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!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Appointments, Appointments

I really do think I spend my life taking her to the doctor, the psychologist, psychiatrist, orthodontist, dermatologist, physical therapists, vision therapists, tutors, labs, you name it.  I love her so much, of course I want to do these things for her.  But man, the lack of routine can get old.  I struggle to find time to just do laundry, or organize, cook, or work out.  Often when I make plans to do these things, my plans get rearranged by her needs.  We do what we have to do but we all have the need for rest, for rejuvenation, and for clean underwear.   I thought this year was going to be so much better putting her in public school, having the big IEP, leading to more time for myself, maybe even getting a part time job.  I have come to the conclusion that until she is in college (and probably living at home) and working, my time is simply not my own.  Time to give up that hope for now.  There will be other years ahead.  
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