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, June 3, 2010

On the Other Hand, Panic

But I am still dealing with renewed intense anxiety myself. I think it is because school is over for three of mine, one down to go, and that means lots of unstructured time, more opportunities for sibling bickering, and much less time to myself. I get that tight-chest, can't breathe feeling. I hate it. Time for more meds--for me! Joking, sort of....

7 comments:

domandkat said...

I know I only have 2 kids, but this is the first summer I have felt icky about the summer months. No trips anywhere until August and only Uncle Donald to visit in the meantime. I'm uneasy at best about summer and not liking the idea of this much free time and this little free time for me either!

Amy said...

I hear ya sister! I just signed one of mine for two weeks of different camps-both only half days but it is something. And I found a teen camp for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders for Kenz for one week. We also have VBS too. But I hate all of this free time that I have to regulate TV and computer and sibling rivalry. We will make it, though. Lean on God every step of the way. I'll pray for you and you can pray for me!

Anna said...

Well, my work influences me here. You can take the day and assign an activity or job to each hour. That is what teachers do. Of course, it will often not go the way you planned but the plan gives you a structure to aim for and fall back on. Good Luck!

Accidental Expert said...

I'm having the same symptoms. Maybe its a new diagnosis...Vacation-Onset Anxiety.

4 kids home with one me is some days too much to handle.

Megan said...

Thanks for all the suggestions! We are going to do as many camps as we can afford, especially after they get tired of the pool, which usually happens mid July.

Hepnr said...

I'm curious how you all get your kids into a camp. Or are you talking about your "normal" kids? My daughter's behaviors prevent her from going to a typical kid summer camp. The only camps around here are for kids that are either "normal" or for those that are Down's, severely physically handicapped, etc. There's nothing in between...i.e. kids who can do normal camp activities but have behavior and emotional problems and require a different type of "specialized" counselors. Even if I could afford to fly my child to Pennsylvania or Maine or someplace like that AND pay the camp fee, how could I do that unless I had checked it out in person myself? We thought CAMP Camp in the Hill Country of Texas would be perfect for her and enrolled her last year but she realized very quickly that she didn't fit in and her activities were limited b/c of the limitations of her cabin mates. She absolutely hated it. We want her to do camp (for her and for a break for us!) but there's nothing!

Megan said...

Hepnr--How old is your daughter? I found that when our bipolar daughter was in grade school, the camp thing was nigh impossible. Besides the usual lack of self control that bipolar kids have, most camps can't handle their meltdowns or roughness, you are right. I think the only reason that our daugher can handle sports camps now is because 1. she is as stable as we have ever seen her since coming back from Meridell and getting all of her meds near-perfect (for now), and 2. she has gained a lot more maturity over the last two years, just in terms of learning what is appropriate behavior and socially acceptable. We have never tried a camp for bipolar kids or the like because of finances as well. I think that one of the biggest lacks is a nationwide camping organization for bp kids that is affordable. I have often thought that someone at CABF needs to take on this project and raise money for scholarships. Our kids don't fit it in well at many camps for kids with disabilities because they are too physcially capable and too smart to relate to many of the kids. And yes the counselors really do need to know how to handle bp kids. My other "normal" kids can do any sort of camp, but don't "need" camp like my bp kid does. Seems so unfair, doesn't it?