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 1, 2010

"Get Behind Me, Anxiety!"

I say this many times a day now, whenever I feel fear and panic setting in over my husband's job situation.  Right now I am stretched in every direction by homeschooling, working part-time and trying to stay on top of homework for the regular schoolers and their many after school activities.  That would have been enough.  I see my husband appears to be on the edge of panic too.  He is REALLY stressed out.   He has always been such a rock for me but now I am definitely being the rock for him, which is what marriage is about (for better or worse, remember?) Not that he has lost faith or hope completely, but he is very tired right now.  He filed for unemployment and I am astounded by how little it amounts to.  It doesn't come close to paying our mortgage.  I don't know how people without other emergency lifelines can make it through a job loss.  I am most frightened about using up our lifelines before he lands a job.  I know God has a plan, He is just slow to reveal to us!
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1 comment:

Carol said...

My husband was not able to work for over 3 years due to bipolar. Now he is working again but it's impossible to predict whether he'll be able to stay employed or not. So although our situations are a little different, I wanted to tell you that the panic is normal, and it is a motivator (for me, anyhow).

I am surprised at the ways I have grown through this. I have learned so much, and become so empowered. And a little bit more prepared in case it happens again...and you will, too.

You'll be amazed at the surprises that are in store for you--and how strong you can be in a crisis. You will get through this and come out on the other end just fine. It might take a while, of course...

November 3, 2010 at 4:14 PM

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