Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild Coyote
You have dealt with very heavy burdens. 
I have found it to be very difficult to deal with being stripped of an identity.
I am sorry that you, too, have had to come to terms with this and many other experiences.
I am sure you are very accomplished. Your intelligence and your insights come across very clearly in your posts. it's so very difficult to adjust to these types of changes in our lives. So very much to grieve.
I am glad you join in here; you have a lot to offer. I only hope we offer you something helpful in return.
WC |
Thanks for your kind words and all the kindness you share here with so many on this site. It is my last refuge when I feel all alone with my troubles. I also participate on a lung cancer forum but am wondering if it is really a good idea or not. Maybe I am cured of lung cancer. All I can do though is just go to my now yearly scans and hope for the best. I also came remarkably close to being locked up for a long time, or losing my ability to drive or manage my own affairs. So each day I have is kind of a blessing, because it could be so much worse. On the other hand, i am remarkably alone. It is basically the story of my life.
I feel like that aloneness is not really the bipolar because so many people on here manage to maintain good relationships, have friends and partners and so on.
WC, I am sorry that you also have experienced being stripped of your identity. If I want to see what I used to be all I have to do is type my real name into google and then I can see some of what I used to be, an accomplished scientist with over 100 peer reviewed publications. I was an over-achiever as a child and lived my dream in a way, until it all came crashing down.
That's why I always use pseudonyms when I write about other topics. I don't want all that I did to be buried by stories about my . mental illness or lung cancer.
I think my catastrophic disconnect between my past and my future is not only alienating from other people but also alienating from myself. If I had a strong sense of identity I would have goals and dreams again. I would have a few friends I could count on.