Therapy is exhausting!

That sucks, Moose. Maybe give it another day?

Called drs office. Dr said to buy a 7 day Monistat kit and if that doesn’t work I’ll have to be seen in the OBGYN clinic.

No therapy for the next two weeks. Therapist won’t be in.

The Monistat kit is much easier to use than the prescription one

I hope it works, Moose.

I just got up to pee and the itching and burning is so bad!

I have an appointment for 11 am today in the urgent clinic at my primary doctor’s office. Just took Tylenol. Doubt it will help.

@Moose72 I agree with MuddyBoots! Therapists are obliged to diagnose a person from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM 5 (in America) and by ICD-11 (in Europe).


In your visible "profile" you tell that you have had Mania twice and a Mixed episode once. Isn't that about Bipolar disorder? Does only depression have such symptoms?

I am not trying to make you feel unwell with regard to your therapist, only to know that (especially in America) not all who call themselves a therapist have the same level of knowledge. Some have 5 years of education, while others have only 3 years. Some have a specialization on the top of their ground education (more years). Not all therapists are clever enough to set an accurate diagnosis.


Maybe you should take a trip to the library and look into the diagnosis manual? You will soon find that "depression alone" does not include Mania or mixed episodes.That does not mean that you will not benefit from talking about your childhood traumas. That can give you some relief, but not take away your bipolar disorder. What does that mean? It means that talking alone will not set you complete free. Bipolar symptoms can come back later, and if so, you need to know how to behave to tackle the symptoms. (Call doctor for more medication, use CBT or DBT techniques or other ....)?


Remember, bipolar disorder differs from person to person. Some have only a few episodes (or even only one episode of mania), while others have episodes their whole life.

When it comes to me, I do not fulfil the diagnoses on the bipolar spectrum because not all needed symptoms aren't there, but that does not mean that I don't suffer. I have some, what I like to call "traits", that bothers me and probably will be there for my whole life. It is what to do when these symptoms occur that is important to me, how to deal with it.


I hope I haven't scared anyone!

I did benefit from talking therapy, and so does a lot of people, but it is important to take responsibility for one's own unique mental health, to know how to fight back when symptoms occur and to take one's medication as prescribed and not experiment with medication alone.

As long as one does not accept the diagnosis or one's own unique symptoms, one cannot fight against the symptoms when they occur.


Effective Treatments for Bipolar Disorder: Medicine & Therapy

I had a traumatic childhood
Too and for a long time
They blamed onl that. I get it

It has been in my mind for some days, that my former post on this thread perhaps could be misunderstood (I have had my own problems to cope with and have not been fit to try to explain what I meant). So I want to add to it: I don't have a negative attitude to American therapists, but I have family members with the right education whom have told me that behind the word "therapist" in the USA, there can be persons with different length of education and different qualifications My intention, by bringing it up, was only informative. Check up what education your therapist has, before you chose one.


My relatives have also told me that the diagnosis "Bipolar disorder" was a popular one some years ago. When therapists didn't understand the problems of their depressed clients, they started to put them in the category of "Bipolar disorder". To say something more about that: You can trust your diagnosis (Bipolar disorder) if you know you have had a period of "Mania" or "Hypomania" in your lifetime. Only one episode of Mania is enough to become diagnosed with "Bipolar disorder". As said earlier, Bipolar disorder is a lifelong disorder, but not every one have more than the first episode. But since it is a probability to have a new episode, it is wise to have a written plan somewhere to pick up when that episode eventually occurs, so help can be established as fast as possible, and you know how to handle it yourself as well. But please, never go around waiting for the next episode. To try to live in the here and now, is a good way to make the best out of life, either one has this or that diagnosis. People are always more than their diagnosis. We are all persons with different qualities to offer to the world we are living in.

If there are people here that never have had "Mania" or "Hypomania", it may be wise to question if one is diagnosed correctly as "Bipolar".

