I am trying to think of how long I have had this blog- I know it has been years. I know many of the postings have created great conversations- but nothing has ever, ever resonated as much with people as Sandra’s post on this blog. You can see it below. I must say thank you to all of you who wrote such encouraging comments- and then thanks to Sandra- because believe it or not, she answered the comments! What a special person. I know that many of us will find a lot of encouragement and hope from Sandra’s openness and how others have responded.
We are not weird for reacting strongly to situations- we simply have an illness that often gives us TRIPLE the emotions than what would be expected!
Sandra’s post is below- you can click on the comments icon or go to the right to see all the comments. It’s as good as [ Read More ]
I am not sure what was in the water this weekend- but there were 200 sign ups for the blog. I guess it was from the newsletter on Watch out for Summer Mania. We all need that reminder. If you scroll down you can read the newsletter on the blog.
( I am not sure what’s going on with the title and the extra U in the word up. I doesn’t look like that on the editing page! )
I also received many comments on the posts and promise to have them posted as soon as possible. I read each comment carefully and though I can’t answer each one in detail- I can definitely get some advice in there and point people in the right direction. One big help is the categories column to the right- there are many posts related to the questions I receive. Also, I keep promising to start a weekly podcast [ Read More ]
As you may know, I have always struggled with my weight. This became much worse when I took 22 bipolar meds in three years and gained 80 pounds. That was in 1995-1998. I have lost 50 pounds and want to lose the last 30 so that I can be of a normal and healthy weight. It’s reasonable. My problem is that I lose it and then gain it back and it doesn’t seem to stop. This time I have to lose it and keep it off as it’s not healthy for a 46 year old woman to keep going up and down with her weight. It’s not healthy for anyone!
I know how to eat correctly- I was raised on natural food and have spent all of my life seeing western and eastern doctors equally.
My problem is junk food. It helps me feel better when I’m depressed.
I belong to three mastermind groups- one [ Read More ]
I receive many questions a week regarding how bipolar disorder affects relationships- I have experience in this topic from all angles- that’s for sure! My former partner Ivan was ill for months in a manic psychotic episode and then a suicidal downswing. I went through the fear of calling the police, working with hospital staff who looked at Ivan and asked what HE wanted in terms of being hospitalized instead of asking me- I was sitting right there- Ivan was sitting there – completely psychotic and basically saying he could take care of himself by drinking water all day- and despite my telling the staff what was happening- they listened to him- so we had to do commitment. Then on to the court to keep him in the hospital- this may be very familiar! And that was just the beginning! This was in 1994. I was finally diagnosed in 1995 at age 31- [ Read More ]
I believe that people with bipolar disorder who have children have an extra important role as parents.
It’s so easy to take bipolar disorder out on children- whether it be a lack of physical contact with a child when a parent is depressed or involving a child in dangerous behavior when a parent is manic. Children are so vulnerable. I will never forget a friend of mine telling me what it was like growing up with a mother who had bipolar disorder. She said, “When she got depressed, she stopped doing everything. I remember coming home from school and she would be on the couch eating potato chips watching soap operas. We had to get our own dinner. I was about 10. Then she would get better and clean up the house and things would go back to normal. We never talked about it. It’s not ok [ Read More ]
This reader comment from Lyn is so helpful, I had to put it up top! Thanks Lynn- these are great suggestions.
Julie,
I have always had a weight problem, I am very large, but I gained 40 pounds when I finally got diagnosed and put on meds, and played with them until they got it right. This year so far I have lost 30 pounds. I did just a few things differently and it seems to have had a ripple effect. I stopped buying sugar in bulk and changed to packets, and started using a sweetener. I add a small amount of sugar to the sweetner when I add it to something hot since heat makes the sweetner taste flat unless I do. This way I feel like my hot cocoa and homemade puddings are still tasty treats. I also stopped buying butter/margerine. I used this in baking and I did a lot [ Read More ]
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