First things first, I didn’t post yesterday, but got in a tough 8.5 mile run, with a 1 mile warm-up. When I finished my run, I decided to walk up the trail to the shopping center at the top of the hill where an Atlanta Bread Company lays waiting for me with an iced coffee. It is a 2 mile walk round trip.
The iced coffee wasn’t as good as Dunkin Donuts (sorry I cheated on you, DD), but I did find where they are putting in a new fro-yo store. Score, big time!
Today before my run, Husband met me at the trail and we had a 30 minute walk. I’m trying to get him more active and he agreed to do a run/walk 5k with me in October. I’m hoping a little exercise will improve the deep depression that has kidnapped him right now. Towards the beginning of the trail, we noticed a man flat on the ground with a pack of EMTs around him. We heard the sirens of the ambulance on the way. As everyone was giving the firefighters space to work on the downed man, we were all talking about how important hydrating ourselves is. This occurrence happened at 8:30 in the morning when it was only 73 degrees out, but high humidity.
So, my PSA today is to keep yourselves hydrated before, during, and after your run.
After our walk, I had a 4 mile recovery run. I wanted to get some mileage in today, but didn’t want to push it too much because my long run is tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to it.
I haven’t written in a few days because things in my life are a little . . . um . . . anxiety filled. I’ve not a shred of creativity and my brain feels depleted. I have things to write about, but when I sit down to type it out, the words escape me.
One of the biggest struggles I perceive in my life right now is Husband. He just finished his 12 rounds of ECT (Electro Convulsive Therapy). While, for a time I noticed a slight improvement in his mood, the last couple of days he has been extremely depressed and anxious and fearful. The effects of the ECT treatments have stressed not only him, but me as well, because I feel like I’m living with a child. His short term memory is fried, and he can’t remember answers to questions he asked me just five minutes prior. I am taking care of affairs that normally would fall to him and that he previously coped with better. He says he doesn’t feel like himself. He worries he will never be the same. I feel helpless.
I don’t know how to help him. We considered him returning to the hospital this weekend for inpatient treatment, but decided against it, since he sees his psychiatrist on Monday who can make a recommendation as to where to go from here with his treatment. They’ve restarted him on his anti-depressant, but that takes weeks to kick in. So it’s really hard to be positive right now. I can’t handle my own anxiety, much less help him with his.
On a better note, last night as I was running early to my appointment with Dietician (major epic fail session.), I noticed a sign for a bookstore in a shopping center. I <3 books, so I HAD to stop! When I walked in the bookstore, I saw that it was a new and USED bookstore, so my inner Book Snob immediately was judgmental at the thought of used books. But we looked around anyway and found our way to the Young Adult section. Surprisingly, most of the used books were in amazingly good condition and were 50% off the book price! Major score! Being tight on money, even in a used book store, we could only buy one book, so we found a book by Laurie Halse Anderson titled Prom. Though it’s not War and Peace or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it’s a really good, easy read and one I know my female students will like. My collection of loaner books for my students is growing larger, and I’m really stoked about having so many choices to offer them.
Lastly, as I was leaving the store, I noticed some chairs and tables lining the walkway outside the strip mall. They belonged to a store called Menchie’s, another fro-yo store! I went inside and they had all the amazing flavors and toppings that will do my fro-yo addiction proud. Score, again!
So, even though I’m living life in the stress lane, I’ve had some good runs, took Husband on a walk, found two new fro-yo stores, and an up-scale used bookstore.
Not bad for someone hanging on by a thread.
Did your husbands psychiatrist give any indication of what would happen throughout the ECT?
I know of one other person who went through ECT and they now have great results, but I don't know what it was like for them when they just finished. She's a mental health nurse, and said it was the best thing she ever did. I know she's still on anti-depressants, but that the medication is much better at maintaining her mood than it was before.
Good quality second hand books are acceptable in certain circumstances – mainly when they have been previously owned by a fellow book snob 🙂
Take care,
CG
It sounds like you found some awesome things while you were out. It's nice when you do find these things isn't it? I am sorry your husband is not doing so well and although Andy never had ECT, he does suffer really bad depression at times where he won't wash and won't eat etc. It's so hard when you have your own stuff to deal with. I hope that his psychiatrist can give you some hope when he sees them and that you get some relief soon too 🙂