A Little Too Much
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A Little Too Much
| Fri, 12-01-2006 - 8:33pm |
Well, I took a leap of faith and did what my Dr. suggested and looked for guidence from folks who were like me! I am 35yo, now divorced, woman recently diagnoiced BP and little support, so I'm hoping you all might be able to help me with tips and tricks for daily life. It's hard enough with a nasty divorce but it feels even harder when I am fighting an up-hill battle every day just trying to get up and get motivated. At least with the mania side I could get things done! I'm trying to find a job, but I feel like Piglette and just too scared of the world right now! My BFF is about burned out with me, so I need to give him a little space so I don't manage to mess up that relationship. Will the light at the end of the tunnel be a good thing or am I about to hit the train again? Does anyone have any suggestions about where to start? Thanks!

I can't say I know everything about living with bipolar, but this I do know: you can't function if you are always expecting an episode. I do best thinking that my episodes will end without new ones starting. If a new one starts, I will deal with that as it arises. Dread is a waste of energy.
Express!
Beth "Petrouchka"
Welcome to the board!
Welcome to the boards....this is a great bunch of people and I know I have gained alot by lurking and posting here. Some questions you should answer for yourself as well as to give us here a little idea of what your dealing with, is what type of bp (ie, BP I, BP II), what meds....there are others I am forgetting, but you will see them as you hang around this board. I am bp II early onset, rapid cycling. I don't know if your pdoc has explained to you the differences, if not ask. You will find the FULL range of bp's on this board.
As you are recently dx'd I would guess you are still going through the med dance trying to see what works and what doesn't....I got lucky and the first attempt seems to be working. I am on Lamictal (50 mg in the morning and 75 mg in the evening, pdoc wants me to go to 75 and 75, but I am going to see the lowest dosage that will work). You will find yourself arguing with pdocs although it sounds like you got a good one as he/she encouraged you to reach out and find others like yourself. I have been fighting this since 7 yo (currently 39) and only dx'd myself because I saw DS struggling and I KNEW it was not ADD/ADHD, which was what the school and several pdocs tried to say it was. Finally found a tdoc who told us what to look for in the family history and I finally found out I had a maternal great-grandmother institutionalized for "manic-depressive" (she died there) as well as alcoholism on the paternal side including an aunt. The tdoc loaned us a book called "The Bi-polar Child" and by the time I finished the first chapter I knew DS was and also knew I was.
I thought I had done pretty well muddling through all this without medication, but when my marriage almost cratered (mostly due to issues not related to bp) and I started going to a tdoc and also MC, I was encouraged by both to try meds. Started taking meds about 9 mo ago and DW said she noticed an immediate difference. She knew about my rages from when we were dating, but knew she was not in any danger....she just accepted it as part of who I was.
What tips and tricks to use? It is different for each one, but the one I find the most useful is push yourself to do at least ONE thing each day that you can look back on at the end of the day and pat yourself on the back and say "I accomplished X"....it helps to fight the depression....I know only too well the not wanting to get out of bed and face the h*** your life has become. When you talk about the light at the end of the tunnel being a train I am reminded of a Metallica song that has a line about "the light at the end of the tunnel is a freight train comin' your way"....I tend to identify with that tune sometimes.
Good luck and keep in touch.
tk
Hi and Welcome !
Don't have much more to add then what everyone has said.
God could not be everywhere, so