A couple of days ago I found myself sleeping 13 hours over night and then sleeping the entire day on the couch. I couldn't help myself. I began to think that maybe I was coming down with a virus, though with no other symptoms, I couldn't be sure. Then I worked yesterday and left early because I wasn't feeling 'quite right.' I couldn't describe it, but I knew I was feeling down, but still thought I was coming down with something.

Now I AM really down. And last night I went to bed very very early, and proceeded to sleep for over 15 hours. I don't have to work until this afternoon (I'm a per diem worker in the healthcare industry) and I feel barely able to do that. I'm very tired/sleepy and feeling so down. I'm afraid that I'm going into a depressive episode.

And then today I find that my cat is ill -again. She has a tumor in her abdomen and she's been near death a couple of times before and each time, I'm afraid that this is 'it.' I feel even worse. I need to get her pain meds. I will call her vet before I go to work to send the prescription to the compounding pharmacy. I might have to wait to pick it up tomorrow because I got up too late.

Do any of you find that sleeping an enormous amount proceeds depression? That before you start feeling depressed -or fully- you sleep like this, and only start to feel the depression a couple of days afterwards? Between how down I started feeling yesterday -before my cat got sick- and today -now that she's sick again- I'm in tears. I hope I can put on a decent face for work and get the work done in an adequate way.

So does anyone get this pattern of excessive sleep and THEN depression? Or did I not realize that I was depressed in the first place, that is, when I was sleeping so much...?

I'm so scared. I just want to head this off. Already depressed, I'm afraid that my cat's illness will push me off the edge... I feel so terrible for her, for her pain, and being alone in that pain, and, selfishly, for my own loneliness if, in fact, this is 'it.' I want all of this to go away. I need the depression to lift to I can better take of her.