Questions bipolar version #10

I'm a summer person. I like being comfortably warm. I like going out without having to wear a coat and can just enjoy being outside without worrying that I'll be cold in the evening.

But then winter is nice too. Nice, long nights and lots of good food.

But in the end I think I'm a summer person.

Q: do you sing or hum to yourself?

I do not sing or hum to myself I don’t think ….

If you could have any job in the world, what would you love to do?

If I could have any job in the world? Oo tough, there’s several I’d like. But I think the job I’d like most is to be a multi lingual translator of dead languages and an archeologist.

Same question?

Any job at all? A psychiatrist to help sick people ….

Did you sleep well last night?

No. Been a trend this week.

When was the last time you had a perfect night's sleep?

The last time I had a perfect night sleep was so long ago that I do not remember. I’d have to say about 1.5 years ago.

Why did you join msf? Was it because you found the bipolar forum?

I joined because no one seemed to understand what it was that I was going through, including myself. I needed a place to find others who were experiencing this or had been experiencing it for years. It was a good choice for me, though I've drifted for the last few years.

Nachos and pizza, do you add black olives?

Black olives for the win they’re yummy! Give me black olives any day.

Do you take your shoes off as soon as you get home so you can walk around barefoot in the house?

I never go barefoot in the house, even in the summer, but I have followed the Czech custom of immediately changing into house shoes (no outdoor ones in the house) since living with my husband. I'm American. We don't force guests to do so, but in Czech Republic no Czech would wear outdoor shoes inside. They'd rather go in socks, but most households, including ours, have "extra house shoes" to offer. Historically Czechs are adamant about thiso. Nowadays there's easing, but it used to be that Czech schools, many workplaces and some museums required shoe changes. My new psychiatrist here requires shoe changing, but that's less common.

I even wear socks to bed most of the time. I doubt that's common. I also have a weird "thing" about my feet, though I do wear sockless sandals in the summer.

What part of your body do you tend to take the best care of?

my hands, probably. always have handcream on so they are nice and soft

what do you know you need to do better at but just don't dor what ever reason?

I need to eat more healthier. I’m not interested in exercising. But this weight gain from medication is killing me. I’m going to watch my calories intake. Carbs are my killer.

Do you enjoy cooking dinner?

Goodness, no! I planned, shopped for, prepared, and cleaned up after my family's dinners for 25 years. I cooked nice dinners, but by the time my youngest child left for college I was very ready to retire from cooking meals. I cook very minimally for myself now.

Are you looking forward to the time changing in a week?

Oh, very very much. It’s been a countdown from the fall back day until spring ahead gets here.

Are you looking forward to summer solstice?

I do like long days, for sure, but otherwise hate the heat of summer. Historically Czech summers were always far milder than the heat and humidity of my native New Jersey's, but that's gradually changing with global warming. The changes are not flukes.

Are you a "morning person"?

Quite the opposite, I'm a "night owl" most of the time.

What's the longest you've been without sleep for any reason?

The longest I've been without sleep is probably 3 days when manic.

What's the LONGEST you've ever slept for and not / hardly gotten out of bed?

It's been a long while since my depressions were really that bad, with hypersomnia. I've been med compliant for many years. When they were, I wasn't exactly counting hours. So I can only estimate. My guess would be around 16 hours of sleep. However, even when I was awake, I didn't necessarily get out of bed for anything other than going to the toilet and maybe getting water and a bit of food. I lived in the bed during many bad depressions. I remember during my junior year of college not getting up or even going to classes for the majority of the semester. My grades were awful. I had also reduced my course load to the minimum. During another depression when living in Taiwan, I simply didn't go to work or classes for several days, barely eating. There was an earthquake of around 6.8 on the Richter Scale. I was in bed, with my bed sliding on the tiles from one side of the room to the other. I stayed in bed and then just went back to sleep immediately. Some days in my boss and his assistants came and took me to a hospital. There are other examples, too.

Have you ever had "bipolar blackouts" where you had amnesia of times during certain bipolar episodes?

Definite amnesia. Usually when manic, not really when hypomanic or depressed.

When was your last bipolar episode - either hypomanic or depressed ?

If we're talking a serious episode that I couldn't handle on my own, a depressive episode two years ago.

Is there a skill set you wish you had? If so, what?

I wish I had the skill to draw, paint and sculpt. I’ve dabbled all my life but ohh, that skill eluded me.

What’s your biggest complaint about pdoc?