PMDD & Bipolar

I'm wondering if any of you ladies with Bipolar (in particular, Bipolar II) have major mood fluctuations a few days prior to your period.

I am in my late 40's and am perimenopausal. I am finding that my mood symptoms prior to my period are become significantly worse over time. I have been keeping a symptom journal via moodtracker.com, and definitely meet the DSM criteria for PMDD. (Premenstrual Dysmorphic Disorder) The last time I had a period, my thoughts were racing so badly and I became suicidal with absolutely no explaination.

I have met with my GYN, and because of the severity of my symptoms, we are currently trying to stop my cycles all together through putting me on continuous birth control. We have tried one medication that did not work. I had significant break through with that one, and major mood swings with each break through event. So, now I am trying a new birth control pill with a slightly different formulation.

With my bipolar, mood swings are the absolute worst based on season and based on hormones. So, I figure if I could live in Key West and have a hysterectomy, then I'd be 99% okay.... lol

I'd love to hear other people's experience.

Be well,
Jules

Jules,
I did have Bipolar. I believe PMDD is short for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. I am currently diagnosed with PMS. I am a 35 year old menstruating woman. I was treated about a year ago for what some doctors believe was PMDD.

I have read Dr. T. Colin Campbell say that the hormones in meat can effect the hormone levels in a woman's body.

I am a 46 yo female with bipolar disorder and short, intense, heavy periods. I become severely depressed for that few days. I am wary of birth control because of the risk of stroke and heart attack. I started using Moodtracker in October 2008 to try and track these episodes. As another contributor said, if I could just have a hysterectomy and be done with it I'd be happy. At 46, I could be looking at another ten years of PMDD and periods before it stops (my husband and I currently use condoms as birth control). My mother and grandmother had early hysterectomies so I have nothing to go by as far as when I might hit menopause. Ain't it a bitch? :(

Smurf - First... thank you for catching my brain freeze on the dysmorphic/dysphoric thing. Jeeeze. I got my DSM's criss crossed! lol

I did a little poking around at Campbell's research. Very interesting. He is very much a no-meat kinda guy. That's the 2nd time in a week a vegitarian diet has been mentioned to me. Campbell is a vegan. The points about the hormones in meats are certainly eyebrow raising.

I'm not sure that a vegitarian diet would work for me, though. I am a bariatric patient. I was 330+lbs and now weigh 180. Part of my dietary regimine is getting PLENTY of protein. It's just part of the maintenance. Protein creates satiety. Anyway.... I'm just thinking out loud... sorry.

Hilo - The risk for stroke and heart attack with the pill are really only significant if you are a smoker. I'm not, so that's not an issue for me. And... I'm the one that said I think that a home in Key West and a Hysterectomy would do me JUST fine... LOL. (A woman can dream, can't she??? *snicker*)

Be well,
Jules

Greetings to you all!!

I have bi-polar and PMDD. I have known this for years, but couldn't "convince" anyone (doctors or loved ones) that something was very wrong with me a week before my cycle. I would be fine and then BAM! I would plument into the deepest depression, and have tried to committ suicide more times than I can count. I can track all of these attempts to my cycle.

FINALLY, a pharmacutical company came up with a birth control called YASMIN that supposedly eliminated PMDD--so it became recognized and I could talk to my doctors.

My first doc didn't listen and the doc that I have now does and has me to take a double dose of Depakote 10 days b4 my cycle is to begin.

Because of the medication combinations that I am on, I can't take Yasmin. The increase in meds has helped.

