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!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Brain Fog Did it Again

I feel like the stress of raising a bipolar child has given me this brain fog that causes me to forget a lot of things: what I just walked into the room for, what I was just about to write down on the white board, and important appointments.  Like the interview for Caroline at the private school!!!  I thought I had written it down correctly, but apparently it was on Tuesday.  Bill wants me to get a blackberry ASAP.  He's probably right.  We rescheduled for Monday.  At least we got the application turned in with all of her test scores, past report cards, etc.  When they see that she is bipolar they might just say no anyway.  At least today the sun is shining and the trees are all blooming.  Spring at last!

Her meeting with her psychologist today to process her meltdown last night went really well.  She was able to articulate exactly what her frustrations were, and we talked about trying to increase her distress tolerance, which is in the negative right now.  

This weekend my oldest gets her drivers permit!  Everything happens so fast now, and I can't keep up with everyone's needs/wants/appointments/rites of passage.  Life feels like a blur.
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