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!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Date Night a Success!

I can't believe we actually went on a date and didn't get a single phone call! Miraculous, really! We are very grateful. We tried not to talk about the kids, although they have a way of sneaking in, and just reminisced and laughed, and ate great Mediterranean food. Dessert too, yum. Of course now we have to put the youngest two to bed, but that is a small price to pay. I hope we can do this a lot more.

4 comments:

domandkat said...

Maybe tonight?!?!?!?!

Corrie Howe said...

Yeah!!!!! I'm so glad for you. Now the next goal is to be able to come home with the kids ready for bed. :-)

Accidental Expert said...

Wow! I'm jealous.

Glad you had a good time.

Cinda said...

Megan, wonderful!! Husband and I started a ritual when we were going through hospitalizations and ECT and etc. etc. Each night we spent about 15 minutes in the hot tub. The rules were no discussion of money, work, irritations or daughter. We never thought we would have to do that but it was a break from at least talking about our worries and a chance to enjoy a moment together. Good for you!!