Depression:  92 and going strong

There are no names used in this story to protect the privacy of this family.

This story is about a very fine, christian lady who has agoraphobia and depression. Agoraphobia, is an anxiety disorder which caused her to dread trying something new, meeting new people, or going somewhere she didn't know.  A panic attack might happen and it would be embarassing for her.

She also had depression. Over the years she had been given many medications to treat her problems. As she got older it became necessary to take her off one of the medications that we had been trying to get her off of for years.  Everytime we tried to get her on a new medication she simply refused, would try it once and say she had side effects, or it just didn't work. Finally the day came the medication just had to be changed because it was causing her problems that she was not aware of.  She was becoming more forgetful, she would be angry, and she got so she didn't want to do anything.

When she was taken off the medication she was in withdrawal for over a week.  It was terrible, she was shaky, could barely walk, eat, sleep or anything else.  Thankfully the doctor knew we were going to have a problem so he insisted we have a nurse come in several times a week.  He knew she would be upset with us.

Now she is fine.  She uses a walker on wheels which is terrific. She makes her own breakfast and lunch, folds clothes, empties the dishwasher, and is a very important part of our family.  Some days it is still hard to do some things that are different but all in all she is doing great.

Remember sometimes it takes people in a family to join together and make a decision they really don't want to make.  It can make the difference about the quality of life that a person leads.