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!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

The Christmas Crush

I have a love/intense dislike relationship with Christmas.  I love the spiritual part of Christmas, and I actually love to give gifts.  But the hustle and bustle, the same Christmas songs played over and over ad nauseum, and the T.V. commercials designed to stir up our greediest inclinations all combine to make this season exhausting and stressful.  Today my husband was supposed to take the girls aways for the day to a huge beautiful mall an hour north so I could clean, finish shopping and wrap presents but Caroline doesn't want to go.    I am disappointed because I really wanted the whole house to myself, but honestly I understand why she would rather lounge than spend hours in crowded surroundings with noise and lights and people pushing.  Probably not the best environment for her.  So she will nap and watch T.V. and I will try to pretend I am alone.   Three more days.
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family. And a healthy, stress-free as possible, peaceful New Years to you.
Michelle

December 24, 2012 at 6:27 AM

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