so so broke Saturday March 8, 2008

I have to search my house for things to pawn to buy groceries today. Yesterday I sold off half of my beloved book collection for $40 for gas and food. My partner is working his ass off day and night, I am awaiting the holy grail, my Fin-Aid check, and yet we still cannot seem to get it together financially. We aren’t spending dough on dope anymore, yet we are broker than ever. I don’t get it. Where the hell does it all go??? My kids are bitching because they are starting to hate the food bank fare that we have been living on for months now. That, and they say the the free school lunch and breakfast is gross. Sorry, babies, but it’s what I got.

Why can’t I just fast forward through this sucky part of my life and get to my well paid career? I have been broke for the entirety of my adult life and I really am starting to resent it. We work hard. We don’t blow our $$ on cd’s or movies or even going out to eat. We live frugally, we make a middle class wage and we can’t fucking make ends meet. How the hell am I supposed to get through four more years of school when I feel the pull to work to fill in the gap. The only problem with that theory is that I make more in loans and grants than I could earn at a job because I HAVE NO EDUCATION! Screwed any which way I look at it. BLECK!!!

But, even through this, I am not being pulled into the abyss of depression. I can look at these problems and see them for what they are. Sucky circumstances. Not that I am a horrible person. Not that my family would be better off without my lazy ass. Just circumstance. That, at least, is a relief.

I keep wondering how this is possible. It has got to be the suboxone, because this shit would always pull me in before. Or maybe it is that my lover is struggling with his with is own crushing depression right now. I can’t afford to fall right now, but that has never stopped me before. It is strange to be living in fear like this. No matter how much time goes by, the threat of that abyss always seems like it could be around any corner, coming for me any day.

Wish me wellness and sanity because goddess knows I need all I can get right now. I will not fall if I have any choice in it. I will keep doing the things that are good for me, and I will keep talking about how bizarre this sane life feels to me. And I WILL NOT stop going to therapy because $15 a week is better than falling off the edge of the world, even if it seems like the $15 is too much to spend on myself. I will keep putting one foot on front of the other and I will survive. I will be strong so that my man can heal himself instead of pushing all of his feelings away so that he can take care of me. I will take care of myself so that he can do the same. I will. I will. I will.

here I am Friday March 7, 2008

it’s been a while, and I don’t know why

But I miss this place and I miss getting my feelings out somewhere other than in my therapists office or on the phone to cappie…

Still on the sub-o boat, and doing well. Actually, I haven’t had a bout of depression since I started. I have had hard days, even weeks, but none of that cant-get-out-of-bed, the-world-is-horrible-and-its-all-my-fault kind of crap. I have actually spent entire weeks being happy, or at least fairly so. That is really new to me. Kind of scary even.

What the hell will my life be like without the suboxone??? I am terrified that I will fall off of the edge of the world, or drop out of school, or turn back to opiates, or for fucks sake something worse. Unspeakable things. BAD things.

I don’t even want to know. But chances are I will have to find out someday. And I really really don’t want to.

I just want to be well dammit. I want to be well without meds. Is that really so goddamn much to ask. I didn’t ask to be born into a family with a horrible history of depression and abusive behavior. And I certainly didn’t mean to hand this lovely little package off to my kids, but I imagine that I have. And I hate the thought if them ever struggling like I have.

Anyway, what I really came here to say is that I am ok. And I have been really busy staying in school(!) and trying to actually live my life. Not as easy as it sounds, especially when you have spent years and years trying to avoid everything around me. I miss the support that is here and I miss seeing my words written out in front of me. They seem more real that way. I will be back again soon, for real this time.

avoidance Wednesday December 5, 2007

Shall I write this evening about how I am a huge procrastinator?  Well I am.  I put off absolutely everything, from bills to important papers, school picture order forms, traffic tickets, homework, taxes,and apparently writing in my own fucking RECOVERY journal.  Why?  What is it about me that hates to deal with things that need my attention? I have no idea, but  I have always been this way, as long as I can remember.  It really shouldn’t surprise or anger me that my 8 year old puts off her homework, and fucks around picking her nose and doodling so much that she finally gets in trouble at school for it and then cries about how she is stupid and she doesn’t know why she does these things, but she’s really really sorry.  Just like me, poor thing. So.  I don’t know why I didn’t want to do this, but here I am.

