Hello,

I am new to this board. I have been lurking since February and finally decided I should introduce myself. I have already learned a lot from the postings here and I have felt less alone.

For the past 11 years I have been treated for depression and then in February of this year (at the age of 41), my diagnosis was changed to BP II. I have a family history of mental illness, my brother has schizoaffective disorder and my mother most likely also has bipolar disorder (she has never been formally diagnosed that I know of). Right now I am on a low dose of Depakote and I also take Celexa, trazadone, and Fish oil supplements. Mentally, I feel normal in a way I never have before.

I work part time as a technical writer and I am also going to nursing school. If all goes well, I will graduate from nursing school this December. I'm in an evening/weekend program so we don't graduate in the spring. I also run (I've done 11 marathons), make jewelry, read anything and everything, and love to eat. I have a very patient husband and four dogs.

I look forward to continuing to learn more here and to being around people who understand mental illness.

:wave: Runningbunny

It sounds like you are doing well, and that is good to hear. I am sure that you have read posts that tell how things are going wrong, but things do go right at times and that is when people stop writing, because they are having a good day. Well I am glad to see that someone who is positive at this moment has written......thank you for showing me that things can be good and you can work your *** off and still have an illness.

:)

I am the one who is keeping the post 2 mentally ill people in a relationship (something like that).....I try to update each day or so, but I tell if things are going well with my boyfriend and I or if things aren't.

Hello there,
My wife has BP. We have 2 dogs and 2 part time goats.

Welcome, Runnningbunny :wave: And by your post it seems that you are doing just that!! :D

It's wonderful to see that you are able to balance so much in your life and succeed in gaining the happiness and zest in your life to live it to the fullest. Your post offers alot to me personally as we are undergoing evaluation to see if my 14 year old daughter has BP. Right now we haven't found the right med, diagnosis or treatment but looking at your post, well let's just say that it fills me with such hope that with the right treatment things could be wonderful. :bouncing:

Thanks for giving me a personal glimpse of your life......it shows with the proper diagnosis and treatment that BP is manageable and that people like yourself can be happy, successful and alot better off than others that do not even have BP. Thanks for sharing!!!

And Mudhound...you had me laughing with the 2 goats!!! :D And I really needed a good laugh today!!

(((HUGS))) ~ Goody :angel:

Hey I'm just happy for you coz you are doing wonderfully well!! Wish you all the best RunningBunny and may god showers you with happiness! You are free to share with us anything! Lots of love to you! Take the cares, and c ya!!

Thank you all for the welcomes. :D

How do you have part-time goats? :confused:

Overall things are going well for me and I am VERY thankful for that. I've had some rough times in the past. My freshman year of college, the dorm director recommended I be put in alcohol treatment if one more "incident" occurred. That was kind of a wake up call and got me started in therapy (I have a very dysfunctional family). Then, about 11 years ago when my brother got sick (diagnosed initially as bipolar I, then later as schizoaffective) I ran myself into the ground trying to take care of him and go to grad school. My therapist at the time looked at me the morning I finally snapped and commented that she didn't know how I had held everything together for so long. That was the closest I've come to being hospitalized. That has been a huge motivator for me to watch my mental health extremely carefully ever since. Medication has been a definite help plus some lifestyle changes. I make sure I eat three meals a day, get enough sleep, don't drink alcohol, exercise, and say no sometimes so I don't overextend myself. I don't avoid all stress (or I wouldn't be in nursing school :dizzy:) and I tend to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie but I try to pick and choose my stress carefully.

Another thing I've learned recently about living with BPD II is that my asthma medications can induce hypomania for me. In early May I got my usually spring sinus infection and asthma flare up. I had to use my Albuterol inhaler 4 times in 6 days and the doctor started me on a steroid inhaler. I was driving home from school one night and felt kind of giggly and like I just wanted to drive my car in swooping arcs across the lanes :eek: . Fortunately I realized why I felt that way and kept it together but I started weaning myself off the steroids the next day. My pdoc confirmed that many asthma meds can affect mood.