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!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Ugly Morning

Do you ever have those mornings when you get out of bed, come downstairs, and then all hell seems to break loose? Then you find yourself yelling at the kids because you are so groggy you can't figure out what is going on and you need at least three cups of coffee before you are ready to deal with this kind of stuff anyway. My oldest and Caroline got into a huge fight over whose Odwalla was in the fridge. Puh-lease!!!! There was a big C on the top of the bottle, which I had put there because it was Caroline's. Elizabeth's was in there too with her initial on the top but she didn't see it before she left for school. Both were accusing the other of taking their drinks, food, etc. My oldest thinks Caroline eats everything in the house before she gets to partake, which is partly true, so I gave E. her own stash of her favorite foods. Not good enough, I guess. She was incensed over an Odwalla. I hate the way I handled the situation (screaming), and I hate the way they can't ever seem to give each other grace. Ugh! I am sick of the morning school routine with five people in the kitchen all trying to get out the door about the same time. We need two kitchens, or two school start times that are farther apart than half an hour.

2 comments:

Hartley said...

It seems that Gabriel ONLY blows up over these small types of things -- and ironcially did so this morning at his pyschiatrist's office. Thankfully, they got to see him 'in action'. I mean, that is the silver lining, right? LOL

Hartley
www.hartleysboys.com

CC said...

Hartley, we had the same experience at the psychiatrist today! My daughter blew up at the doctor, enforcing everything I was telling her. I sure do empathize with the blowing up over small issues. That's so frustrating.