[TinyTexasCowgirl]

Hi! I posted in the introductions section as well. I am somewhat newly diagnosed, and have a bunch of questions that I am hoping a I can get answered in real life terms, not doctor. I hope that I am not bothering anyone by asking..... I recently read "Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder" by Julie Fast and John Preston. Here are the questions I have.

P.S. I will be asking my doc (psychiatrist) these same questions tomorrow.

1. Explain Rapid cycling and how it should affect me or could I not do it. I don't recognize any periods of extreme happiness. Usually I"m either depressed, okay(normal feeling?), or p*ssed off.

2. Is it a problem that I don't remember an exact a full onset of bipolar symptoms? I remember having always been a little off, but my first real "rage" moment was summer of 2011. That was when I said "Whoa, something isn't right."

3. What is the difference between Manic and Hypmanic? How do I know which refers to me?

4. I don't, and have never had suicidal thoughts or tendancies. Am I an exception to the rule, or should I expect them to pop up one of these days?

5. How do I know if my anxiety issues are that of a healthy person, or that of my bipolar?

6. What is the difference between cognitive/ADHD and Obsessive?

7. I have yet to experience any side effects from the Lamictal. Should this concern me? Should I be worried that only one drug is necessary versus the cocktail that I have been told most need?

8. What are some tips to fight hypersomnia. It is not uncommon for me to sleep 18 hrs a day.

9. I understand that the correct amount of sleep is imparative for a bipolar person. My husband works offshore for 3 weeks at a time, then home for 3 weeks, and the first night he is gone/home I get very little sleep which screws up any schedule I might have. If he is home then I want to go to bed early , but if he is gone, then I stay up until I am literally a walking zombie because I hate going to bed alone.

10. How does natural sunlight affect bipolar and what are the correct amounts?

12. How do I handle unavoidable environmental triggers? Family gatherings are always a breeding ground for stress and arguments and therefore are HUGE triggers for my episodes.

13. I understand that most bipolar sufferers have a leading statement. The one that is kind of a signal for each mood swing and each swing has it's own lead. But most of mine seem to be "I don't know what's wrong I just don't feel good". How can I change this and figure out what it is that I am feeling?

wow that seems like a whole bunch... Now I'm worried that I am aggravating y'all with useless questions....

[kindachaotic]

First off, Welcome to PC!! Feel free to post away. That's what this place is for.
You might get other answers & opinions but I hate to bust your bubble. Everyone is different but I had pretty significant things going on. There wasn't much gray area, although things change alittle as you get older, I'm 55.
Glad to know you will be taking this list to pdoc tomorrow. He/she or a therapist are the only one's who should really be answering these.
Keep posting & give updates if comfortable.
Best wishes.

[faerie_moon_x]

Hi there! Welcome to PC.

kindachaotic is right, everyone experiences bipolar differently. Also, your symptoms can change as you get older. Medications also effect everyone differently, so if you're not having side effects that is more of a blessing than something to worry about. I had to go off of Lamictle because I got a rash in the first three weeks, and that's dangerous.

Not everyone has rapid cycling. You may never have it. Basically rapid cycling is at least 4 cycles a year (2 depressed, 2 manic.) But some people only experience one manic episode in their entire life and then only deal with the depressed side. Hypomania is less sever than mania, and that's more a of a doctor question.

Obsession is like "Did I turn the stove off? I didn't turn it off. What if I didn't turn it off! I can't remember if I turned it off. What if the house blows up. Maybe I should go home and check that it's turned off. I have to turn the stove off. etc." Over and over and you can't get anything done because one thing is completely taking all your focus. (At least that's how it is for me.) This is just an example, you can obsess about anything.

I also have generalized anxiety disorder, so if you're concerned abot your anxiety tell your doctor.

Vitamin D is good for you in general, but only about 15 minutes of sunlight without sunscreen is safest from what I've read. But discuss that with your doctor.

Leading statement.... yeah, "I feel like hell is about to break loose in my head." That would be mine. I get pressure in my head and I don't feel well right before I drop into a mixed state. But, I have been diagnosed with mixed states and ultra-rapid cycling, so that's just me.

It is a blessing to not have suicidal ideation. You don't want that demon, I can tell you that.

These are all great questions for your doctor.

