Lithium: One of Our "Miracle Drugs"

Throughout the last seven, almost eight years that our dd has been diagnosed with early onset bipolar disorder, we have had many medication trials.  Some readers have asked about Lithium, and how our child has done on it.  I would say that it is one of five "miracle drugs" that have allowed our daughter to live a mostly normal life.

Lithium was the first drug that brought real stability without excessive tiredness.  Our daughter was about 10 when we tried it after Depakote made her gain 15 lbs in three months and interferred with her cognitive ability to the point that we held her back a year in school.  Lithium gave her new stability and allowed her to think in school.

Abilify was the next "miracle" for Caroline, but Seroquel has done the same thing: taken care of hallucinations, both auditory and visual.

Trileptal, in the higher  doses, eliminated the daily rages that she experienced for so long.  Now they are rare.

Lamictal has acted like her antidepressant, especially in the fall, as she cannot take any antidepressants without inducing mania.

Amantadine has given her self-control that has been the icing on the cake.  She became much more able to tolerate frustrating situations after starting this med.

The worst side effects of any of these drugs was from the Seroquel that caused weight gain again, but the Amantadine seems to have counteracted this effect, as she is back down to her normal slender self.

Lithium is the only mood stabilizer that is proven to prevent suicides.

Thyroid Issues, Lithium Related?

Apparently Caroline has hypothyroidism which is a known side effect of long-term lithium use.  We are taking her to a pediatric endocrinologist in a week.  Hopefully we can get this straightened out.  She has been very sleepy lately, hard to rouse in the morning, more than usual.  If it is not one thing, it's another!  We probably won't discontinue the lithium, but she may need to start taking medication for the thyroid.

Aspergers Too?

I am beginning to wonder if our daughter has mild Aspergers as well as bipolar disorder.  Between her horrible social skills, her obsessions, and non-stop stream of consciousness chatter about random facts that she knows, she might just fit the criteria.  I think we will bring this up at her next psychologist appointment.

Yesterday was Then, Today is Now

Our family had a really bad day yesterday, beginning with my own mood.  The morning went sour with Caroline calling us from her homeschool supplementary classes saying she felt sick.  This was her first day back and this was not a good start for her.  I was mad.  Was she sick?  Maybe.  Was she stressed out because she didn't finish the history homework that she told us she had finished?  Probably.  It all went downhill from there.  Really downhill.  The stress of no job, no income, having to tap our retirement fund, January bills looming,  Caroline's poor study habits,  her poor choice of friends, Mae's school struggles, the 10 loads of laundry piled up in the living room, the Christmas boxes everywhere, all of it just really got to me.  I was a mess all day until I fell into bed last night exhausted.

But today is a new day.  A new start, a fresh perspective.  Forget yesterday, just press on today.  This is what I am telling myself.  I have a headache already and it is 8:00 a.m.  Hopefully this day will be smoother.

We Won the $250,000 Grant!!!!!

I say "we" because the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation represents our family and every other family out there dealing with early onset bipolar disorder.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote!  You did it!!  CABF will be using the money to help make our children's lives a little easier.

All The Things I Didn't Do This Christmas

This was a very different Christmas for me and my family this year.  Between Bill's joblessness and me getting sick the week before Christmas, I didn't do half of what I normally do.  The list is as follows:

No gingerbread house.
No baking dozens and dozens of cookies for neighbors.
I didn't get most of the ornaments on the tree.  Very sparse looking this year.  Oh well.
The rest of the inside of our house was skipped this year in terms of holiday decor, except for a few candles.
We didn't go to see the holiday lights at the Botanical Gardens or anywhere else.
We didn't entertain this year, as we normally like to do.
We forgot to do the Advent wreath.
We didn't do the Adornaments tradition (you might not know what this is, but we have tried to do these)
We didn't have a sit down Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner using my silver and china.
We didn't make it to the annual Christmas Cousin's Party because we were snowed in.
I forget to stuff the stockings for our pets.

But in spite of all of these undone things, we enjoyed Christmas.  Maybe even a little more than usual.   What we did get to do this year together was build a huge, real igloo in the backyard, which the kids will remember more than another gingerbread house because we never get snow like that.  But I would like to revisit some of our traditions next year.  But some of the craziness we can leave behind.   Bring on the snow anytime!

New Year, Starting Fresh

First, I have to say that this was a great year for us in many ways, and a very hard year in many others.  The good news:  another year without a hospitalization, and another year without Caroline being asked to leave a school, she played lacrosse all summer, and our oldest got into the college of her choice, for which the GI Bill will pay the majority of the cost.  These are great things to celebrate, truly.

On the downside, my husband hasn't worked since July, we are in a very financially precarious position,  Caroline didn't have a stellar fall semester in terms of grades, still doesn't have any girlfriends, and our health insurance ends March 26th.

If we weighed all things in the balance, I would say we are still very blessed and hanging in there, with the arms of God holding us.  He always has the last say.  Circumstances may confound us, but God is big, and God is good, and He keeps His promises to sustain His children.  As the psalmist says, "I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." Psalm 37:25   We are so grateful for His never ending love and kindness to us.

I know many of you out there are struggling with an unstable child, unemployment, poor health insurance, or none at all, grandparents who blame you, and a school system that isn't giving your child what they need.  I pray that you will find this year to be a better one, one of finally finding the meds that work, the school that cares, a family who grasps that you are not bad parents, but great parents with huge challenges, and job situations that pay the bills and provide good health insurance.  Thank you for all of your comments, for supporting CABF in the Pepsi grant contest, which we think we have won, and for just letting me know you are out there.  I love you all and treasure our camaraderie.

Don't stop advocating for your child, don't stop seeking the best docs, the right medications.  You are not alone, and perseverance does pay off in the end! Take time for yourself in the battle, and try to get time away from your kid(s).  They need you to be refreshed too, and make time for your spouse because you need each other!  A strong marriage will make a huge difference in your parenting.  If you can, seek counseling for your marriage so that you have a rock solid foundation, go on a retreat together, and ask for the financial help to do these things if you need to!!!

God bless you and give you a peaceful New Year!  Megan