Bipolar check-in #47

So beautiful!!!!

(((((( Jennifer ))))))

A special hug for a truly special person!

I'd be climbing the walls if I was suddenly without my meds, It can be so tough without any tapering.

Offering Peaceful Mojo Your Way!

Thank you I am thinking about bringing it up to her, but she has been defensive in the past. I hope that if I bring these issues up that she won't hold anything against me or be spiteful. I guess I'll consider how to approach it, although I dread having that conversation with her.

Oh no! That is so not cool. It certainly seems unprofessional and and quite distressing. When I have a lot of different emotions surface all at once, I also feel a bit disconnected and overwhelmed. It's extra challenging when it involves a boss/manager. I do find that as soon as I can express my feelings outwardly, the sooner I am able to regroup. Comfort food does help people to ground. Make it truly worth the calories!

I hope you can shake off any adverse effect and will feel better soon, if you don't already!

Interesting. I did not sleep even as a newborn. I cried for most of the first 12 months of my life and only stopped when my mother (specifically her) either walked with me or when exhausted she could lay on the couch with me. The pediatrician prescribed phenobarbital but didn't mention that it would sedate me. She gave it once and was too afraid to give it again. So I just cried.

It really never got better although I did quit crying. Sleep has always been a battle for me though. My current meds are the most effective I've tried and they are variably effective.

Hey there ,friend! So happy to see you posting!

I am sorry you are not feeling better these days.

I also have some very quiet periods in my life. I often find I have poverty of thought when experiencing poverty of speech. In my case, my mind is not speeding, it is just quiet and when it is more difficult, I feel somewhat removed from everyone in the conversation.

I realize you have tried many meds/approaches to getting help with depression. I was thinking of you the other day and had decided I would ask a question or two when we met up again.

I am going to ask yet, I do not want you to feel you must reply here at all.

How is your energy level when so quiet?

Do you feel you might have some issues (trauma, etc) which might exacerbate your depression ? If so, have you had the chance to work with a therapist on these (if they exist)?

Have you ever experienced neurological symptoms, even intermittently? If so, have you had a thorough examination by a neurologist?

Have you had thorough medical work - ups, including comprehensive labs?
Have you had your thyroid function checked?
Liver function?
More than once? As in, are your overall labs monitored?

Some doctors believe some men are truly deficient in testosterone. While. theoretically, there could be many causes, many different environmental factors can play into this.

Many men take testosterone supplementation without labs to determine whether a real deficiency exists. All kinds of testosterone boosting supplements are heavily, and rather carelessly, advertised.

I am noting some of the possible harmful effects related to using these types of supplements when not under the care of a doctor.

Liver damage or failure can be related to the use of supplementation.
In some cases, altering the amount of testosterone in one's system can cause some severe mood changes, including periods of rage.

So, why would anyone what to check into testosterone supplementation?

It is possible, when there is truly a deficiency, some men again feel much better with careful supplementation.

These are just a few of the questions which have come to mind when I think of you and wonder why you have not had a truly helpful response to any of the typical psych meds?

It's entirely possible to have more than one condition going on. A man might have something like both testosterone deficiency and depression. Psych meds, alone would not address the whole picture.

So, just a few thoughts. I would enjoy seeing you enjoy your life more. I know how much you love your family and want to be present with and for them.

Again, please do not feel you should answer any of these personal questions here. I have included them merely as some food for thought.

It's great to have an update and to know you are hanging in with the ongoing challenges.

Much Love to You and to Your Family!

*** I am not a health professional. Please always check in with your doctor and/or pharmacist. ***

i am so sorry, Beyone, for having been through that. I wonder if you were having infant nightmares? Apparently, this happens, though I have no idea how they know that.

Glad you rmeds are working better. I am always having to adjust mine.

I don't know if I was having nightmares or if I had GERD; both are possible. Some very bad things were happening to me very early in life and I think that was some of it but mostly I think my brain's wiring has been off since the day I was born.

I know how frustrating constantly changing meds is. I'm sorry you have to go through that. It wasn't until clozapine that I didn't have constant changes and honestly it still feels weird to see my pdoc and not leave with changes, even now.

I've been having a lot of paranoia the past few days. I think part of it is due to drinking large amounts of caffeine, like I had 9 cups of coffee today. And just my illness in general (schizoaffective/bipolar). I'm going to eliminate the caffeine, keep an eye on things and if it doesn't get better I'll talk to my doctor about it next week.