Hi Jules: I was just diagnosed with Bipolar 2 last week and yesterday, when I saw my talk therapy person, she said the pdocs where she is work very closely with their patients that have PMDD up to and including varying their meds depending on where they are in their cycles.
I was perimenopausal myself when I was first diagnosed with Depression which I have been fighting for 10 years now. I have been post menopausal for two years now, thank God. My symptoms when I was still having periods would definitely qualified for a PMDD dx, talk about multipying all symptoms to a nearly unlivable extent--yuck. It was only now that I'm two years past that I was able to identify the symptoms that lead to the Bipolar two dx., previously I had thought it was all hormones.
The thing is, most of the hormones come from your ovaries--so they would have to do a total hysterectomy and if you have no reproduction related reason for one, most ethical docs would be very hesitatant. Early hysterectomies can lead to heart and other problems--plus somehow aggravate depression, its not the same as the body naturally slowing down on the hormones. They don't know the "whys" of all of it yet. Plus they don't know what it does for cancer risks either.

I wish they had known as much about aggravation of Depression ten years ago as they do now--we tried hormone replacement for me but it only made everything worse--a mood stabilizer would have been a better choice but then they only did Depression or what is now Bipolar 1, and I definitely did not have Bipolar One. The OB-GYN my psychiatrist talked to back then said they didn't really have a good test (lab bloodwork) to measure homone levels because they fluctuate so much and they hadn't really figured out "normal" either. I really, really, hope what you are trying works, but working with your pdoc and doing more med variations and mood stabilizers might work better. Do you hate feeling like a walking test subject--I know I did. Still do actually becasue now we are trying mood stabilizers.

I have BP and I think I have PMDD, too. My irritation comes back for about a week and a half to two weeks and I get very depressed.... I talked to my family DR about it and asked for YAZ thinking it will help (I haven't picked up the script yet) so she wrote me a script. She also mentioned to skip my period for 3 months at a time... now I'm not sure about this any more because I'm a heavy smoker and (probably) due to this, I had to go for a Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia testing (which shocked and angered me when I left because our family DR didn't explain anything to me. She just said I had to go for more testing. Maybe we need a new GP??)


to Jules: I LOVE this line, LOL... "So, I figure if I could live in Key West and have a hysterectomy, then I'd be 99% okay"

and to Lizabeth: I'm still looking for the right meds after 2+ yrs... I DEFINITELY feel like a test dummy, showing up every month at the pharmacist's with a new script, LOL... but now I feel I'm almost there : ) [lithium is finally working for me, yay!!]

Hi Jester and Jules and Everyone Else. Well so far my mood stabilizer is helping a lot--I just hope it continues to do so and does not develop any bad side effects. Its remarkable how much of my anger/irritation issue, which I thought of as a character flaw, not a symptom, is reduced to almost nothing now. I still get angry of course, but now there is usually a legitimate reason. Like why did my husband decide he had to travel 300 plus miles to a business meeting today when it was 40 below zero (actual temp., not wind chill) this am. The high today is supposed to be something like 16 below zero. Oh well, I'm working on keeping busy and trying not to worry too much.

Gosh, you know, I wouldn't wish this thing on anyone.... but I glad to know that I'm not the only one.

I spoke to my psychiatrist about the severity of my PMS symptoms and how this has gotten worse for me in my 40's. He told me that was very common. I am so much hoping that this new birth control pill will stop my period once and for all.

My Psych Doc and I talked about adding or increasing my SSRI. But, I have to be VERY careful with any SSRI because it has a tendency to flip me over into hypomania. My hypomanic episodes always run the same course.... they start out REALLY fun... lots of energy.... lots of ideas... plenty of productivity. I am entertaining as all get out. But THEN... the hypomania turns on me... it gets ugly. I get agitated, irritated, anxious, and basically become a full blown GRUMP with LOTS of energy. That is NO fun.

So, we need to control my PMDD with hormones and minimal SSRI intervention. It is crucial that we control it. I had intrusive thoughts of suicide during the last episode. I was terrified. We just can't let that happen again.

Thank you.... all of you brave ladies who have posted here. Keep on posting. Let's keep on talking to our docs. We have to keep this real for them. It is SO real for us!

