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, February 2, 2013

This High School Rocks!

The principal of the school was outside when we were going in for the IEP meeting yesterday and he stopped us to say how badly he felt about Caroline's problem with the fluorescent lights and that he was having his maintenance people look into lighting alternatives.  Wow.  Talk about a wonderful principal!

The meeting itself with the school nurse, school psychologist and the special ed head went very well and they agreed to pursue the five hours a week, home-bound tutoring.  No one batted an eyelash but all were completely sympathetic and eager to do whatever it takes to help Caroline succeed.  We will need to get another clearance from a doctor before she can play lacrosse.  No surprise there.

I found out about something last night that might be of interest to the neurologist.  Something called occipital lobe seizures, which often present as headaches and visual disturbances, brought on by things like strobe lights or fluorescent lights.  Apparently, you can develop this as an adolescent.  Caroline may not have this at all, but I think it is worth looking into.

We have another IEP meeting on Wednesday which will include her teachers, to bring them all on board with the new plan.  Hopefully all will cooperate and get her work to her as needed.

The relief in this household now that all is set to keep her home is palpable.  Everyone can relax finally.  Thank you Lord for such graciousness from the school and the IEP team.

1 comment:

NikDuck said...

That is amazing how accomodating they are being and with such good attitudes! So glad you are finally with a school that is working with you to make things better for your daughter.