Prognosis October

In March there was a thread that was named Prognosis. The first post asked people to tell about how they were diagnosed Bipolar, what job they had, children, husband, that sort of thing. I feel incredibly blessed to have a supportive husband. He has gone through a lot with me. The last 2 trips to the hospital were difficult. It was a blessing to have older children at that time. My youngest was 10. She was able to be home for a little bit before my 15 year old came home from school. I am a full time mom at home. I honestly don't know if I would be able to have a steady job because I feel that I need a lot of self care. What is your life like? What are you doing?

Thank you for your honesty, janellehale4. Sometimes opening up about anything can be difficult.

You are very fortunate to have a supportive husband ~ good relationships are hard enough to find without a mental illness, so being able to stay in a relationship with an illness like bipolar is awesome. Kiss that guy and tell him you appreciate him {{ smiles }}

Full time jobs are NOT for everyone and I think it's awesome you are able to be a stay at home mom. I always wanted that but when my kids were born the push to be a working mom was really ramping up and wanting to stay home was ridiculed and looked down upon.

I hope through all your stability struggles that you have been able to explain to your children what you were going through to help them understand that mental illness is not a flaw, laziness, something to be ashamed of or whatever lame term is used by misinformed people.

Growing up with a mom who had manic depression (that's what it was called in the '60s) I was not educated about it and grew up thinking my mom just didn't try to be happy. How sad that I was indoctrinated into the stigma that still clouds mental illness today.

A few facts about me: married 47 years (some great times and many struggles, hubby has depression issues too). Two grow boys and four grandchild that live way to far away for me to enjoy.

I was diagnosed later in life (53 years old) ~ crap, now you know I'm an old lady {{ heh heh }}. I was having tons of depression and was finally prescribed anti-depressants ~ WELL that certainly started the train wreck that exposed my bipolar. I finally went to a pdoc and got the proper diagnosis and meds to stabilize my life. My older son also has depression issues and most likely is bipolar but has not been properly diagnosed.

If you believe working outside the home is something you'd like to do, I say give it a try BUT only part-time to start. However, the stress of working can be a real problem for mood stability. That said, there is nothing wrong with being the person whose job is taking care of the homefront. If this were the '70s you'd be called a domestic engineer, or in the '80s as Roseanne Barr called herself, a domestic goddess {{{ ah ha ha }}}

Thanks for the peek into your life ~ I'll see you around the forum {{{ hugs }}}

You have a lot of perspective and understanding to share. Coping with bipolar for so many years is a great burden but you are pulling through! I have had times when my children were younger when I could not explain my need for sleep or less stress to my children. I am glad to live in a time when mental illness is more readily recognized and shared. The leaders in my church have been actively addressing mental illness in the last few years. It makes for a safe place for people to share their challenges. We find that more and more people are feeling the same feelings of sadness or other symptoms that go with mental illness. We find strength in that acknowledgement.

Thank you, janellehale4. Yes, I've got the years of experience {{{ sighs }}} but I'm still learning new ways to cope. I must say, it sounds as though you are keeping a positive outlook on your life and on mental illness and that's half the battle.

I wasn't always the kind of mother I wanted to be, unfortunately. My now adult kids have told me of times when they knew mom wasn't in a "mood" to tolerate any BS from them and when they knew it was all good. This was before I knew I had any mood issues, I didn't even know I was moody! But life is a learning curve in and of itself and now my kids know mom wasn't well throughout large portions of their lives.

You are fortunate that your church is addressing mental illness because church community is supposed to be all about love, forgiveness, tolerance and much more. More and more people are coming to terms with the reality that mental illness is not something people make up or use as an excuse to act out, be lazy, or irresponsible.

I hope you continue to grow in faith, love and the peace that comes from knowing you are not to blame for your mental illness.