Be well,
Jules

Hi Jules---Yes, I hear you about the SSRIs and flipping over. Apparently thats part of what happened to me so now my pdoc and I are trying to change me to mood stabilizers instead. Mood Stablizers are not the same as SSRIs.
The most well known mood stabilizer is Lithium which has been used for Bipolar One for years. I guess some of us with Bipolar Two (me) and Bipolar three (apparently you???) respond well to it. There are other meds too, I am trying one of the newer ones and if it continues to work well my pdoc is talking about tapering off my SSRI. Now thats a scarey thought since I have been on one SSRI or another since 1999.

This week I read "Why Am I Still Depressed?" by Dr. Jim Phelps, MD. He has worked for years with Bipolar 2 and 3 patients and is convinced that in those cases sometimes SSRIs eventually do more harm than good. I am not sure how much I agree with him but some of the chapters in his book sound like he is describing me. Thats the problem with being 53. I really was living with this Bipolar Two thing before they (mental health people) even knew it existed.
My first pdoc always asked "Well, do you have any mania symptoms" Well, as I have never had any BP one mania I always said "no". And now they have this whole other category errargh. More new meds. The walking bio-lab lives again in me. Oh well--if it helps its worth it. I was having a very hard time living with my anger and anxiety this fall--winter and I couldn't blame it on PMS anymore because its been two years since I had a period.
Good luck and keep posting.

Lizabeth... your story sounds so familiar. My bipolar was missed for many, many years because it wasn't recognized by the mental health community until recently. When my Pdoc identified my bipolar d/o (it is actually bipolar IV -four- according to the newer bipolar spectrum theories), he had to ween me off of an SSRI and a benzodiazepine. Oh my gosh, that was hell. He explained that we needed to move over to a mood stabilizer.

I am grateful that my doc was respectful of me and my "style" of being a researcher. He sent me home with an assignment to research three different mood stabilizers and to come back for the next appointment with a recommendation. We ended up with a combination of Tegretol for mood and Seroquel for sleep (I have a raging sleep disorder!). After he got me off the SSRI/benzo combination and on to the Tegretol/Seroquel Combo, I began to be WAY more stable.

He later added just a touch of Celexa (an SSRI) to slow down some of my round and round thinking. It did just that. And the dose is not nearly enough to flip me up into a hypomanic state... especially with the mood stabilizers on board.

We have been talking about using the Celexa to stabilize my PMS days, but haven't gone there yet. Right now, me and my GYN are just trying to stop my period by putting me on continuous birth control. She said that I would have to come off of it once a year to determine when I am finally menopausal.

If you would like to see more about the Bipolar Spectrum, do a google search on "Akiskal and bipolar spectrum" Dr. Akiskal is a very prolific writer and researcher about the various types of biploar from Bipolar I to Bipolar V.

Be well,
Jules

to Lizabeth:

I have to laugh, LOL... I can relate to "legitimate" anger as well. I used to get mad at him over every little thing just because I would get mad at anything and he was there to blame : ( Now when I get mad it seems to have a real reason behind it.


on a side note, I was wondering if someone can explain SSRI's to me?
I tried to Google it and use Wikipedia but it's all too technical/medical for me...
what's the "English" version of its meaning? LOL... Thx!

Hi Jester,

Let me give a stab at the SSRI explanation in "layman's terms."

SSRI - Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor. Antidepressants generally come in three forms. Those are the MAO-inhibitors, the Tricyclics and the SSRI's. The SSRI's are the newest class of antidepressant medications.

Our brain carries messages from part to to another through the use of neurotransmitters. These messages include the ones that "program" us to feel good, comfortable, satisfied, excited, happy, and generally well. One of the most important neurotransmitters is serotonin. They have found that in the brains of depressed people, serotonin levels are low. Therefore, all of those good messages are carried at a much lower frequency than normal.

Our brain is VERY efficient and wastes very little energy. So, one of things that the brain does with ANY neurotransmitter is to "take back" any portion that it believes to be unused. This is what is known is the re-uptake of the serotonin. The brain produces the neurotransmitters and then it conserves energy with the process of reuptaking any of the unused portion.