Otherwise things are good, I had the BBQ food dropped off to my apartment today. It was really good. It had a burger, potato salad, a big piece of watermelon, a bag of Cheetos, an apple, and a bottle of spring water in the bag.

My sister was able to make a vet appointment for her cat (my future cat) so she can get her vaccines updated so she can come live with me as an emotional support animal. All I've got to do is pick up my letter from my doctor and therapist and meet with the property manager next week. So I'm extremely excited to finally be having a cat again. They're such good companions and they're really beneficial to my mental health.

Have a lot of grocery shopping to get done in the next few days. Will be glad when I'm finished. I'm getting a garmin smartwatch next week so I can track my steps and stuff, very excited about that too.

Hope everyone is doing well

I just did something stupid. But I don’t want to get sent to a bad hospital. So I’m going to lie and say I just had a panic attack. I honestly think I’ll be ok.

Well again I spent far too much time on the phone with Steve's Part D medication insurance. I HATE that they can dictate which meds they will and will not cover, Even with Doctors office filing out paperwork and sending copies of true medical need, they can and will deny. I ask each time for a copy of there Medical Degree , Of course the customer service people do not understand what I am saying,Clueless..

Trust me I have looked into every possible patient assistance program and coupons etc.. Because he has Medicare due to being on SSDI there is NO help..

Anyway they said the COPD inhaler Incruse Ellipta is the the alternative. So I called the Pulmo office and left a message to have the Doctor send the script for that to the Pharmacy.. I have no idea if it will work or not.. But we will give it a try. I do have the application completed thru a foundation that Spriva is on the list of what they can hopefully help people get. It will require the Pulomo office to complete a rather lengthy page..

Tomorrow Steve a I both have an Appt with our Doctor for a followup.

Steve has made a slight improvement, His eyes are not dull and dead looking if that makes sense to anyone. His ability to just walk is very poor due to loss of muscle tone. So Ive made a plan to daily increase his activity physically, Which has to be done in the house. Its far to hot and humid for him to try anything outside.

Maybe ill get one day soon when I don't have calls to make or working on how to balance our meals to get his blood sugar levels in the best control possible. I will fight to the death to improve every aspect of my husbands health and well being. I am very grateful that I do have the mass amount of Medical knowledge to work with and the full understanding of how medication insurance works.

I do not care what anyone says Covid and insurance companies ability to dictate what testing and medications they will " allow" people access too is truly population control and no one will ever change my mind on that.

Hugs, support and calorie free cookies to anyone in need

HEY !!!! Yes caffeine should probably be decreased..

Okay lets talk about your new Fur baby !!! Do you have a name in mind??? Can we look forward to seeing a pic ???? Im so excited for you

Ohhhhhh BBQ? that sounds delicious

*Takes a cookie and offers virus free s to everyone *

My sister and BiL came over today, it took about 3 1/2 hours to get mum's new jitterbug phone up and running. But now she can join us in the texting world and play brain games on her phone.

Clicked over into mania today. Head is foggy, and hard to navigate. So far nothing big. Safeguards in place.

Pdoc prescribed buspirone 10mg 2x daily to help with anxiety, I'm assuming I am to stop taking prns, but they never even called me to tell me that they prescribed. I found out by checking with CVS. Service with no phone call!

Sending good vibes to those who need them...

Her name is Maybelle. She lives with my sister currently but doesn’t get a long with her dog so she’s gonna be moving in with me. Here’s a pic of her

She's beautiful Blue Bird! I love torties. I wanted one when my old cat died but wound up with a perfectly wonderful calico instead.

So happy for you on the Clozaril. Do you find it helps with mood stability at all, or just mostly psychosis?

Interesting. I was prescribed sleeping pills at nine months old when my mother was weaning me. I woke her up in the night crying... This was not acceptable.

I honestly don't know how you do it, Christina. Hugs. Hope that other inhaler will work for hm.

As far as your other remarks, I have always felt that insurers, government or private, are basically practicing medicine without licenses.

So, you have to be psychic to know what meds you are on. Awesome.

Hope you feel better. That fogginess I find interesting. When I am on the up pole, I'm anything but foggy. I am all scattered and a million miles an hour. Opposite of fog. Weird.

So cute!!

I do not ''achieve enough in my life''

My wife just talked me through this. What I call fogginess is the inability for me to catch up to a thought, they just fly too fast for me to keep up with. I'm poorly describing racing thoughts I think.

Ugh, this is so awful. I'm so sorry Fuzzy.

Yeah, this is exactly what I have.