About our Daughter

I am mother to four wonderful daughters, ages 17, 19, 21, and 23, and wife to the greatest husband on earth. God has given us a special child to raise one who was diagnosed with early-onset bipolar disorder at the age of seven, though she showed signs of it from the age of fifteen months. She also has ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder (sensory seeking), Dyslexia, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder-NOS, all typical comorbidities for a bipolar child. In spite of the trials, she enjoys lacrosse, running (finished her first marathon in October of 2014!), and reading and writing her own books. I will share with you the many joys and sorrows we have faced and will face in the future with the hope that you may find better understanding about this mental illness caused by both chemical and structural abnormalities in the brain. I desire that you will be encouraged by this blog if you are also dealing with a bipolar child. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey.

How Did You Know She Was Bipolar So Young?

I wrote a long explanation of how we came to this bipolar diagnosis in a child so young under my post of March 19th of 2009. If your child or a child you know bears similarities, please seek out a good psychiatrist and don't wait for "things to get better." Often they will simply get worse, and the longer a child is unmedicated, the more damage their brain can accrue. Early diagnoses and treatment are key to providing these children with a chance at a successful life later as a teen and an adult.
Never change, start or stop a medication without the approval of your child's physician!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Guess the Day Wasn't Over Yet

I should have waited before posting that last note.  Caroline woke up from her nap a little before noon, stumbling around and saying she had to go back to school right then.  I could tell she was still in a brain fog from sleeping but she insisted on returning in time to have lunch.  Well, with an uneasy feeling inside, I took her to school where we found out immediately that lunch was at 11:00.  She was extremely unhappy about having missed lunch because it was her only social time.  I could tell this was not a good way to come back to school, based on how grumpy she was, but she left to go to class.  I went to Wal-Mart around the corner, then got a phone call from her about 10 minutes later begging me to pick her up, that the work was too much, she was behind, she couldn't keep up with the teacher, etc.  I knew the real problem was mostly that she was too tired and groggy to do school.  Remember not to let her rush off to school without fully waking up, I scolded myself.  

Her teacher called me this evening and said she was just concerned that Caroline was overwhelmed by the writing, and needed to know that she could make accommodations for her.  I told her it probably wasn't the writing as much as her stupor and grumpiness that made her freeze up.  Her teacher seemed quite understanding and wanted Caroline to know she didn't want to stress her out too much.  I think that this week is just going to be a big adjustment, and we have to make sure she is in bed by 9:00 sharp.  

I felt discouraged by this day, once again with Caroline home, embarrassed again, and me getting nothing done again.  But I know I need to hang in there and not judge the rest of the time on today's events.  I just wish one week could be fantastic for her, but I guess I have to admit that not a week goes by without some sort of to-do or trauma.  I just get really tired of it, and sad for her.
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