Thursday, February 19, 2009

I just wanted to share

A little bit about the blog hopping I have been doing the last couple of days:

First of all, I told you all that my brother-in-law Jesse took state in wrestling this weekend.  Lots of our family was there (but you all know I wasn't).  My darling (she really is, absolutely adorable, just like her kids and her husband) sister-in-law, Alisa was there, and she just posted a video of his winning wrestling match.  You should check it out here.

I recently read some lovely blog entries by a lovely young woman who recently placed her baby girl with a super-cute, and super-lucky adoptive couple.  She posted in four parts her personal adoption experience, complete with texting back and forth with the adoptive family she chose for her baby.  Except for the texting, a lot of her experience feels very familiar to me, very much like my own experience.  Another testimony to me of how our Heavenly Father truly does know each one of us.  I will not link to each of her posts.  Go to her blog, and navigate backwards from there.  Try to scroll down and start at part 1.  She even links to the adoptive family's blog, and you can go check them out, too.  I recommend reading about all of them, because I personally think it is a beautiful story.

And have you ever followed the link to Cafe Johnsonia on Eryka's blog?  If you like to bake, you should totally check her out.  She is always posting all kinds of yummy things, and I like the way she writes, even if it is all about food.  Yeah, I have yet to try a recipe, but knowing that someday I might is kind of fun.

Well, from there, I linked to the article about her blog and Utah's other great food blogs.  From that site, I read an article about the dangers of Paxil.  Then, I got a little fired up, because it was obviously the author's opinion that people with depression, bipolar disorder and other mental conditions don't really need medication, and that it is usually treatable with therapy.  This really bothers me, because I have friends who I have watched struggle with a medical condition which caused them to suffer from depression.  The sadness/fatigue they were experiencing had very little to do with what was going on around them.  They couldn't just try to cope with their grief, because their grief was clearly caused by a chemical imbalance which needed medication to bring back to normal.  Because they felt awful, they sought reasons to explain why they were sad, when in fact, their body was malfunctioning and making them sad.  It becomes a terrible cycle, and one of the worst things you can tell a depressed person is to just get over it.  I wish it were that simple.  I do believe that some medications don't work the same way for some as they do for others.  And I do believe there are rare cases of terrible adverse side effects.  I would hope anyone taking this kind of medication would be in the care of a doctor who was aware of any problems resulting from the medication.  I also know medication doesn't work for everyone (like me).  Exercise was the thing that made the greatest difference for me after Olivia was born.  My problem with the article is the fact that some people do need medication to get control over their emotions, and there is nothing wrong with that.  If simple therapy alone works for you, that is great!  But in many cases, it is not enough.  Recognize that, please.

Shut up already.  I could go on about what a difference medication makes for my child with Asperger's and the one with ADHD, but I won't.  And the people who don't think Autism is real?  You know what?  That would take up at least another three posts.  Not going to go there.  Thanks for reading.

7 comments:

Worthy Glover Sr. or Gail Glover said...

LOVE YOU! Looking forward to spending grownup time with you for a whole week next month. Did I mention I LOVE YOU?!

eryka said...

You should totally try a recipe from Lindsay's blog. She's an incredible cook. The black forest cake I made for my birthday was from her. We also love her waffle recipe and anything on her blog. So yummy.

I also can't wait to hang out next month!!!

Tim & Nancy said...

I laugh when people say that drugs don't work. They have never been to that point where it is either take medication to get things under control or suicide. For me I see the benefits of antidepressants everyday and am glad to feel like me again.

Sarah said...

I'm with you on the depression thing. We loved Blanding when we first moved here, but I went through a terrible bout of depression. I seriously felt like something was medically wrong with me (and it was!). After several months, I finally got on medication for about a year. I don't think I could have pulled out of it without the medication. Heavenly Father created modern medicine, and satan uses something that is a blessing for his own purposes as well. I am so thankful for medications. I would not have just "snapped out of it" on my own.

Brooke said...

I have to say Amen to Sarah. I do believe that science and modern medicine isn't just a coincidence. It is a blessing so we can progress and do the work that we need to do. Satan can trap us and he will at any chance of weakness. Just look at Brother Nelson (?) who created away for the heart to continue pumping during open heart surgery. Not coincidence. Blessings that we need in these last days.
Great post Nan!
brookie
oh, thanks for the picture compliments

Becks said...

It's amazing how perceptive people can be when they are on the outside looking in. You are an amazing person to be able to get past it and do what YOU know is best for you and your kids. I really admire that about you! Thank you for your insightful posts...I really enjoy reading them and learning more about you!

Kim said...

Amen!!! I always say: if your child had cancer, or a broken arm, would you tell him to snap out of it? Come on, people.

Worthy and I had an experience just this week in which Kate had such an explosive day she (and everyone around her) was miserable. Sad, angry, out of control, feeling like a failure, you name it. Guess what we found on the kitchen floor? You guessed it--her medication. Her medication is a gift to her. Without it she would not be able to function.

And, thanks for the adoption links! I never get tired of hearing stories on both sides of adoption. You're awesome.