Welcome to the forum, Rain Shower!

Thank you for the compliment, but I think that we all have to play the hand that we are dealt. I think having a hard life early on, and on, and on, has given me the strength to deal with all this s***.

We have A LOT in common.
I took care of family members. Then I was a home health aid, worked in hospice, and was a CNA in several hospitals, although my career was not nearly as long as yours. I almost finished nursing school before MS cut that short, too.

Being a nurse becomes part of your identity, so when you can no longer practice, it is exceedingly hard (((HUGS)))
I try to tell myself that that was God's way of telling me that I've taken care of enough people, and now it's time to take care of myself, which is difficult... a "hard shift," as you said

I quit drinking cold turkey because it was killing me, too. It will be 4 years July 20th. I went to some AA meetings, mainly while I was inpatient for an episode of agitated mania, but found that I was better off handling things on my own. I will never have a drink again.

I'm so sorry to hear that you suffer from CPRS. I know that that can cause intractable pain and present a lot of challenges to daily life. I applaud you for trying to stay active and trying to keep up with your list of chores. Between your depression and CPRS, it's totally understandable that there are times that you can't keep up, and have slow starts some days (((HUGS)))
I think that the important thing is that you are trying, and not giving in to the pain- emotional and physical
I'm glad that your husband helps you a lot. I wish mine would.

I'm sorry that you had a bad reaction to your last acupuncture session... something meant to provide you with relief
But it seems like you have a good way of looking at that, realizing that sometimes the results vary for unknown reasons.

I'm actually Bipolar I, so my bouts of depression are uncommon, but I do have mixed episodes with depressive features. When I do have episodes of depression, they are not as severe or as difficult to treat as they are for people who have Bipolar II disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, or treatment-resistant depression.
I'm so sorry that you, and others, suffer so much from such terrible depression. I really can't say that I know how you feel because I don't, but I'm here to listen (((HUGS)))

I love my ice cream, too! I eat a pint every night! I don't think that there's anything that I enjoy more in life right now.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better! Welcome again,
Kay