WELL... our depressed brains don't make enough serotonin to transmit all of the "good" messages, but the re-uptake process continues on, just like there was plenty. So.... the SSRI, inhibits, or blocks the re-uptake. That means that MORE serotonin is available to our brains to carry happy thoughts. Our brains cannot make more serotonin, but it can use the serotonin that we have more effectively and efficiently.

I hope this helps. SSRI's are quite the miracle drugs. They help our brains correct our "chemical imbalance" without adding or subtracting chemicals. They simply help our brains use the poorly little chemicals we have to the best of their abilities. The newer variation is SNRI's, which means Serotonin Norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor. Same principle, two neurotransmitters.

Let me know if you have any questions. I will try my best to answer them!

Be well,
Jules

So now there are four categories of Bipolar----arggh. Well, I suppose as long as they don't use up numbers and go to using the alphabet instead. Anyway, I had another good day so I guess being a walking Biolab is paying off.
Jules: I think you did a bang up job of explaining SSRIs.
Hopefully, one of these days one of us will be explaining something that is guaranteed to work.
Jester: I don't think its critical to understand all the technicalities but it is important to understand enough so you can protect yourself from bad medication interactions or mix-ups if you are on a lot of meds.

I just became familiar with BP3 and it is already up to 5?! I can't wait to check out the doctor you mentioned.

I too have major PMS (not quite PMDD) and am almost an invalid usually 1 day per month.

I just discovered a link to Dr. Akiskal's bipolar spectrum.
www.psycom.net/depression.cent...

I have learned a lot from Dr. Phelps at www.psycheducation.org

Ok, I'm having a day I wish I could blame on a "female problem" but I am two years past that. I woke up with an almost migraine ( I used to get migraines like cloakwork with PMS) so I knew I had to get out of bed fast. Sleeping makes headaches worse for me. So I rushed and made coffee, took naprosyn and had sweet roll for breakfast--which I try to avoid, but the only way I have found to prevent bad headache from turning to miagraine is suger, coffee and naprosyn. It worked--no migraine.
The problem is now I am fighting with extreme irritability and other hypomania. I was almost afraid to come on line incase I went shopping and spending. And I am trying not to snap my husband's head off. I did Exercise and it only made it worse.
Does anyone else have that, with exercise making hypomania worse???

Even after reading the article presented in a previous post. I am still confused about what "spectrum" of Bi-Polar I fit into.

When I am not on any meds. I am depressed 90% of the time and then I will have a sudden "high" and think that I can do all things. I have anxiety attacks, can't sleep for days, irritable, rage attacks, can't concentrate, suicidal, intentionally hurting people (letters and conversations), etc. Plus the PMDD.

Even with meds I still present the same "symptoms". The cycles are just fewer and less severe.

I am going to try and find some more info on BP I and BP II and see if I fit.

Do the graphs in this article help any?
www.psycheducation.org/depress...

K

K,

Oh my gosh..... that graph is FASCINATING!! I have never seen that before, but it makes SO much sense. Jeeeeeze. I should just put that dag-gum chart on my wall and play darts with it... lol. Of course, my graph would not have those HUGE sine waves because I have a soft bipolar, but the waves are big enough to matter, and they do NOT fluctuate together. That would be too easy, wouldn't it? :)

Jules

Ok--that does it--those graph making people have to get their cameras out of my brain. (Just joking mostly). The scarey/awsome thing, is in a much milder, less debilitating form, I have always felt this. Now its to the point that I am sometimes like they talk about--jillions of things I need and/or want to do and on bad days I sit there and do none of them. Not even the ones that I enjoy doing. I mean not vacuuming could be considered healthy self-interest, but not sewing, reading or doing my art--its like I hit a wall and I can't do anything.
Then the next day I try to make up for it but that generates so much self-pressure that still not much is done. And I am still jazzed, irritable, cranky, and tense/worried while not doing it.

