I was not medicated properly this past May when my Dad died I had been "functioning" through life up until that time ok on the wrong meds. At that point I snapped and then the cycling started. Once started my job became a huge issue for my BP. In the end I went on medical leave. At this point I was on the right meds, but I was fighting delusions/mania/depression rapid cycling. My job continued to hurt me while on medical leave trying to have me resign based on my BP. This made my BP worse and worse. Then my job wrote me a letter while I was on med leave that stated that I voluntarily quit. Talk about another huge tailspin. Back to my pdoc major issues. Now I have to fight them for unemployment for 6 weeks. During all of this my BP is being controlled "somewhat" with meds although I am the lowest I have been in 15years thinking that I can't take anymore and that not being around would be better. Finally I win the case and my BP starts to settle down and now I am letting the dust settle, but I am not back to "normal." Any little bit of stress that comes up I freak. I can be manic in a second. I saw my Pdoc last week and he said well maybe in another month you will be ok... I am a ton better than I was a week ago I know that, but I know that I couldn't have a job right now and that is sad.

So with all that being sad YES life totally impacts my illness. I was doing fine and then Life got in my way. Had my Dad not died I would be great right now. Had the place I work not ran out of money and turned into tyrants I would be great right now.

And then there is the issue of me not having enough meds when those things happened... I think I still would have been a mess.