Trials and Blessings

Sorry - I sorta' disappeared for a while. That last post threw me for a loop. I guess I was only mildly prepared for the comments I received. I knew that not everybody would agree with me. And that's ok. But what I was most unprepared for was the amazing support of my friends. It was so surreal to just sit back and watch them come to my defense. I feel so blessed and so lucky that I have such an incredible support system. I feel blessed to have "imperfect" friends - because I don't know that I would have had the courage to do any of the things I talked about without knowing that I was not alone. I feel like I've grown so much closer to so many people through this experience and I just feel so blessed.

So to update on my doctor/med status: I found a new doctor who was amazing. He listened to me and validated me. He diagnosed me with post-partum depression. He said it is very common to experience post-partum even this late (Anna being 11 months old). It is a very real disease and very treatable disease. He said that it is very common for women to require medication to help them through it. He prescribed Cymbalta (which is actually one of the most mild anti-depressants on the market - very few side effects, etc.) and said that it would help me get to a point where I can deal with the day-to-day and eventually get to a point where I can get up and exercise! I also got some very interesting information about the studies that were done on Cymbalta: out of 1200 patients in one study, 43% of those patients on Cymbalta were able to go off of it after only 8 weeks! Now, I am not setting a time limit for myself, but I feel confident that I am not going to need it forever. I feel like my therapy has helped me through so much already and the Cymbalta is only going to help me even more.

So, that's where I'm at. Thanks again to all my friends and family who displayed such an outpouring of love on my behalf. I don't think I even have words to express how grateful I am to you. It is so true that through our greatest trials come our greatest blessings.