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, May 12, 2010

Bad Day

Oh, I wish the end of school were here. Caroline is having a very difficult time staying at school. She says she can't deal with the behavior of the boys there anymore. She only has twelve more days of school, including six days of final exams. I had a conference with the assistant principal today about strategies to help her get through the final push. I really felt like pulling my hair out from the stress of dealing with Caroline's attitude of "I quit!" My husband is out of town so I am playing single mom and having to be four different places at the same time (all I do is drive it seems.) Caroline had her last meeting with the counselor she has had since last May, and now we will have to adjust to someone who is new. Oh boy. I am just really tired tonight. Tired of homework, and kids who don't want to do homework, the end of year projects (four in two weeks) the AP exams, the SAT, etc. I am looking forward to summer in a big way.
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2 comments:

Adrienne Jones said...

The end is the hardest. Hang in there!

May 12, 2010 at 10:30 PM
Mich said...

I'm ready for the end too! My son is 12 and he has never had too many problems at school up until now. We have finally gotten through the testing for an IEP or 504 plan but the meeting isn't for another week. I get daily emails from the teacher on behavior. Apparently she is punishing him but he has no idea why because they don't tell him. She emailed yesterday and said she thought his behavior was due to his increased popularity! His meds have changed, its the end of the year and I have been warning them this is going to happen! Seriously, do some research! I've actually thought about home schooling for the rest of the year but I think he would be upset that he wouldn't get to see his friends. He hasn't had too many in the past, but I worry that these kids are just waiting for him to do something funny in class. He has been cycling so quickly lately.

May 18, 2010 at 6:46 AM

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