I went to an NA meeting tonight.  I don’t know why, but I just felt like it.  It was ok.  I don’t know what I expect to receive from going there.  I don’t feel particularly interested in participating right now.  I just like to be there and feel the vibe.  I know that a lot of people feel that you really have to “work it” to get any real benefit from these meetings, and I may get there at some point, but for right now, I just like to listen, and maybe read the promises and feel the humm of a dozen women that are all working really hard right now, just like me.  I am trying to feel like it is my right to say to C that I have a meeting and I have to be gone for an hour, but I still feel really insecure about the whole thing.  Like it is shameful somehow, or that I am weak for needing to feel that thing that women, mothers of all walks of life share.  We work.  We struggle to do a good job, sometimes we do and sometimes we don’t.  We worry.  We feel guilty and scared sometimes.  And we feel joy.  Joy at the lives that we have created, and hope for their futures.  Hopes that we are somehow doing a better job of raising our children than our parents did.  Struggles with our lovers and money and balancing it all.  Fear that we may fall off the tightrope lose everything.  I need to be surrounded by the voices of other women right now, and I guess this is a way I can meet that need.

getting implanted Tuesday November 20, 2007

So today is the day for implant #5.  My anxiety and craziness about not knowing what the hell is happening in my body talked me into popping a couple of Vicoden last night.  Bad idea i guess, but it did help with the anxiety.  I wish I could kick that little voice out of my head.  This is so much harder than I thought it would be, for some reason.  I don’t know why I didn’t think it would be hard.  I think I did, I just didn’t know quite how much power that addict voice would still have.  I thought I would be able to shut it up with the Sub/Implant  I have to say that I am feeling less than confident that this next implant will do the  trick for me, but I haven’t given up hope completely.  I hope and I hope because I really don’t know what I will do next if it doesn’t help me.  No $$, no ins, etc, etc…  Wish me luck!

today Saturday November 17, 2007

Today I feel like I am standing in the middle of a vortex of emotions and feelings. They are spinning all around me and every once in a while one of them lands on me and I must experience whatever it is that decides to hit me. Sad, happy, afraid, grateful, angry, hopeless, hopeful, whatever… It is intense and not very pleasant to say the least. Throughout this very strange day I have somehow found a wealth of patience and kindness for my children and their various hurts, fears, and joys. I have been patient with my 5yo’s constant chatting about whatever the obsession of the moment is. Electricity, how toilets flush, why it sometimes hurts to poop, how sad he is that his papa has to work so much and doesn’t have a lot of time for kid stuff right now. Somehow I have navigated these conversations with calmness, love, and joy. I have no idea how, but I did.

Today S scratched his nails on the chalkboard and for some reason I had this really intense visceral response. I had to go sit on my bed in the dark and try not to puke as well as breathing myself through the beginnings of a panic attack. It was very strange. It seems like a really bad example of the auditory sensitivity that accompanies my depression, at least I am trying to go with that theory anyway.

I got an apology from one of the Giant Gaping Assholes today, and C got one from the other, so maybe they are moving down my list to just Assholes instead of the superior rank of Giant Gaping Assholes. At least I hope so. I am really fearing the loss of these friends and I am not entirely sure why. I would kind of like to be rid of GGA#1, but for some reason this is hard for me to fathom. We have shared a lot as families for a long time, and it would be sad to me to see that chapter end. I wish we could just rewind and have this person back as a friend, instead of someone who has entirely lost my and C’s trust and respect. I don’t know why I can’t let go of this. As for GGA#2, I think we will recover, it seems all is not what it appeared, though she is still ranked Asshole for the time being. We’ll see.

I feel tired, vaguely depressed, and yet kind of ok. I am trying to just do this day one step at a time and I seem to be getting through it, but still, I am tired and ready for my bed as soon as the time comes.

Andrea Saturday November 3, 2007

I just wanted to tell you that I am thing about you today and what a great big step forward you are taking right now.  Believe in hope.  Please check in with me if you feel like it, I would love to hear how it goes for you.  For me, my first day was like a double scoop ice cream cone on a hot summer day.  Perfect.  I was more myself within 20 minutes than I can remember feeling in my last 30 years.  Peace to you, and enjoy your journey.

an open invitation Tuesday October 30, 2007

To any of you out there in web land who are reading this blog.  If you are in recovery, if you are trying to decide if Suboxone is right for you, if you are depressed, if you are a mother who struggles with mental illness or addiction, I want to hear from you.  I need support.  And I truly believe that support is a flow of energy.  That means that if I can help you with my words, then you can help me with yours.  Leave me a comment, send me a link to your blog or page.  I want to widen my safety net, and I am really getting attached to reading the kind words that are left for me when I am struggling.  It really does help.  So, to all of you out there, say hello, or help, or whatever it is that you are thinking.  I need you all.

what do u want from me Friday October 26, 2007

my new obsession:

