I am not sure whether anyone has heard of someone being "cured" of bipolar but I am interested in hearing.

I was diagnosed with bipolar II in 2000. It was horrible and frightening that my brain was betraying me. I am an engineer and I had a great deal of trouble accepting that the very thing that defined my life was betraying me (my brain).

I was hospitalized once and went to a treatment center for people with bipolar to find ways to cope with it. I was on a great deal of drugs and started having hallucinations. I was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder in 2003/4.

I gained a great deal of weight and had a different personality after starting on the antipsychotic medications. I was unable to do even the easiest Sudokus. I had two kids so I was very careful to take my meds and was cycling 2 weeks hypo, 2 weeks depressive and then 2 weeks normal. Except in winter, when I was depressed for months at a time.

I also had a host of other health issues. One of my issues was IBS and in an effort to get that under control I went on a elimination diet. At the end of the diet I still had IBS but my bipolar symptoms had ceased. That was 8 years ago and I have gone off all my meds and have not had any hypomania. I do get depressed every winter but it is mild and monitored but not treated with meds.

What does this mean? Was I cured or was I misdiagnosed? Does anyone know anyone in a similar situation?

The reason I am asking is that I have been in pain for a couple of years now and I am looking into my medical past to see if there are clues as to what this pain might be. My gastro-enterologist suggested going on an antidepressant for Functional Abdominal Pain Syndrome (which is basically pain that has no diagnosis but they put you on antidepressants which can help with pain management). I don't want to go on antidepressants because my pdoc told me that doing so might bring back the bipolar. Pain or bipolar, for me the choice is to deal with the pain (no question).

I hope someone can help me get some clarity.

Thanks