[dragonfly2]

My name is Joanne and I'm new to the forums. I first started having symptoms of depression when I was a young child (7 maybe?), with the hypomania beginning as a teenager. By adulthood, my manias became full-blown, but I wasn't finally correctly diagnosed until I was 30. Like many of you, I've been on a seemingly endless list of medications, and we're in the middle of another change now.

I'm now 40 years old and married with two girls. Six months ago, I went back on disability after being able to return to work for 7 years. At first I felt very defeated, but I am trying to keep things in perspective. The last time I was on disability, nobody thought I would ever work again. I surprised them all by going back to a professional health care job and doing (fairly) well for 7 years. Last summer I got sick again and just couldn't do it anymore. So now I'm trying to regroup, move on and figure out where to go from here.

I'm very glad to be here on the forum and hope to get to know you all.

~Dragonfly

[BlackPup]

Hi Joanne,
welcome
I'm sorry things are tough at the moment, give yourself the time to get back on your feet again. Hope the med change helps.

[blueoctober]

Welcome Joanne. I love your profile pic I'm sorry you had a set back, but it sounds like you have a good attitude about it. I hope you find this site supportive.

[dragonfly2]

Thank you, both of you. I'm already feeling very much at home here.

As for the profile pic...my younger daughter absolutely loves giraffes. She had this picture set as her computer wallpaper and when I saw it in the avatar list here, I just had to have it!

[blueoctober]

I'm a huge fan of giraffes too.

[thinker22]

Hi dragonfly.

Your story sounds similar to mine. I had low to moderate depression ever since I was about 7 years old, and went through hypomanias throughout my childhood and in high school. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 29 after a trip to the hospital during a very depressed episode. It took me 2 years to find a good combo and I've been doing well over the past 6 months with minor adjustments to my meds.

Those 2 years were so incredibly difficult I wanted at many times to quit the whole process and all the doctors. I'm glad my docs didn't give up on me because now I feel so great. Okay, I am hypomanic, but with all my meds I don't think it's possible I will become fully manic or mixed.

Anyways, welcome to the site. Feel free to share. We're all in this together.

[vjdragonfly]

Hello Joanne, nice to meet you. Welcome to PC and the BP thread. I have found the people here to be very supportive. Sorry to here you had to go back on disability. At least it is there when you need it most. Seven years working is a good run. I do good to make it a year. Which I've only been diagnosed for 2 years and they are just now getting me on adequate medications. Finding the right medications is such a struggle and can be very difficult during the time of trial and error. I wish you the best of luck.

[PT52]

Hi, Joanne, welcome to PC. I've been on a bit of a break and am just now able to spend some time here. I don't know why that matters! Anyway, I know you'll find a lot of support and understanding here. We all have different stories, but the important parts are the same - each of us is unique and wonderful, each of us copes with bipolar disorder on some level, and none of us is our disorder. I'm sure you'll fit right in!