[hamster-bamster]

I am far from being a doctor, but it seems to me, having read your entire post, that the critical issue in your treatment would be dealing with sleep. If you do not find a way to go to bed early when your husband (it is not possible to call him when he is offshore, is it?) is away, you won't have good prospects from treatment. No medication in the world can substitute for good sleep. Regarding hypersomnia, I would worry about it AFTER you are firmly on the same go-to-bed schedule.

[TinyTexasCowgirl]

Dark Heart. Thanks for your input. I talked to my PDOC today. He told me that he doesn't see me as a rapid cycler. As far as the obbession, that's not something I see in myself right off the bat, but I will pay more attention to it in the future.

Hamster, I can call him offshore pretty much any time I want, given he is in his office (thank god for senority LOL) but he works the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. So he is usually in bed by 730-8. He doesn't have a phone in his bedroom so I can't talk to him just before bed anyway, which is usually around 9. Most of the time my meltdowns are after he has gone to bed, so that leaves me with working through them on my own and telling him about them the next morning So far I've only called the head honcho on the rig and made them wake him up once. That was an interesting conversation.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by TinyTexasCowgirl

Hamster, I can call him offshore pretty much any time I want, given he is in his office (thank god for senority LOL) but he works the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. So he is usually in bed by 730-8. He doesn't have a phone in his bedroom so I can't talk to him just before bed anyway, which is usually around 9. Most of the time my meltdowns are after he has gone to bed, so that leaves me with working through them on my own and telling him about them the next morning So far I've only called the head honcho on the rig and made them wake him up once. That was an interesting conversation.

That's really too bad. An audio file with him singing you various lullabies to play at 9PM ? 9PM is a good bedtime, if you can stick to it. If you cannot, try 9:30 or 10 but not later than 10 and see if those work.

[jaxter23]

K this might be long cuz I went through and tried to give you answers to all your questions. I hope this helps.

1. Rapid cycling is usually when you have multiple (I don’t know the exact number) manic/hypomanic episodes a year. For me it was usually once a month or every other, but now my meds pretty much control it. I know I’m hypomanic cuz I get about 3 hrs of sleep and am perfectly fine with lots of energy.

2. I don’t think most people remember when the bipolar first started. For me, I can look back and see symptoms of it, but I have no idea when it was “full blown”

3. Mania is just a enhanced version of hypomania. Usually when your manic things are really out of control. Hypomania is usually found in BP2 patients such as myself. Basically, I get really irritable, energized, don’t sleep, racing thoughts, and I feel really elated or happy.

4. I would not dwell on the thought of possibly having suicidal thoughts one day. I think everyone is different and I would just be happy you don’t have them

5. I think people with bipolar disorder tend to have more anxiety issues. That is my personal opinion, so don’t hold me to that. I know that I have bad anxiety at times, but when I’m stable I don’t really have any anxiety.

6. I can’t help you on this one cuz I have no idea

7. I think most people are either on Lamictal or Lithium. I am personally on Lamictal and that plus Abilify has gotten me to a stable point. I think that you need one or the other of Lamictal or Lithium, but once again that’s my personal opinion. I wouldn’t worry about not having side effects. The only ones I had were headaches and insomnia (which might not be the lamictal.) I also noticed I slipped into depression when I upped my doses of Lamictal, but that doesn’t seem to be very common

8/9. Once again I can’t really help you on this one. I know when I get depressed I usually sleep 10-12 hours and don’t want to get out of bed. I normally sleep about 7 hours, so 10-12 is a lot for me. I would highly suggest getting on a sleep schedule. Like going to bed at a certain time and forcing yourself to get up at a certain time

10. Vitamin D is very good for you no matter what. My pdoc suggested I take Vitamin D supplements because its good for your mood and brain.

11. My T and I have worked on this and I still slip up sometimes. I would suggest coming up with a list of things that help calm you down. For me my list includes: working out, walking away and taking a moment for myself, reading a book, watching tv,…. Now most of those things aren’t things you can do at a family gathering, so maybe try to come up with something that works on the go. Possibly walking away and taking a moment for yourself, counting to ten before you speak, or taking a deep breath and telling yourself its ok

12. I would keep a mood chart. I would rank your mood from 1-10 everyday and when you aren’t sure then rank your mood then and see where you fall. For me 10 is hypomania and 1 is severe depression. If I am depressed, my T has me tell myself that “This too shall pass,” just to remind myself that its not forever and I can handle stuff