I know I haven’t been writing much.  I am kind of trying to find (discover?) my groove right now.  Things are kind of strange with this implant.  I am pretty sure I didn’t get the placebo, but I think I am under-dosed right now with the 4 implants.  I talked to my study coordinator today and the doctor won’t be in until Mon.  He does know how I am feeling, but I think he wants me to tough it out a bit and see where I land.  I can understand that line of thought, but that doesn’t make it any easier for me to get through my days… I will see my the study doc on Monday and probably do oral supplementing, like maybe another 4mg of the Sub/day and see if that helps.  If I need that for 2 weeks running (which I probably will…) then I can get a 5th implant put in and that should bring me back up to where I was for those blissful 5 days that I was on the oral.  I was feeling so great, it is hard to feel like the depression is creeping back into my periphery and it makes me panic.  But.  I HAVE to wait until Monday.  There isn’t anything I can do about it, so wish me strength for the weekend, and I will try not to be too hard on myself (thanks bottlecappie for the reminder )

Oh, and I start therapy on Mon, twice a week.  I am really looking forward to that, hopefully it will give me a place to get some of this shit out without worrying about how ANYBODY feels about it.  So.  Yeah.  I have to go try and create some Halloween costumes with no money and no craft stuff.  Wish me luck.

Day -1 Tuesday October 16, 2007

I have made a promise to myself to track my progression through this all here in this safe place.

Today was my last day before induction. I took about 20 Vicoden (all I had) in the hopes to get high one last time. It didn’t work, but at least I wasn’t sick…

My induction is tomorrow, as I said, and I am feeling really strange about it. So hopeful. So grateful for some help finally. But worried, too. What if it doesn’t work for me? What if I didn’t wait long enough and I get really sick? What if I dissapoint myself? My husband? My team? My kids? I am so worried about failing again. I am so ashamed at what I have done to my life and to his. I have made him lie for me, spend money that wasn’t ours to support my habit. I never want to do that to him again. I really can’t believe that we let things get this far out of hand. And how I had to search and search for help. It was unbelievable. I am apparently too poor, too rich, too white, too well, too sick, too whathefuckever for them to help me.

I am really grateful for the place that I have found. They are so kind to me. I really feel like they might be able to help us. I want help. I want to be well so so badly. I can almost taste it. Please let this help me because if it doesn’t I don’t know what we will do. How we will manage. I know that I can’t live like this forever. I am on the verge of loosing it all. Myself included.

Day -2 Monday October 15, 2007

Had my big appointment today. Blood work, EKG, interviews, the whole shebang, Met my doctor and found out all about the Suboxone program. I am feeling very strange about all of this. I want so badly to be released from my monster of addiction but my fear of my depression and anxiety is making me panic a bit. I hope that I can find the joy in my life again, that I can learn how to be human again, but I fear that I may be shooting too high with these wishes. I begin induction on Wed and I am seriously fighting the urge to get really really high because I know that it’s over. I hope that I can make it through. I am so close now. I feel good knowing that I have, like, 5 people to call if I am having trouble, but I am still worried. The urge to lie and hide things is very strong, I have promised myself to be completely honest throughout this process but I keep worrying that I will decide to lie for no good reason. Old habits die hard, I guess. The countdown is on.

For my entire life I have suffered from chronic depression, which after the birth of my children began to cycle at an increasingly rapid pace. I tried every antidepressant on the market, they all had tons of side effects, but my depression remained the same. As things got worse and worse I began to experiment with opiates. Amazing! I was feeling great, tons of energy, and life was great. For a while. And however many years later, here I am. Having the worst depression of my life. Doing waaay too many pills just not to get sick. At the end of my rope. My husband is fed up. My kids miss me. I am not doing well in school. I am ready to be done, but every time I quit I get suicidal. Panic Attacks. Nonstop crying for days on end. Puking.

The bottom line is, I have been looking for help with my depression for so long, and I know that the depression is what led me to my opiate use/abuse. There is tons of research out there that says that Sub can have a tremendous effect on treatment resistant depression as well as helping me with my opiate problem.

I kind of feel like this is my last chance or something. I have tried so many things. This feels like hope. The program consists of 3 visits a week; 3 urine tests, 2 counseling visits, and a treatment visit to assess medication issues and such. My program will be one year at minimum (with the counseling, urine tests, and treatment visits) and possibly lifetime maintenance (medication only), we’ll just have to see how it goes, and how the suboxone affects my depression. If that can go away I will stay on forever! All of the people I have met so far at the clinic have been incredible, inspiring and hopeful. I didn’t get any of the attitude that I was expecting (who knows why I thought that?) I am truly hopeful for the first time in a long long time.