A friendly cheer up to everyone on the PP recovery journey!

[Varvarita]

Hi dear everyone! My PP was with my first child 1 year and 9 months ago.

And today i finally feel so good, so normal, so “before PP” version of myself and i decided to write a kind of a letter to everyone who is suffering from PP and having a hard time on this unique and difficult journey of PP recovery…

First of all I wanted to thank you all for your amazing words of support. I think this forum is so unique - we all know how horrible PP is and we have gathered much useful knowledge here.

Im off all meds now and looking back i want to say to everyone who are now suffering: with time thing are going to get better! Of course not as fast as with general flu, and maybe even longer than pregnancy lasts, but IT WILL GET BETTER! Don’t give up!

If you are suffering with side effects from your meds or if you are worried that your mind and body have been affected by PP or that meds have changed you - you WILL BE BACK TO YOURSELF, after some time, maybe long time, but you will.

All those multiple side effects, all those weird sensations i had in my body due to meds - and i had so many of them on my journey (different 2nd and 3rd generation antipsychotics, different antidepressants, heavy tranquillisers) - it’s all reversible, all the side effects will be gone when you are off meds!

For example, i was so sad that i lost my libido and that i lost all my sensitivity down there - now i’m finally back to myself, and love making feels like i remembered it before PP!

Or i was worried that im not that talkative, cheerful, smiling person anymore- it took a lot of time, and healing, and also talking therapy but i arrived at the point when i’m back to myself again.

I don’t mean that we don’t change at all - of course PP is something so hard and so intense that it will have an impact on a personality, but time heals and one day it finally will be starting to feel like something from the past, not determining you future.

DON’T GIVE UP!

If you are unhappy with your meds - you think they don’t work for you or side effects seem unbearable- don’t give up, keep looking for the right one with your doctor, we are all very different in how our liver processes chemicals, and there are so many great modern meds, there is definitely a pill that will work just for you and for your brain chemistry.

To all the partners of PP sufferers out there - you are also SUPER HEROES, it’s a long journey and a long battle, but your loved one will recover one day and you will feel much stronger as a family!!! And maybe even happier, because you will cherish happy moments even more.

So my dear fellow PP-sufferer, i know you are here, maybe you are just in the beginning of your journey or maybe you are exhausted after months of trial and error - i hope there is at least one person- your partner, or your family member, or your friend, or your doctor- who 100% believes in your recovery! Team up with this person!!!You will win! And i BELIEVE IN YOU!

with love

Varvarita

XXx

[Jenny_at_APP Partner]

Thank you so much for sharing these words of support and hope, Varvarita. I’m glad to hear you’re feeling so good - it shines through your post and has made me smile ☺️

Jenny x

[Ellie_at_APP Partner]

Hi Varvarita

I just wanted to echo what Jenny has written too. Thanks so much for writing such a hopeful post for other people to read! We all know how hard it is to believe that we'll get better and feel fully ourselves again after experiencing PP, and your post can give people hope that they really will.

I know we have a lot of people that read this forum, but don't reply or write themselves, so I'm sure that this post will really help a lot of people - more than you'll probably ever know.

Take care,

Ellie X

[Naomi_at_app Volunteer]

This is beautiful Varvarita - thank you! Naomi xxx

[Pikorua Volunteer]

Thank you for such kind words. Much appreciated. Wishing you health and happiness x