That Bottomless Pit

Depression. I suspect few clubbies have ever NOT experienced it. And like chronic physical pain, depression can become self-reinforcing, and not surprisingly, it is then called chronic depression. It can seem as though you are at the bottom of a very deep pit from which there seems to be no escape. And hen you have chronic pain, well, chronic depression can seem like its fully supported by the facts.

But that isn't really true. There are many people with chronic pain who somehow manage their depression, both with and without medications, and/or therapy. And while it may seem one has very good reasons to be depressed, there is always a large part of that notion that is NOT driven by any facts at all. The longer one remains depressed, the higher the likelihood their brain chemistry will alter to deepen the depression by that means alone. This is when medications are truly necessary - when the problem is fueled by these changes in brain chemistry. And only a professional can evaluate and treat this issue properly.

Now, I would be a fool (oh, yes, i sometimes actually am one,) if I tried to tell you that any medication would wipe away all the factors that lead to, and continue, a person's depression. But what it will do is stop the constant downward slide, the sense that one will never get out of the depths. It won't suddenly make you happy, but it will stop you from believing you will never be happy again. And that will at least make it possible for you to attend to the facts of your situation, rather than the beliefs those facts have come to dominate your thoughts.

The dimensions of all the facts accompanying post-club feet are many, and varied. there is no one element, perhaps other than pain, that all clubbies share completely. But I have come to believe that, not just us clubbies, but nearly everyone who lives with chronic pain, are susceptible to depression, and the damage it can do if left untreated. So I urge all my fellow clubbies, if they have yet to do so, to take a serious look at this aspect, this specific dimension, of the post-club feet syndrome. Its hard enough our feet drag us down - but as much as we have limits on what physical response will be truly effective for changing our condition, we can at least have greater control over the issue of depression. Its real, but its workable. You just have to make it as much a priority as anything else you are trying to do to improve the picture of your life.