balance, the others also have to compensate in some way. Our goal is to get back in balance, however that may be. Please keep coming back, and let us know what the medical professionals say. We share our experiences together, so that together we survive.
Ginger

Hey there,@tricks.....So, you have a plan. That is good news. And you may really be on to something very significant in your journey towards healing. Gut health is more and more in the news these days.

I myself am a convert! We take extra vitamin C during really stressful times, and Probiotics every day. We eat more of the "Super Foods" than cheeseburgers and fries. We have seen it make a difference.

Let us know how it goes as you are able to do so. I know you are busy with your studies, as well, and I commend you for that.

Lifelong learning is so much fun! You can never be bored if you have that taste for knowledge. Now, chemistry? That's a whole nuther subject.

See you on the flip side!

Mamacita

Thank you, I really appreciate it, it is a hard road to travel alone and no one gets it unless they have been there. I would like to find a physical group trauma in my area but there isn’t one that’s free. so i am seeking places where i fit in because i have learned 12 step programs are not best for people with what i have but others it may be great for them. i am grateful i feel i found a place to be me and i fit, thank you for this

@scrollsbc No one here is a medical professional. We won't/can't give medical advice but we will definitely share our experience, the things we have tried and what have worked or not worked. So pull up a chair here at the Cyber table and we'll scoot over and make room for you! Looking for groups that work for you is always a challenge, isn't it? Not knowing where you are located, you might try veterans organizations or perhaps a large teaching hospital in your area. Another thing perhaps is senior groups that might have some insight. I know, for me sometimes being in groups it becomes one of "can you top this" situations. I found that very discouraging in 12-step groups. While they are very valuable for a lot of people and the group dynamic works for several individuals, that just wasn't for me. I do hope that you will keep coming back here and talking and helping us to understand how to work through issues, just as we can share with you our lives and experiences. We are all cyber friends here and we are all in this together!
Ginger