Lizabeth, I know this probably sounds dumb, but by allowing yourself a day to be irritable, etc. you might find that you can manage better. I have found that if I think of all the things I am grateful for, it might lessen the irritation I feel. (That doesn't always help, but the next day I feel like I tried to be a bit more positive.)

You have the right to make mistakes.

Hi Smurf 1. Yeah, I know its theoretically ok to make mistakes. Problem is, I came from a perfectionistic, worry-wart background (my husband said my aunt and my mother could give "How to Worry" classes); then I went into nursing where mistakes could be fatal--so I am having a hard time learning this one with my heart as well as my head. Also, some of the irritability comes from the hypomania and when I feel that, it feels like I am "giving in" to the illness. And being raised in the "good" girls don't get angry era (I'm 53) dosen't help either. So, everyone, please keep reminding me.

I'm learning so much from this discussion thread! Thanks for all of your input. A word of caution though... My doc told me that very few birth control meds mix with bipolar meds. In fact, the mix can be dangerous. I learned this the hard way. My GYN put my on birth control to regulate hormones while my psychiatrist had me on bipolar meds. It took over 6 months of absolute horror to figure out that the birth control was the culprit. The other lesson of course, was to keep all docs posted on all meds!!

Hi Miya, the same thing happened to me when we tried hormone replacement therapy. Fortunately my pdoc of the time and my OBGYN were working together, plus I immediately got the migraine to end all migraines so we didn't keep at that for long.

I am quite fortunate that both of my docs, my GYN and my Pdoc, are hospital docs. So, they can very easily keep in touch with each other about my treatment. The same goes for my bariatric practitioners. They work nicely as a team to ensure that my treatment is as seamless as possible.

I am also fortunate that I have not any overt reactions to my hormone therapy. We just haven't found the right one yet. Our goal is to stop my cycles all together. But, the first medication that was tried, resulted in several bouts of breakthrough bleeding after about 5 months. With each bout of breakthrough, came some significant mood disturbance... even suicidality. I'm on another formulation now. We'll see how it goes.

Be well,
Jules

Jules, I hope you get your hormone therapy straightened out. Oprah Winfrey is doing shows about HRT and she is having a discussion with Dr. Christine Northrup on-line tonight. Anyone interested can check her websight. With Cardiac on one side of family and cancer on other the whole idea is contra-indicated for me tho. Besides, I've watched a couple of the shows and I'm not sure some of the people featured understand what scientific proof of concept means. Its not that I think the FDA is perfect, it certainly is not, but at least you know you are getting whats on the label with FDA approved meds. Unregulated meds are just like Russian Roulette--no way to know for sure.

I saw my pdoc today. Tomorrow I decrease my Cymbalta, so I hope that goes well.

I am currently diagnosed PMDD & OCD. I have uncontrollable mood swings & irritablity. I take Prozac 20 mg 2x a day along w/ Yaz. I still have anxious feelings, overwhelmed, sad, lonely, frustrated, I get nauseated. I have a massive headache right now that just won't quit & I've taken tylenol. I will be 30 the 14th of this month. My Mom has had a hysterectemy at the age of 44. All of my aunts including my grandma have all had one done in the 40's or before their 40's. I just want to know really, what the hell is wrong with me? Why do I still have racing thoughts, headaches, nausea, feel anxious 7 overwhelmed? I'm ready to go nuts here. I have seen doctor after doctor & i'm tired of being told there's nothing wrong with you. One time they told me it was vertigo. I was a misreable somebody let me tell you. I was off of work for a week b/c when I'd stand or try to walk I felt like I was going to pass out.

Chastity,

Do you see a psychiatrist or a primary care doc? I would want to know where you got your two diagnoses from. And, if you see a psychiatrist, have you ever gotten a 2nd opinion. If you are on a medication regimine, and you still feel this bad... something is NOT working. Something needs to be changed.

It is not okay for those us with mental health issues to feel horrible, while we stay on medications that just aren't working for us. If it is because we aren't seeing the right professional, then WE are the ones who need to get our acts together and get to one. If it is because we have a doctor who either doesn't believe us, doesn't care, or only has one tool in his/her toolbox... then we either need to become very strong self-advocates or we need a new doctor.

