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!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Forgot Two More Very Important Tips!

I forgot two of the most important tips to surviving the holidays with a bp child!

A.  If your child is having regular rages, has recently been hospitalized, or is in general not doing well at all, forget traveling at all, which leads to the next tip...

B.  Always buy trip insurance if you are getting plane tickets, hotel rooms, etc.  You just never know if your child will suddenly take a turn for the worse and your trip would be hellish if you proceeded.   This is just life with a special needs child, and flexibility is the new norm.
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3 comments:

Mom67 said...

Dear Megan S. - I happened upon your blog when researching Lamictal - my teen daughter was diagnosed last April though now I see the signs were there all along (she was originally diagnosed with ADHD). I am so happy I found you, my daughter is 17, and just beautiful and sweet and MANIC right now. I think starting the Lamictal set it off, but I will be calling her doctor. I look forward to reading all your entries. It can be a lonely life. p.s. we are not traveling for Thanksgiving and going out to dinner, also we have a family portrait so similar to yours it is uncanny. XOXO Leslie (mother to Kaetlyn and Libby)

November 22, 2010 at 10:10 PM
Megan said...

Hi Leslie! I am glad you found me too. This journey can be so lonely indeed. Even my closest friends don't really get it. I am curious if your dd is on something more than Lamictal? Usually bp kids need one or two mood stabilizers and an atypical antipsychotic. Not to scare you or anything, but usually one med isn't enough to cover all the bases so to speak. But asking your doctor is good and make sure your dd gets in there at least every few weeks while you are trying to get her stabilized. I look forward to getting to know you and your journey!

November 23, 2010 at 8:37 AM
Smile4532 said...

FYI - trip insurance will also cover accidents that happen while on the trip. My 3 yr old was burned by a charcoal grill while we were in the OBX this year and we were transferred to CHKD and spent 2 days there. The travel insurance paid EVERYTHING that insurance didn't. Even the bandage supplies and tylenol bought at wal-mart. :)

December 31, 2010 at 10:45 PM

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