New Bipolar Thread!

[lauraess]

This can be an ongoing thread to help support and commiserate life as a bipolar mama, papa, or parent of dignosed. Whether you are on meds or not , unsure about your diagnosis or attempting to parent a child with bipolar you can express yourself here. We sure need the support in this strange area that affects us profoundly.
~L

[Arwyn]

Yay!

Thanks Laura! Shall we have a time limit thread (i.e. monthly, bimonthly - maybe seasonally? a lot of us are seasonally affected to some extent, after all), or just pop open a new one when the old's getting too long?

Should we link to the thread that started this all? (Again, thank you Laura!)

I've never been part of an on-going thing, except for one Tribe, so I defer t'y'all's superior knowledge and experience. :LOL

Anyway, hi!!!

[rowantree]

i Also am new to the extended threads but I would suggest that we start a new thread at least seasonally (like the first day of summer. fall etc) AND/OR if its gotten more than 3 or 4 pages.

I am hopin that its that time of the month cause I want to kill just about everyone!@ boiling rage is so fun! Im not due for a couple weeks , but every once in awhile I flip flop cycles and go from one moon (full) to another (new).

I go to the Doc THIS thursday, so Ill come update then....ill hopefully be off Seroquel and on alot of lamictal!.

[lauraess]

Hey ladies. I guess we can keep a watch on this and when it gets several pages long we can re-start.
Just wanted to update on me. My mental stability is pretty awesomely changed. I'm not flipping out at all lately. I mean sure, i get mad, but i handle it pretty well. No more of the stuff i was experiencing: racing thoughts, spirals down into negativity land, quick talking to myself and pacing.
I at times find myself surprised at how un-anxious I am throughout the day. Even when I was being treated for anxiety only I never felt this way, this calm. I guess it really helps to not have the extra thoughts getting in my way.
so, with that... what else can I say? I wish It was this easy for others and yet surely it wont remain this way for me. I've heard so many stories about How the Mental/chemical changes keep us hopping with meds and psyche appointments.
so, what is up others?
~L

[rowantree]

SOO I went to the Dr and she said we could speed upi the process of getting me off seroquel, which is awesome seeing as Ive gained 12 pounds in like 4 or 5 days since goiing back on it. My whole body i itchy from stretching skin, I also think Ive gained a bra size, which is the ONLY upside.

[simply me]

new mama

Hi ladies. I am unaware of the previuos threads but i was wondering if their was a section about this. Glad i saw this today.

I was diagnosed at 15 but REFUSED meds. My family has a LONG history of bi polar. Suicide inclused . Anyhow iam not seeking treatment & i am hoping to get on the right meds. My dr has me on meds for like 3 yrs now but only for basic depression since i was having babies. Now i am all done & ready to move on.

I notice in addition to the RAGE etc i have uncontrolable spending issues in weird cycles. I will be great & all of a sudden i need to shop like mad . I then get us into debt after trying so hard to get out from the timr before. I even go out & get new cars etc. Its CRAZY. My hubby is so understanding with everything but is has gotten old now. I am currently looking to get into treatment with a reg dr who can help me.

Looking forward to geting to know you mamas.

[lauraess]

Hi, welcome Heather!
Now, did you mean you were NOT seaking treatment or NOW seeking treatment?
~L

[simply me]

LMBO, yes i meant i am NOW going to seek treatment.

[rowantree]

Talk about water retention, I went off the seroquel and lost 8 lbs in one day!!!

Ive upped my lamictal and everything is going well so far.

[lauraess]

Rowantree>
~L

[lauraess]

how is everyone? I expected to see a little more traffic here lately.
anyway, today i had some issues come up that caused me a lot of frustration and anger and i almost got to raging but didint. I felt certain it was what would be termed normal issues- you know, from alchoholic upbringing and such-- then since talking about it with dh i started to see that yes they were 'normal issues' and I was dealing fairly well. What i seem to recognize is that my usual behavior patterns brought on with bipolar, now having been shifted into a more neutral zone, have me dealing 'well' . Yet, the feelings i must deal with that are related to long-standing issues can now(hopefully) be looked at much more rationally.
I really dont know what the heck im saying. a few minutes ago i thought it was making sense. I was relating some of my frustrations and my day to my dh and thought i was 'getting 'something. Like, maybe some sense of it all. but now, i dont know.
All I do know is things have been better and it does make sense that I will be able to be more sensible and non-reactionary with stability that may come with medication and therapy. I just hope im doing the right thing.
~L

[candiland]

I'm still not on meds... I've been working really hard at behavior modification and I've stayed out of serious mood cycles for a while now, thank god... who knows if and when it'll pop up, but this is a huge change for me, as my bipolar is usually pretty rapid-cycling.