I'm looking at your meds, and there is nothing there to address anxiety. OCD is an anxiety disorder. Now, I'm not an MD by any stretch of the imagination... but I do know that much about OCD. If I were in your shoes, I would certainly be inclined to ask a doctor about his/her thinking about that particular part of my medication regimine.

I hope you feel better soon, hon.

Be well,
Jules

Chastity,

JulesD is right on the nose about going to see a Doc about your meds. In addition to getting your meds checked you may also want to look into how your diet, exercise, and sleep could be affecting things. I found a real gem for my own diet. About two years ago I stopped having dairy in my diet and I've had some great benefits. I just did a quick google search to see if I could find anyone else who has had good results going dairy free. I found a blog entry that I thought was remarkable... much more remarkable than my own experience. Anyway, here's the link:

http://www.grassdirtcorn.com/2...

I hope you get feeling better.

I hope I start to feel "normal" again. Yesterday my poor husband took me shopping just to get me out of the house. I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I felt so overwhelmed & anxious like my insides were raging & out of control. I literally felt like I was going crazy on the inside if that makes any sense? I don't feel as bad today. I'm more calm 7 relaxed, for now. My moods are so unpredictable. I'm fine one minute & the next I'm a royal basket case. I saw my OBGYN & she put me on prozac b/c she could tell by the way I talked I was OCD. Her & I had a long conversation about what my everyday life is like. The dosage & has been changed 3 times. First I was doing 10mg once a day, then 20 mg once a day, then 20 mg twice a day. Could my anixety be causing my headaches? When I get a real bad headache I get sick to my stomach.

Chastity,

It is great that your OBGYN is working with you on your symptoms. It sounds like she is a very sensitive doctor..... we should all be so fortunate! However, her specialty is babies and female "plumbing." You really need to see a mood specialist who can accurately and fully assess your mood symptoms. Think about it.... you would NEVER ask a carpenter to work on your air conditioning unit just because the air conditioner is the same house as the wood cabinets.

The mood specialist happens to be a psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist will know if you actually have OCD, or if you have bipolar disorder. The Psychiatrist has firsthand knowledge of a whole range of mood medications that most non-psychiatrists would never even think to prescribe. So, I encourage you to make an appointment and get a full assessment. If you are feeling SO bad, you need to do this quickly. There is no reason for you continue to feel this badly.

You need some relief. The right type of physician can help you get that relief. And don't forget to be continually grateful to your OBGYN for being willing to try to help you. She just doesn't have the expertise to fully address your condition.

Be well,
Jules

Jules,

Thank you for your reply. In a nut shell I really don't know how to speak to someone about my moods openly. I mean, what if they think I'm a nut case or just plain crazy? My emotions & feelings are different each & every day, they are never the same. It's like being on a roller coaster & I can't make the ride stop. I'm tired of my mind racing w/ thoughts & not being able to sleep at night. Is Bipolar something that is passed on, do I have to worry that if I do have it that I may have given it to my son? For example right now I feel okay, just a little drained, sleepy. My headache has subsided thank goodness. I didn't have much of an appetite today. This was my last day of my cycle as well, don't know if this is why I feel a little better than yesterday? I'm tired of feeling out of control, there are days that I just lose it & don't know why. No one said or did anything to me & boom like a fire cracker I just go off for no reason. I hate being like this. I know in the past I have hurt a lot of people, and now I know it wasn't my fault but it's too late. What's done is done I can't change any of it. I was just wondering if any one had impulses to do weird things? Meaning something that you just feel so compelled to do, not a high or anything.

Chastity,

The sooner you get an accurate diagnosis, the sooner you will feel better. I'm with Jules, do some research and find a good psychiatrist who understands mood disorders. Educate yourself on your options. You definitely are describing what could be symptoms of a mood disorder. You need to know for sure what your dealing with so you can get the right treatment.

