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, August 17, 2012

Oh Dear

Well, this second day didn't go so great either.  She went to the wrong lunch period and thus ended up in the wrong classes again.  I marched down to the school after she got home to straighten everything out.  The technology office helped me tremendously and I think all should go better on Monday.  I am going to complain to the principal however about the incredibly unhelpful front desk admin lady.  She made Caroline feel like she was in trouble for not being in the right classes.  My mama bear instincts have come out and I want to give her the what for.  I will be calmer on Monday.  I wish I had the IEP in place before this week.  A lesson learned here.  I was hoping Caroline would have done better, but I am seeing that she is going to need more help.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hang in there, this is a tough season for us moms. I’m taking my son to middle school orientation tomorrow for the first time, I’m more nervous than him, afraid what his reaction will be and how much help he'll need.