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, May 9, 2009

More good news from Caroline

Tonight we talked to Caroline and what an encouragement it was to us!  She spoke with excitement about her new best friend "Laura" who has been there since December, and the great  school, and how she is reading a lot, watching no TV, doing all kinds of physical activity.  We couldn't ask for a better report.  She said she has lost weight already, which I could tell she was very happy about.  The only complaint she had was that they wouldn't let her have her photograph album, which I don't understand why, and we told her we would check on this.  She had filled up this album with a large amount of pictures before she left, so I know this isn't going over well.  She said they hadn't changed any of her medications yet, but had taken blood.  I told her I am sure they are letting her adjust to her new surroundings right now before they get into med changes.  

We know that there will be rough patches ahead in spite of her initial glowing reports.  She did say she had a meltdown two days ago, which kind of made me feel relieved, because I'd rather she act out now than save it for a month from now.  Don't know why I feel that way.  Maybe because that is reality with her and I feel like she is still herself?  Not that I want her to freak out on people at all, but everything has been so positive I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Her little sisters picked out postcards for her today.  They didn't get the part about leaving room for the address, but they had fun writing all over them.  

My mom is visiting and staying in Caroline's room.  I had to muck it out before she came, and today, after pulling her bed away from the wall, I found her gold ring!!! Here we thought she left it at Busch Gardens, and it was in the house all the time!  And before she left we bought her another purity ring since it was so important to her.  Oh well, I will wear it to remind myself every time I look at it to pray for her.


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