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!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Post Camp Letdown

Camp was amazing for Caroline.  She came home with a million stories and had a blast at this highly structured YMCA camp.  Now the letdown has happened and we are all experiencing it along with her.  She wishes she could have stayed for two or three weeks, and I wish she could have too, but the end of camp will come anyway, and then you are back in your regular environment after what likely felt like heaven.  Yeah, she has been in a perpetually bad mood ever since.  Great.  Now I want to school to get here fast, even though I know it will be back to homework nightmares again with her and Mae.

But we do want her to go to this same camp for an extended period of time next summer so we will start planning now, provided she is stable of course.

My husband's temporary job with the Navy is supposed to end this Friday, but he may be getting a medical hold to extend his orders another six months to a year.  We won't know until the end of this week or the beginning of the next.  Lots of paperwork and people in authority to make decisions.  If he isn't extended, then we are back to finding a job in the civilian world, oh joy.  If he is, then we have more time to figure out the next step after he is done with the Navy.  This whole process has been so draining for both of us.  I know my husband is really stressed out that we don't know even what the very near future holds.  God is leading the way, we are trusting in His good plan.

6 comments:

GB's Mom said...

I am glad she enjoyed camp :)

Mo4 said...

Hi, I'm new to your blog. I look forward to reading more. We are just beginning our journey (my daughter is 6) and I'm reaching out to those with similar struggles.

Warrior MAMA said...

We are on vacation with our daughter. She has been better than ever - until tonight. But I told my husband it is because she held it together all day with a new friend, and the grandparents.

It's like these kids have a fuse box. They try so hard and then let the fuses go when they get home. We get the stomach aches, temper tantrums, crying jags and hitting.

At least we are finding ways for her to be able to have social experiences. It is just a bummer when at the end of a great day we are reminded our "issues" are not gone.

Thanks for your blog!!

:)
Warrior MAMA Lisa

Megan said...

Mo4, I am glad you found my blog and I do hope it can be an encouragement to you. Your daughter will have many struggles, but with the right meds and the right psychiatrist and psychologist, and teachers who are understanding, she can succeed! I believe that with all my heart! And of course the most important thing is parents who are committed to her every step of the way. God bless you!

Megan said...

Warrior MAMA-vacations can be so challenging. Everyone wants it to be great but you are right, you never know when the fuse will blow. I hope that the rest of your vacation goes well and that you can actually enjoy yourself too!

Butterfly said...

I remember feeling like that as a kid, after vacations... I would cry all the way home, and be miserable for weeks afterward, because I missed that one week of happiness. I drove my parents nuts! I'm still kinda like that... especially when my depression is bad. I can have just one great day, and at the end I'll cry at night because I don't want it to be over! Annoying, right?