Lastly: My "invitation" to check DSM 5 at the Library, was not meant as a general "make your own diagnosis". It was meant for people in the same situation as @Moose72. If one already has had "Mania" or "Hypomania" (that not occurred in relation to alcohol or drugs), it is a false hope to believe that the Symptoms of Bipolar disorder will never come back. So be prepared, but try to enjoy life as it is now. In general life will probably be better with good therapy, but as already said, there is no guarantee that an episode will never come back. And yes, therapy can be hard, so it is wise to continue if one feels that it helps even if it is hard. (I felt it was very hard when I had "a look into your past" therapy when I was a student, but I stood in it. The only thing I have to complain about is that it gave me few tools to handle symptoms. Luckily, I made my own tools at that time, so I survived)

I send good wishes to all who are in therapy, especially to those who goes in "uncover your past"-therapy.

Didn’t sleep last night again. Makes for very long days! I asked my primary to order me an A1C because high blood sugar could be feeding the yeast. However the latest prescription anti fungus kit seems to be workin! Told my case manager that I’m not sleeping and she is puzzled why the low dose of risperdal isn’t helping with that. Higher doses gave me high prolactin and vaginal dryness and a stubborn yeast infection for 3 1/2 weeks and umpteen drs and pharmacy visits! I’m not repeating that!

Took my last dose of the yeast infection cream last night. Went to Tim Hortons with fwb since we hadn’t seen each other since the yeast infection started a month ago. He wanted to come up to my place after lunch but google says it’s best to wait a few days after you finish treatment to have sex again so he didn’t come up. Lunch conversation was ok. We got talking about N1 and my friend who are trans because a trans woman was in line behind us when we were waiting for our food. This is one reason he and I can’t date- he can’t understand N1’s being trans. That’s disappointing. Of course I’m going to defend my child no matter what and especially when it comes to her being trans. She’s worked so hard with being trans and she also has borderline and adhd. She takes Vraylar I believe and is doing well!

Oh! I have normal blood sugar but my liver enzymes are higher. I suggested that maybe it’s the Terconazole since the pill form- I used the vaginal cream-can cause liver damage and liver failure! I hope to hear back from her on Monday.

Wish my therapist would come back. I think I’ve been hypomanic for the last month. She won’t be back till a week from tomorrow!

Therapist will be back on Monday! I’m still hypomanic but on Vraylar.(N1is on Latuda! I mistyped!)

Doing laundry. Slept too long again but I hope the Vraylar will knock me out tonight. Had a little bit of hand shaking earlier. It’s gone now. Doing laundry. Nobody else is doing theirs! Yippee! I will get a shower when my laundry is done in about an hour. I washed the towels too. They needed it! I really really REALLY hope Vraylar works out!

Saw my therapist today. She disagreed with my assertion that spending all that money on yeast infection kits and going out to eat every day for a month is hypomania. She said I did so because I like the lighting and the people. I think it’s both. Definitely hypomania.

Therapist still doesn’t seem to like meds. She also disagreed that my hypomania is the cause of my going to Panera every day. She says I go because I like the atmosphere and people. I often talk with Caleb on the phone while there but I talk with him lots of places. I still think that uncontrolled spending is hypomania and that the Vraylar will kick in and get rid of it.

Moose72,

Just wondering, how seriously have you considered changing therapists? Because it sounds like this therapist may reject the medical model of mental illness entirely. I can tell you, from working in the Counseling field, that there are a number of therapists who believe that Bipolar, and even Schizophrenia, are just a result of unresolved issues from childhood.

As someone who has been dealing with chemical imbalances in my brain most of my life, I steer clear of such counselors. While they can be helpful with basic problem solving issues, they can undermine reliable treatment for bipolar disorder. Most therapists, in my experience, do acknowledge the reality of mood disorders stemming from chemical imbalances. If you were to change therapists, you could ask prospective therapists up front if they could help you cope with Bipolar issues. I hope this is helpful.

The weird thing is that my Pdoc recommended this therapists!

I agree, get a new therapist.
bizi

My friend who is a therapist says I’ve only seen her 3 times- give her a chance.

We were talking about my med change to Vraylar and how I've had reaction after reaction to previous meds. She said that's why she is a therapist- that meds aren't the whole picture. I said I have gone through almost every med out there and that's why I came to see her.

I think I’m going to go to the in person hearing voices network group at the end of the month. It’s not far and the zoom version was interesting. I expect I’ll be doing a lot of listening instead of talking. It’s kind of intimidating seeing people with psychosis in real life. I could talk to a schizophrenic. I’m so use to this forum! It’ll be an experience that’s for sure!