[lauraess]

Candiland: hey, That is great! I have to be reminded again of your situation: whether you ever tried, how Bad your illness was etc. I would love to someday go off meds.
~L

[rowantree]

Originally Posted by candiland

I'm still not on meds... I've been working really hard at behavior modification and I've stayed out of serious mood cycles for a while now, thank god... who knows if and when it'll pop up, but this is a huge change for me, as my bipolar is usually pretty rapid-cycling.

That is AWESOME for you, good luck! I was successfully off meds for a year when I was doing weekly acupuncture, combo I cant afford and my very talented acupuncturist is a raging self absorbed asshole so I stopped. I tried other acupunturists, but he really was the only one who made any real effect.

anyway:
So I go off the seroquel (which is like anti-mania) and get depressed? makes no sense to me. Mostly I think its from fighting with DH, he like just shot down all of my self esteem (long story regaurding a washing machine and not listening to my opinion) He DOES NOT mean to do this at all, I take things the wrong way and then roll with them in a big ole self pity downward spiral. He just seems to just say the wrong thing, hes so sweet about it after...i have had the cleanest house ever in the last week from him cleaning in combo from me being depressed and useless and me being mad at him. Im so not used to the depression part really, I always rank in the manic end. Yesterday I slept all day (whichh is totally against my grain). any way Ill keep you updated and all, i go back to pdoc in 1 week from today, so im not all worried about me or anything, just hating on myself and lathargic and useless (which makes me hate on myself more).

[lauraess]

Rowantree> sorry you are feeling lethargic. It is difficult to get out of that hole. Is anything you can do differently that might help? regular exercise ( of course, you'd have to totally force yourself) would help. That sounds great if you're saying that hubby has been supporting with the housework, not many men would do that.
I hope when you see the doc it helps to sort out what is happening and get you going with a better treatment.
~L

[rowantree]

Lauraess, I would need a crow bar!!! but my dog just went into heat so i have to walk her, maybe that will help me get my a$$ in gear!

[Arwyn]

Paradoxically (and annoyingly) I've found that I couldn't get myself to exercise (and thus help with wellness) until I was already getting better. Well, at least it ought to help me stay well.

Just out of curiousity, what has y'alls experiences with school been? I've found I can do school, but only either at my own pace, or one class at a time, meeting no more than twice a week. Other than that, and I start to (literally, as I'm sure you're familiar with) go crazy. So I was just wondering what others' experiences have been.

Here's to everyone's mental health and whole body wellness!

[lauraess]

A'rwyn> School... yes, not something that has ever been a strong point for me. I've only ever managed to barely complete two semesters, at different intervals and found that taking more than two classes was too much. that was before being diagnosed tho, although i'm almost sure much of my bipolar was taking hold.
I wonder how it would be now while on meds. Not going to find out tho.
~L

[Ambrose]

I'll join

I'm in the middle of an episode right now though... so I'll write more when my head is clear. I dont even remembering writing the thread i made in the parents as partners forum... apparently I did that last night... I'm going to go take another seraquil (it doesnt seem to help and I'm self medicating with it... bad bad bad) and see if it'll et my brain a little clearer.

I do have a psych appointment in the AM so hopefully i'll have good reports tommarrow. And I can maybe tell mystory tonight if my head doesnt get so confused

[simply me]

Hi all. I am wondering to all of you who have bi ploar what are your concerns with passing this down to your kids?? Did it start with you or are their others in your immediate family who were diapgnosed??

pardon my grammer tonight!!

My grandmother & my father & his brother were diagnosed with bi polar. I have it but it somehow skipped my brother but hit my unlces 1 son & not the other. i'm wondering what this will do to my 3 kids. I am so concerned of them being stuck with horrible crazyness i have delt with. i am just wondering who else has a family history like mine. I ma so hoping my kids don't get this.