K

Hi there, Chastity.

I am so glad that you have decided to talk about your moods openly here. No one thinks you're nuts or crazy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those of us who are here have had experiences much like yours. These experiences feel terrible and they make us question our own sanity.

The good news is that all of that "crazy" feeling is treatable. It is a brain disorder and there are many medications that address the places where the brain may not be functioning correctly. It is no shame to have a brain disorder.... just think about it; if our kidneys or our liver can malfunction.... wouldn't it serve to reason that THE MOST complex organ in our body may occasionally malfunction? I know, I know... there's all kinds of stigma around that. Believe me... I live in way where I try to balance honesty about my bipolar diagnosis without opening myself up, professionally, to the stigma of having the disorder.

When you talk to a psychiatrist, you will be talking to a person who fully understands that you are not "crazy or nuts." You will be talking to a medical professional who will know that when the proper medication(s) is used, that you will begin to think clearly, feel more stable, your mood will improve and your thoughts will slow down. Sick people respond to medication... not crazy people.

As for passing something along to your son... finding out what you have is the MOST important thing you can do for him. If you are aware of your condition and its heritability, then you can know what to watch for in your son (or IF you need to watch for it). If you decide not to get an accurate diagnosis, then you will not know what's going on if your son should possibly begin to show symptoms of something down the road.

I also agree with Kef. Be sure to ask around for referrals. Find out if anyone knows anything about psychiatrists in your area. See how people feel about them and pick one that people have good things to say about. Just like any other profession, there are good Pdoc and bad Pdocs. Also, do some research on Bipolar disorder, OCD, and PMDD. Don't try to self-diagnose, just make yourself familiar with the disorders so that you can ask the right questions when you get to the doctor's office.

Keep on keepin' on. I'm glad that you have times when you feel better. Cherish them. Make the best of them. And please let us know when you find the right doctor!

Be well,
Jules

Jules,
I have an 8 am appt w/ my regular doctor on Wed this week. I am going to him to see if I can get a list of doctors that specialize in mood disorders. My sons teacher thinks that my son is a canidate for ADHD, that bothers me. He is 6 & in the 1st grade, I'm sorry but just b/c he can't read well makes him ADHD. She's not equipped w/ the knowledge to tell me what my son is. They are thinking about retaining him, holding him back. Do you know as a parent how mad that makes me? His whole summer gone b/c he has to go to summer school. UGH! I have a meeting with her next week as well. Boy that ain't gonna be pretty. He's my only child so... My son doesn't act out or have any activity of an ADHD child. My step brother is ADHD. I know how they act & what to look for. Ok, so my son distracts easily, what 6 year old doesn't, they are in school for 7 hours a day 5 days a week. I'd get bored too. He loves to talk, that he just gets from his mama, LOL. So based on that he's ADHD? Not hardly. I read in my paper recently that Duplin Co, where I live, posted a comment about our school system. It stated that, " you put kids in a box & when they don't fit any more they are ADHD. You need to better look at your education system." Duplin Co, has the worst scores on the "end of the year test" in reading & math. If I had the money my son would attend private school. And if that isn't bad enough my husband was told 2 mos ago that he has 6 bulging disk in his back, he see's a specialist Monday. We really can't afford, we have no insurance. But it has to be done. When it rains it flippin pours! Sorry, I just kept ranting, I'm just frustrated. Ugh!!! Ripping hair out, LOL

Jules, I was reading where you were concerned about the hormones in meat but that you basically have to have it. I'd like to throw an option out there that you probably haven't thought about. Home grown beef. We grow our own beef without hormones and very limited antibiotics. We do it for many reasons, but one of the most important is that there is something (hormones, antibiotics, something) in commercial beef that triggers my son's migraines. He doesn't have that problem with ours. Now I'm not suggesting you grow your beef if thats not in your lifestyle. But you could go to a farmers market and probably find someone to buy meat from. And not just beef. Chicken, pork, whatever. Just a suggestion.

~BARB~