September

[yeleek]

Hello I am a long time lurker but do get comfort and encouragement from you all. I moved to post today as I find everything changes in Sept. Last year I was very low and bought a Sad lamp. This year I am wiped out. The summer is much better for me. Does anyone find the same? Many thanks

[Hidden]

Hi

I suffer from SAD so when the evenings start drawing in I start feeling extremely low & more depressed than usual.

The summer months are definitely what I spend the whole of Autumn & Winter looking forward to!

I feel the cold dreadfully and wear socks for bed even in the summer so spend most of the Winter shivering.

That's probably why I enjoy the summer so much. My pain does lessen slightly too.

Lu xxxx

[Julie63]

Hi and welcome, yeleek. My Daughter has SAD and tends to get slightly depressed as the weather changes at this time of year. We went to our gp about a year ago and she had blood tests done which showed she was vitamin d deficient. She's now on a maintenance dose at the moment. I don't know if you've had your bloods tested for vitamin d deficiency? I hope the light helps you, Daughter has been thinking about buying one - or moving to Iceland for their summer! Gentle hugs, Julie x

[Shazzzy]

Hi , i am the same, i did try a sad lamp in hospital but found it to bright as i get migraines. I hope it helps you.

[hamble99b in reply to Shazzzy]

you can place it out of direct eye line, just in view.

it gave me migraine before I moved it.

[rosewine]

Hi Welcome to posting. I think a lot of people on the site dread the winter because either they suffer from Sad or because like me all the aches and pains seem to go up tenfold when the weather turns colder. With the warmer lighter days we have plenty of opportunity to get some gentle exercise which is one of the best things for fibro but when it is cold and dark we all want to just curl up, keep warm and tend to stay indoors much more. I found an instant increase in my pain as soon as we had that short spell of colder weather so can really sympathise with you. My husband who suffers with depression is always worse as soon as the nights start drawing in and I can see his moods getting worse, he oversleeps and overeats. You are definately not on your own with this,x

[TheAuthor]

Hello yeleek

Welcome to posting and it is wonderful to make your acquaintance. I am so sorry to read that you suffer so badly with SAD, and I genuinely hope that you can find some resolution and relief to this misery.

I do not suffer with this myself, but I have done some reading up of it on NHS Choices I have pasted you the link below but I am sure that you have probably read this:

Link To NHS Choices - Seasonal affective disorder:

nhs.uk/Conditions/Seasonal-...

Taken From NHS Choices

What causes SAD?

The exact cause of SAD isn't fully understood, but it's thought to be linked to reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter days of the year.

Sunlight can affect some of the brain's chemicals and hormones. However, it's not clear what this effect is. One theory is that light stimulates a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which controls mood, appetite and sleep. These things can affect how you feel.

In people with SAD, a lack of sunlight and a problem with certain brain chemicals stops the hypothalamus working properly. The lack of light is thought to affect the:

production of the hormone melatonin

production of the hormone serotonin

body's circadian rhythm (its internal clock, which regulates several biological processes during a 24-hour

period).

I do not know if this will help you in any way, but they also have a treatments page for SAD.

NHS Choices - Treatments:

nhs.uk/Conditions/Seasonal-...

I want to genuinely wish you all the best of luck, and I sincerely hope that you have a wonderful winter time filled with joy and laughter.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken

[Fibrofoggiest]

Oh my word yeleek, (love the handle ) yes indeed I too struggle very hard with the shortening days and normally would, even by now, be starting to feel downhearted at the oncoming winter.

However I am just so very blessed that I had the opportunity to have a holiday on the wonderful island of Kos, which started on the 4th of this month and having had many many hours of either lying down or even better floating round the huge pool on a li-lo taking in all the vitamin D I could, I've come back and my mood is just so so much better than normal !! People in my village are noticing and commenting on how I look much better and in less pain than normal and yes, I don't feel quite as great here as I did out in Kos with the temperature of about 33c of close by that, but with a lovely cooling breeze (eeek a few odd little places did get a tad redder than I had hoped having slathered on Factor 59 to start with and then Factor 30 after that) but my pain score is still much less than it would be had I not gone. It was wondrous to wake at 7.00 (even though I may have on had a few hours sleep, but it was somehow different) and get up, showered and dressed and to walk out into possibly 25c to go for breakfast.

So ultimately I am exactly the same as you and really really struggle, the only one positive thing I hang on to is reaching December 21st, the winter solstice, when the days start to turn round and get longer. January and February are the worst months but I still hold on to the fact that each week we have about 15 more minutes of light.

I did try out a SAD lamp but it gave me migraines, so I had to stop using it and gave it to someone who I knew would benefit from it.

I wish I was wealthy enough to scoop you all up and take you to somewhere lovely and warm and sunny from about now until March, wouldn't that be nice.

Sadly I can't but strangely enough we are concluding our "Virtual trip to Kos" later on today, sometime around 10.00 am, so if you would like to have a little bit of light hearted fun, and taking in the virtual rays, (so many enjoyed it on Tuesday when it began) then please do join us The post will be called " Our final Virtual Day in Kos", so do please look out for it.

Also just even laughing at something funny written on here by some of us can help release feel good endorphins which really help some people to get through the day. Laughter has long been known to raise people's spirits and from what I have experienced myself, that is certainly true.

I'm sending lots of positive, healing and anti-depressing vibes your way and very much look forward to seeing you around a bit more

Foggy x

[yeleek]

Thanks all

I do take vit d from Sept to May but I buy it as my Gp wouldn't test it.

It is nice to know I am not (too) crazy x

[flossy1]

Hi, I like most of you I love the summer warmth on my body. I've had fibro for approximately 18 years and I have always loved that healthy feeling of being a bit tanned, less aches and pains, so more energy. I dearly miss all that now as 2 1/2 years ago I was diagnosed with Lupus. I am sure most of you know that summer can bring a lot of pain and misery to Lupus sufferers. So summer is lovely if I'm VERY careful, but a little too much exposure and I'm in trouble. Gone is that healthy colour as 50 sunblock at all times. Long sleeves and high necks. No trips abroad. So summer is bad for my Lupus and winter for both. Sorry feeling a bit fed up like most of you with the gloomy weather today so don't take any notice of my little moan.

Flossy x

[Hidden in reply to flossy1]

Hi Flossy, like you I have Lupus and Fibro. While reading all the comments I wondered what would happen now in winter with the newly diagnosed Fibro. I was looking forward to the cool weather and able to go out more. As I am also sunsensitive, summer was not great this year.

Looks like I might now have the fibro fun in the winter?

I am grateful for your post, knowing I am not alone.

Don't want to upset you but today was a glorious day here in Essex

Sending you sunny vibes and weather

xx

[yeleek]

Gosh sorry to hear about the sun being bad too. That is no fun.

It is good to know we are all similar. I just dread September as I can feel it worsening. Batten down the hatches hey? X

[mitziblue]

Oh yes sweetheart!!! I find that I hurt more as the season's change. I'd much rather have spring and summer time. Although we have had lots of storms here in the states and it's been cooler than normal, so I feel cheated out of my summer. Now the tree's are changing and it won't be long before old man winter is at the door xxxx Mitzi