Bipolar Questions Version 4

Right now probably Kings of Leon.

If your life had a theme song which song would it be?

Outside by Staind

Favorite tv show?

Monk....

Are you a morning or night person?

Hmm? That's hard to say. I'm actually very much an afternoon person. I can get up early. My average wake up times are 5:30 to 6:30 am, though I really don't do much physical work until 10 am, other than slapping a quick breakfast on the table and making my husband's lunch. As for evening, I sort of slow down significantly soon after I take my evening medications, including Seroquel XR, at 7 pm. I'm usually tired from making dinner, too. My husband and I then lounge in bed watching TV (game shows, comedy shows, and news) until a little after 11 pm. I then try to sleep. My husband, a night owl, stays up sometimes until 3:30 am. I can't do that.

Q: Do you have trouble getting up in the morning?

Thanks to clozapine I don't get up until noon most days. It stinks but it is what is and at least I'm not a train wreck all the time most of the time now.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

I am alergic (yes, it's strange, but I am). just makes me bleed from every possible place for ages
what is 1 memory that you hope to hold on to forever

Being 30. It was a rough year for me in many ways, but I was at my best and because of that there were many good things that year too.

Did most of your romantic relationships begin while you were hypo/manic?

No. I've only dated one man seriously and I'm married to him. I was 22 when we met and I was stable then. We've been together for 16 years.

How many romantic partners have you had?

If by "romantic partners" you mean men I've loved (I'm a heterosexual woman) and had a relationship with, the answer is two. One was my first love from college who I was with for almost four years, and the second my husband, whom I've known for 23 years (married 21 years). I did (still do) have romantic-type love for a third man, but it is not one that is pursued as a relationship or sexually. He likely doesn't love me as I love him. If he does, he won't clearly show it. That doesn't take away my deep love for my husband, though.

Of course I dated plenty of other men and slept with a couple of those, but I didn't love them. Liked, yes. Loved, no.

Q: Who is your dream celebrity?

I don't really have one, but if I had to choose I'd say Isaac Brock just because he's in my favorite band.

what's your favorite thing to drink?

This answer has certainly changed over the years. I guess nowadays my favorite beverage is my homemade unsweetened iced tea, which I brew with Lipton tea and fresh mint. In the past, I might have said Cosmopolitans, then wine, then beer. Also gin and tonics. Though I have not fully eliminated alcohol from my life, I have limited it significantly. I usually only drink one half to 1 drink max, with dinner, and not every day. Maybe 2 drinks on a special holiday, like New Year's Eve. I now only ever drink wine or beer, when I do drink alcoholic beverages. I have totally eliminated hard liquor. It was ONLY when I limited my alcohol consumption to this new degree that I really accumulated longer and fuller stable periods. In addition, other issues, like dissociative symptoms, migraines, and possible seizure activity, also ceased.

Of course my psychiatrist wants me to drink ZERO alcoholic beverages. For a long time I also had an "alcohol dependence" diagnosis. Then I managed to get my psychiatrist to "downgrade" it to "alcohol abuse", both DSM-IV dxs. Eventually I asked him to remove that type of diagnosis altogether, but I'm not 100% sure he has. I get such thorough blood work done by two other doctors that I don't see my dx codes printed on anything from pdoc's computer anymore. He has handwritten my dx on a particular document, but he only indicated "Bipolar type 1 disorder".

Q: What is a bad habit you had at one point that you managed to stop?

I would say getting out of bed (I am diagnosed with bipolar depression) that is such a chore. My bedroom is my worst enemy but at the same time my safe place. I’ve been working on trying to get out of the house and volunteering. I get really bad anxiety around people and afraid of judgement. My doctors say I can’t work right now considering I just got out of the psych ward a bit ago. I’m a recovering drug addict, so when I isolate, I have thoughts of using to cover up my feelings. So I fight on a daily basis.

welcome to the site.

hope it helps

question: what motivates you to get up in the mornings?

My kids. Their feet hit the floor and mine follow immediately.

What was your last home improvement project?

I had my rickety closet doors removed and replaced them with pretty curtains.

What is your favorite time of day and why?

Night. I like it when it is calm and peaceful.

What is your favorite healthy snack?

Staining our new deck and planting flowers and herbs. As for in the house, I guess beyond (or part of) spring cleaning it was cleaning drawers and putting new Contact paper in some and putting new organizer trays in others. We also finally got rid of the cob webs that were on the ceiling of our almost 20' high stairway area.

Q: What was the last project (any sort) that you worked on that gave you satisfaction?

Pressure washing and staining our deck.

Almonds are my favorite healthy snack.

I'm bird watching at the moment. What is your favorite bird?

I'm afraid of birds although I like watching them through glass at feeders, especially hummingbirds.

Do you have any irrational fears?

camels

my parents took my sister to the zoo once, she saw a camel, and collapsed to the ground (we later found out she was alergic to camels, but yeah)

apart from that, nothing beyond the usuals- crowds, heights, water, etc.

are you happy with your current daily rooteen?

Fifty-fifty. I like my work routine. I think my work routine is therapeutic in a way and helps keep me level. I’m not happy with my leisure routine. This past winter was long and cold and I got in a bad habit of sitting in front of the tv for hours playing word games and eating. Now the weather is wonderful, but here I am, still just sitting here. Im the only one who can change it, but I feel stuck somehow.

Q: How does caffeine effect you? Do you ingest caffeine daily?

I last had caffeine in 2007 because I was using it to induce mania that then backfired into a mixed episode that took me off work for 4 months. Not everyone has to be so cautious but for me caffeine is a drug. I do eat chocolate so I get a little but not like coffee or soda.

what is the last thing you ate?

Grapes.

Do you ever consciously not take your medication?

Not really, especially in the recent 11 or so years. My medications are extremely important and without them I become destabilized. However, a rare exception has maybe been holding off on or lowering my Seroquel XR for one night for a special purpose. An example is if I needed to get to the airport at 4 am. In that case I might take just a little Seroquel XR or take it much later than usual. I wouldn't touch my other meds, because they don't sedate me.

Q: Have you ever tried other (hopefully safe) methods to get to sleep other than medications or OTC drugs? What were they?