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, March 5, 2012

Prayer Needed Today

I must admit that I am struggling, really struggling, under the weight of the many pressures our family is under right now, from our lack of a paycheck for over a year and a half, to our debts from our spate of unemployment five years ago, to needing to quickly get a house on the market that needs a lot of repairs and paint and having to do it all ourselves, to the tremendous burden and responsiblity of homeschooling a child who has bipolar disorder and major learning disabilities and who needs extra and costly tutoring just to graduate from high school, to strained family relationships over money, to a large tax bill to the IRS for using our 401 K this year that I have no idea how we will pay, to the prospect of living on far less than we did when my husband was employed with the Navy when he does finally start work sometime this summer.  I am overwhelmed and discouraged and feeling hopeless. I know God is in control, that He has a plan, that He will bring good out of all of these trials, but today, I am just weeping. Pray that God will bring me out of the depression I have found myself in.  Depression sucks all the energy and life right out of me and it is a familiar and ugly foe.  I become paralyzed, stuck, unable to do simple things like pick up laundry off of the floor, or wipe down a kitchen table, much less homeschool.  I can't even pick up the phone to call a friend when I feel like this.  I am standing on the Solid Rock, but feeling the hurricane winds blowing against me and bending me over til I feel I might break.

7 comments:

SarahinSC said...

I will pray and pray and pray for you. You have so much going on that it would be hard for anyone to deal with only a fraction of that. Perhaps your church can assist you in some of these tasks you must do to ease your burden just a bit?

the mom that could said...

I promise you this, you are not alone. I find myself, even in better times, sometimes paralyzed. I cannot bring myself to move and accomplish anything. Sometimes I'll sit in the shower for nearly an hour, just to find some quiet and calm time. I too homeschool my son and it is no walk in the park. I think it is less stressful than public school was for both of us, but not easy on any level. You're in my prayers and I hope that things start to look up for you and your family soon.

GB's Mom said...

I am praying. You have such a difficult year!

Anonymous said...

Praying for you today, may you have complete restoration in every part of your life. God is putting you back together one piece at a time, starting with this new job.

Fighting for my Children said...

praying for u.

Megan said...

Thank you so much for all your comments and prayers! I hope to move past this paralysis soon and move into more positive thinking and faith. You all are so great!!

Askbecca said...

You are in my prayers... It sounds very much like we live similar lives although I cannot imagine homeschooling. After this year we may have to consider it though. Getting up for school is such a challenge. My husband lost his job in September of last year and I can assure you that you are not alone... Remember to take care of you. If you do not than you will not be able to help others! Prayers your way!
Rebecca