Bipolar Questions Version 4

5

Do your meds slow your weight loss?

My current meds? I'm not sure. The only one of my current medications that is notorious for weight gain is Seroquel XR. It's certainly not making me lose weight, but gain or have trouble losing? Again, not sure. I've mentioned before that 17 years ago before I ever took a bipolar medication I was only 4 lbs less than I am now. If I really set my mind to diet I could lose good weight. I'm just not in the right place mentally right now. I have been 20 lbs less than I am now only 7 years ago. At that time, I was on Lithium, my current meds (but Seroquel XR only maybe 250 mg or so) and Geodon. After going off Lithium and Geodon my Seroquel XR dose went up to 600 mg. I did put on weight, but again...Was it just Seroquel XR's fault? I doubt it. My weight has gradually gone up over a 6.5 year period. I barely exercise. I'm thinner than most women in my family at only 16 lbs overweight. There are some fat genes involved. I don't really feel that overweight. That's part of my problem.

Do you have a medication that you "like" or really appreciate?

Emsam and clozapine. Both are kind of pain in the butt meds but they make enormous difference in my life.

What do you do when you can't sleep?

listen to music, use the computer, read, etc etc.

I can't just do nothing- I need to actually be doing something, so just resting for example is not an option for me.

what is one psymptom or part of your MI that you just can't get under control

Sensitivity to triggers. I used to be much thicker skinned in my youth, and have the ability to blow off many things. Not so much anymore. Also, in my youth, I often had prolonged hypomanias that had to really be super fueled to reach full blown mania. Now, though my medications mostly keep me stable (more than ever), when I do get triggered, full blown mania can come on much faster and more furious. The good thing is, the mania can be extinguished faster and easier than in the past.

When you're hypomanic and/or manic, are you more often euphoric, mixed, or severely irritable?

Hypomanic and severely irritable.

How serious are your episodes of depression?

question: when you encounter people that don't understand/ don't listen, do you think it's because they honestly don't want to know?. don't know how to respond?. bit of both?

I think it is both. Depends on the person and situation.

Do you have any games you play on your phone a lot?

No, I do not play any games on my phone. Perhaps I might like to do so?

Do you have insomnia and/or sleep apnea?
If yes for apnea, do you use c-pap?

WC-I love a game called Word Crossy. It's free and fun.

I have insomnia that is usually pretty well controlled but hasn't been lately. Mostly I've been waking in the night but last night and tonight I can't sleep.

I have mild apnea but no treatment is needed.

Would you ever travel to Antartica?

yeah probably. I think I'd quite enjoy it.

do you collect anything?. if so what?

As in a die-hard collector? No, but I do collect the long flight and tail feathers that naturally fall out of my parrots' bodies. Only ones that fall out on their own, of course. That may seem a bit strange, I know. My old budgie's feathers were mostly yellow. My Pacific Parrotlet's longest feathers were cobalt blue. My current Hahn's macaw's are deep green.

Note: Collecting wild bird feathers is often illegal. Even feathers found on the ground.

Do you like crunchy snacks (i.e. potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, crackers)? If so, which do you like best and what type? If not, what is your favorite snack?

I love crunchy snaccks, especially " monster munch" (type of potato chip), also bacon frazzils

rightn ow though my favorite snack is terry's chocolate orange peaces

they are so good!

have you had any bad experiences in hospital? (any type of hospital). if any- what happened?

The wolf will eat the the duck. Yes, duck eat beans.

BTW, there is no solution to this riddle.

Q:have you had any bad experiences in hospital? (any type of hospital). if any- what happened?

I was in the medical hospital with lithium toxicity and they cut all my med doses so that I couldn't sleep and nobody would listen to me or fix it. I wound up yelling at a doctor on the phone at 2 AM, which still didn't get me the meds I needed but did get me out of the hospital a day earlier than planned.

Do you have any pet peeves?

Chewing loudly. And tapping fingers.

What is the worst physical pain you have ever been in?

Torn ligaments. (Other than major depressive episodes)

I wonder how many of you were officially diagnosed after 40?

You may want to to create a whole thread asking that question, or even create a poll with various age ranges. It would be interesting to know, though the folks here that would answer may not perfectly represent the whole bipolar population in the country/world. I was 32 when diagnosed. My older sister was maybe in her early 40s. My nephew was only in his teens. I was the very first in my immediate family officially diagnosed. My diagnosis actually likely helped my sister's and nephew's psychiatrists diagnose theirs. Family history. Actually, my dad most likely has bipolar disorder. He's never received this dx, to my knowledge, and he's in his 70s. His mother was surely bipolar, too. My grandfather tried to take her to a psychiatrist, but when she got there she demanded to leave before seeing the psychiatrist. She was in her mid 30s. She was psychotic at the time.

Do you wish you received your bipolar diagnosis before you did? Or, were you glad you didn't know during those earlier years - even if you had been symptomatic then?

In my early 20s for me, and opinion of at least two other professionals later in life.. (and I am only early 30s now).
I was the one that took it in as a suspicion*, as family history and the chaos I was going through at the time.. wanted help as I was taught not to reach out & I wanted to break that cycle.... yet, ... I'm me, ... I question it at times.
I think for me it helped that I received this information early... it also uncovered other dxs, which in a way has helped me get this far as of now.. yes I still had some slip ups and probably will later...


What's was your best aspect (if any perceived) of your dx?

.. i'm a believer that even if it may be a curse at times, if I can find something positive it can help put things in perspective

before I was diagnosed, I was under the impression it was just me and I was "odd", for having something no one else in the world had

but when I was diagnosed, and knew it had a name, I felt a little relieved and could start seeking support from people with the same issues.

also it has made me better at creative writing

okay, worst part about being diagnosed?

Being diagnosed was very important and necessary for me in the end. I guess the only major negative was that my diagnosis eventually led to real insight into my past behavior. In some ways that's also good, but in others it makes me feel guilt and embarrassment about things I did and said, that pre-diagnosis I brushed off or thought were justified. I also wonder about some of my greatest adventures and accomplishments. How much did I deserve credit for them, and how much did hypomanias and manias deserve credit?

What is something you did or said because of the illness that you really regret? It definitely need not be anything you'd rather not share. It could be just a smaller thing.

knocked out a nurse.

to be fair, nursy had it coming- pushing me to my limits, but still

I have also destroyed my friends space on the microsoft cloud, and told her to take a hike when she asked where she could store her music

question: first thing you would do if you woke up one day to discover all this bipolar diagnoses, wasted life, it was all just a dream

Go back to work. Or not go back to work if it never happened, just continue working without any of the interruptions and then stopping.

What is the last book you read?

the last book I read in full was saving danny, a foster care book

I'm now reading the sisterhood

question: do you have family/ relatives in a diffrent country from your own?

Not now but growing up I had an uncle who was stationed around the world as he was in the army. We got to visit them in several different countries. It was really nice.

Have you shared your diagnosis with anyone outside of your family?