Finally someone understands!

[PBC2012]

Yesterday I started seeing a therapist to help me deal with the depression, isolation and feelings of total loss of control. She understood immediately all the things I was so desperately trying to tell friends and family. You see, not only do I have PBC, I also have fibromyalgia ....which is going untreated until I see my liver specialist next month. I am also trying to deal with the fact that my mom passed away three years ago from cirrhosis. But my therapist got it ...she knew that I thought about all this 24/8....that it never leaves my head. She got that the pain from the fibromyalgia was unbearable and she was even baffled,like I am, as to why they don't at least try to make the pain bearable so I can function. All I want to say is thank God for Betsy Weissman ....I think together we can get me to a fairly good place with time and just caring and recognizing I am not some crazy hypochondriac!

[PBC2012]

That was 24/7.... sorry!

[KarenRL]

I am soooo very happy for you, that you have found someone to help you navigate through the roller coaster of emotions that you are feeling. I think everyone on this forum can completely and totally relate to you. I believe that our friends and family try to support us, as best they can, but it is tough to understand what we are going through from our perspective.

Therapist have the benefit of years of education to help them relate to us....our friends and family don't. They love us and want to be there, but because they love us, they also have their own feelings about our iillness that they are trying to come to terms with. Therapists have the benefit of not being personally vested.

I am feeling everything you have described above and have recently arrived at the conclusion that I, too, need to see a therapist to help me come to terms with my diagnosis and to try to get to a more positive place. I'm just not getting there on my own....I keep thinking I'm getting there and then, I backslide.

Again, I'm so happy for you. And thanks for sharing!

Karen

[PBC2012 in reply to KarenRL]

Karen I too put off seeing a therapist. I thought I could handle all that was being thrown at me on my own. I had to finally realize that I couldn't and that it didn't mean I was weak, it just meant I needed an outsiders help. My family tries but, as you said,they really cannot see the different facets or levels of what we see ,feel and even fear. I recommend strongly to try a therapist ....like you said...they have the knowledge but they also have the objective viewpoint too.

Thank you for responding and good luck.

Melanie

[Val02]

When I was first diagnosed my GP suggested seeing a therapist as she thought it was a good idea for anyone just diagnosed with a serious condition. She said there were alot to go through and he would be able to help me with coping stratagies. After some thought I decided to go as I wasnt coping very well. I went for only 3 sessions in the end: he explained how the emotions I was going through were perfectly normal and I would be going through a kinda grieving process for my old self and once that was over it would be easier to accept who I am now.

Sometimes just talking the whole thing through and your emtions with someone who understands is enough.

Good Luck. I hope it works for you.

[mumofthree]

I am so glad to hear that the therapist has been so much of a help to you PBC2012. It is such a breath of fresh air to hear there is someone out there who is able to make you feel so much better about yourself, is caring, understanding and does not judge you. It is so easy to be made to feel as if you are a hypochondriac, a flipant comment, the lifting of an eyebrow or the blank look on someones face. You are so brave having made this step and hope it continues to get better and better for you. I personally do not feel ready for the therapist step yet, I do not feel strong enough, I hope like you I will get to that stage but at the moment I have great difficulty being able to speak to any one face to face about it.

Good luck and the very best of wishes to you

[suzywong]

I also have PBC and Fibro but I also have Transverse Myelitis and Wells syndrome

[PBC2012]

Suzywong.....sounds like you have alot you are dealing with. Sometimes I feel like I did something wrong when things get overwhelming. Another reason I think a therapist was needed in my case.

[littlemo in reply to PBC2012]

Hi PBC2012 its very apt that I am just reading your comments re therapists tonight as have just been having yet another horrendously down day as I call them have cried so many times but yet feel no better. Am usually a very upbeat happy person with a very easy temperement most of the time anyway!( My star sign is Libra, if you believe in any of that, and I'm very well balanced most of the timei i..e characteristic of my zodiac sign!) Basically what lead to my misery today as opposed to other days was that i discovered today that my consultant has not yet referred me to our local dermatologist whom he is to ask if she can prescribe me a course of uv light therapy to see if it will eliminate or even decrease amount of itch suffer with 24/7 specially at night and have been living with for 11 years now but seems to be getting worse and I rarely get more than 3 hrs of unbroken sleep at night but still have to get up and on with every day for my children aged 16 and 5. I have been referred to transplant team as nothing prescription or otherwise is getting rid of it so am anxious about all that but i really wanted to have tried the uv therapy before going to be assessed for transplant in 6-8weeks time. And now because referal not done highly unlikely will get the uv light therapy to give some relief as there as at least an 8 week waiting list for it! So the torture specially on a nighly basis will continue unresolved for even longer thoroughly depressing thought.. And the terrible part about the rest of the day was that took my bad mood out on most of the family (verbally hasten to add, and not on my wee 5 yr old) and none of this is their faut but spending day after day feeling more and more stressed and distressed at not getting rid of itch on top of the sleepless nights and chronic fatigue is bringing me to rock bottom. Its all turning me into someone I don't even recognise r like very much, this person I am becoming is so polar opposite to who I used to be. Moaning over think I may need a therapist but dr usually prescribe drugs here rather than just referring to therapists as waiting lists so long I think. Bfn from very sad littlemo (aka Lisa)

[catherine69]

Hey Lisa,

how you feeling now

catherine