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, August 7, 2010

Missing My Oldest

Our oldest daughter, sixteen year old Elizabeth, is in Scotland right now helping to run a camp for teens with Young Life. She has been gone over a week and I am really missing her. She doesn't have cell phone service or easy access to the internet so we are not hearing from her much. We don't miss the way she instigates conflict with her younger sisters, but she is my buddy in many ways. Not my peer (as I tell her all the time), but definitely one of my best friends. I have felt really lonely without her constant running conversation with anyone who will listen about the antics of her myriad of friends. She is quite entertaining. Never a dull moment as far as she is concerned. I don't miss being the all day taxi service I have become for her many activities, school and otherwise. But I miss her. A lot. I will be a mess when she goes to college next year. It is just too quiet around here. Yes, I wanted quiet, but just for a few days. Then my extroverted side comes out and I want lots of people around me all of the time. I guess I am never satisfied!
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3 comments:

Linda Lou said...

I just found your blog and have pretty much read the entire thing-WOW! It gave me some new insight into my daughter and I didn't feel alone anymore...Courtney is 18 - and is bi-polar - not only that is a leukemia survivor with multiple learning disabilities-I have been looking for some support and understanding of this fairly new diagnosis-thanks so much for sharing all of your ups and downs.

August 9, 2010 at 7:48 PM
Megan said...

Hi Linda, I am so glad you found my blog and received some encouragement from it. I am so sorkry about Courtney with all she has been through. It seems so unfair, doesn't it? Is Courtney in high school or has she graduated?

August 9, 2010 at 8:45 PM
Linda Lou said...

Thanks Megan - she just graduated this past June and will be entering a transition program in Sept. I will continue to read your blog and others I have found to learn more!

August 10, 2010 at 1:01 PM

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