Bipolar Check-in #40

The stress experienced by my family has just GOT to ease!!!! My brother is in the ER right now diagnosed preliminarily with a-fib. My sister is with him. I just got back from Target and other stores buying stuff for my dad for the assisted living.

Update: My sister said that my brother has congestive heart failure. They will be doing a special echocardiogram tomorrow. He'll need to be under general anesthsia for it since they are sending some kind of thing down his throat. They are apparently going to give his heart some kind of shock to get his heart beating properly again. This is just terrible!

Christina - I think you are right and it’s time to call in the tdoc and pdoc since today made the fourth time I couldn’t make it to see M. I think I’ve been putting it off because I can’t afford it. I really was thrilled the other day to get those coats from my brother because I didn’t have one and couldn’t afford it. I know you know how that is.

Between the co-pays for these specialists I’m seeing and the upcoming co-pay for the surgery on my pinched nerve, I’m tapped out. I’ve been hoping it would get better on its own without trying to find the money for this. I’ll try to work something out since it would be cheaper then IP.

Thank you for your support and concern. I appreciate you.

My father will be discharged from the physical rehab center sometime next week. I must say that my siblings and I had quite a disagreement about where Dad should go from there. Dad clearly stated that he did not feel safe to go home (re: his drinking urges - people, places, things). In the end, my dad chose what my siblings were offering. That's fine. At least an action plan is decided on and in the works. Dad will move, temporarily, into an assisted living facility. It is a nice one, but not as close to me as the ones my sister and I looked at a few days ago. It's actually exactly right in between where my siblings live and where I live. That is generally nice, but the thing is is that the IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program) he will attend is literally a 3-minute drive from my house. So, instead of me driving 10 minutes to a place to pick him up, I'll need to drive 25 minutes. I know, not that big of a deal. I did ask my siblings if they could sometimes pick him up at his assisted living and drop him off at the IOP. I would then take him back to the assisted living. Maybe in the end this will work out even better for me.

My sister sent me a long shopping list full of things that our dad needs for the assisted living. I'm going to go to Target once she clarifies a few things.

I am still nutty about my Christmas cookie project. I finally got my husband to look for one additional Czech Christmas cookie recipe from his mother's notes. He had to translate it for me. We made them once in the past and it was a failure, but I think that was because he was directing the project. This time I finally got a sense for the recipe. I'm going to make them either today or tomorrow and take photos. Wish me luck in getting them right this time. Then, I'll have only one additional cookie to make. The last ones will be the most challenging and potentially the most impressive. The last will be 3-dimensional cookies. They are a nut-based "cookie" made with a mold in the shape of a bee hive. Then then are hollowed slightly and filled with rum cream and set on a vanilla wafer. Normally they look cute, but I'm going to REALLY make them impressive by putting honey-colored chocolate on the tops of some and top them with an edible decoration that looks like a bee. Others I'll leave traditional. Some others I will coat with white chocolate and put edible silver star-shaped glitter on. Some I will coat in white chocolate colored green with food coloring, and then decorate with multi-color non-pareils to resemble a 3-D Christmas tree. Hubby said he'd be afraid for his sister to see these for fear she'd think I was going nutty again.

Thinking of you. I’m sorry you are going through so much. I hope this all gets straightened out soon. Continued prayers for you and your husband.

Christina - I think you are right and it’s time to call in the tdoc and pdoc since today made the fourth time I couldn’t make it to see M. I think I’ve been putting it off because I can’t afford it. I really was thrilled the other day to get those coats from my brother because I didn’t have one and couldn’t afford it. I know you know how that is.


Between the co-pays for these specialists I’m seeing and the upcoming co-pay for the surgery on my pinched nerve, I’m tapped out. I’ve been hoping it would get better on its own without trying to find the money for this. I’ll try to work something out since it would be cheaper then IP.


Thank you for your support and concern. I appreciate you.

The stress experienced by my family has just GOT to ease!!!! My brother is in the ER right now diagnosed preliminarily with a-fib. My sister is with him. I just got back from Target and other stores buying stuff for my dad for the assisted living.


Update: My sister said that my brother has congestive heart failure. They will be doing a special echocardiogram tomorrow. He'll need to be under general anesthsia for it since they are sending some kind of thing down his throat. They are apparently going to give his heart some kind of shock to get his heart beating properly again. This is just terrible!

Christina I am sorry you are suffering so much. I hope your breathing gets better soon. That must be so scary and disheartening to deal with for so long. Are you seeing your therapist and getting needed support I hope?

Spent most of the day at the hospital. Got to talk with the PA and mum is progressing. Slowly but surely. The PA was a great listener and noted down several things we said, like that this confusion mum has is not normal, nor the laying in bed. He said it was great to have families say things like that, that it helps them very much.


Now got to go do mums sheets. And get things ready for her return. Probably not tomorrow but you never know.

Hi, I'm Anna. I was diagnosed with Bipolar, Type 2, at age 14--my mom remembered that, not me. (I also have ADD, and Paranoia--medicated only for the Paranoia, and for the Bipolar.)


Please tell me your legal name. Would feel more normal.


If you ever want to talk, I am here.

Hi, I'm Anna. I was diagnosed with Bipolar, Type 2, at age 14--my mom remembered that, not me. (I also have ADD, and Paranoia--medicated only for the Paranoia, and for the Bipolar.)

Please tell me your legal name. Would feel more normal.

If you ever want to talk, I am here.

Well I again spent longer lying in bed than I probably should. I’m not sure what’s maybe Bipolar/winter and whats just because physically I’m dealing with so much. I’m not actually sleeping more than a couple hours a night total.

I have a Pulmonary functions test on Tuesday. 7:30 am 1.5 hours North, ugh ! not thrilled about appt time. My follow up appt isn’t until December 16th which he already added Spiriva inhaler to my regimen of Symbicort. So really there’s no point seeing him sooner. It’s a hurry up and wait, I’ll just keep huffing and puffing.

On a positive note I made teriyaki chicken with garlic butter noodles and broccoli for dinner and it turned out great !! So yes highlight of my day was food !!! No wonder I’m so fat

I worry about your chronic lack of solid sleep. I think it's contributing to your physical condition. I hope you get some deep sleep soon.


I did have a dream last night but I've forgotten it now. Sorry