And we’re back (seven months later)!

I’m sitting behind my laptop’s keyboard as a hockey blogger for the first time in seven months this morning.

It’s taken a long time to get here, and a lot of hard work. I battled through one of the worst depressive episodes I’ve had, and it involved seven months of recovery.

I worked with a psychiatrist to alter my medication regimen, slowly boosting one mood stabilizer from 100 milligrams to 300 milligrams, and I’ve dropped my “sleeper” medication down from 300 milligrams to 200 milligrams. In addition, I’ve got a new therapist, and instead of being seen once a month, I’m seeing my new therapist every other week, which has been incredibly helpful in terms of the healing process…

But it’s taken time. More time than I would have liked. As my psychiatrist said, “This may take more time than you’re anticipating,” and that’s exactly what it did.

I’m still not at 100% yet, but if I can get to 75-80% for the draft, development camp and free agency, that will be enough to “fake it ’till I make it” and get by.

Mentally and emotionally speaking, I’m a lot better, and I have at least been able to continue caring for my Aunt Annie over this time, but I was basically sleeping through the rest of the day and rest of the night as my body healed, and that wasn’t fun. I managed to follow the Wings fairly closely, but there’s nothing like being “on the blog.”

Financially, I must be honest here: we’re in debt. There is no AFLAC for sick bloggers, and we’re a bit “banged up” financially, so yes, you’re gonna see that PayPal button soon, first for development camp, and then to pay the dang bills.

For better or worse, making a modest living off this job is important, but so is doing it to begin with.

I’m not sure how things are going to go in the upcoming days. I’ll do my best to be here and will work my hardest to balance a little bit of self care, a lot of working for you and a lot of taking care of the aunt. I’m better-equipped to do so pharmacologically speaking, and I’m better-equipped to do so in terms of coping skills, but I have a ways to go yet.

Here’s hoping that by fall, TMR will be running on all cylinders. In the interim, I’ll give you everything I’ve got, and take it day by day and take my health day-to-day.

I’m grateful to be back. It’s time for the draft, two of the busiest days in the NHL; then we hit a 5-day development camp (Ken Kal let it slip during Yzerman’s pre-draft presser that the camp will be held at the BELFOR Training Center from Sunday-Thursday), and free agency hits on the 13th.

Let’s try to go through those things together, and see what happens as I try to rebuild the blog…Again.