[(SunMoonStar)]

I'm a newbie here, I'm also a newbie to this world of Bipolar.
Hubby is newly diagnosed, suffers from Bipolar II. We've had a pretty wild ride the past couple of months from hospitalization, diagnosis, release home, trying to relearn our relationship, trying to cope with this illness, trying to take days one at a time, trying to deal as a family.
We've been together, Hubby and I, for a very long time, married young, we have a young family with three amazing kids.
In the past couple of months I've pored over any and all literature to learn as much about this illness as I possibly can. I am 100% committed to my Hubby and my marriage, as much now as I was before diagnosis.
This is for life, I accept that. I cannot fix this, I accept that too. I also know that to help him in what he needs, I also need to help me too.
And that's being to connect with, vent with, chat with, learn with other wives or husbands that are also learning to live with their spouse's BP. I'm hoping to share our experiences.

[Travelinglady]

Hello, (SunMoonStar), and welcome to Psych Central! My hubby and I are both bipolar, but we didn't find out until we had been married a long time. I am the one who has had all the big episodes and the hospitalizations, but I have been stable for almost 4 years.

What would you like to know?

[Victoria'smom]

Both my husband and I are bipolar.

[A Red Panda]

I have bipolar 2, but I'm not married.

If you think back on the past, can you recall any past periods where he was either depressed or hypomanic? If so, how did the two of you handle it without even knowing what it truly was? You made it this far, you can certainly keep it going!

Be careful to not over-analyze your hubby's behaviours. It can be super easy to go "Oh, I think you're depressed" or "Hey, you've been really energetic lately, I think you're hypomanic!" as it could get extremely annoying to your H. If you notice changes in behaviour, wait for it to seem more like a solid pattern and not just a daily up or down mood as everyone has those. Unless it's something super extreme, obviously!

[worriedwife5]

My husband of many years has also been recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a long year of partial hospital, switching doctors and being out of work on disability. His previous doctor had diagnosed him as having depression but his current doctor thinks that his mood swings and irritability are more in line with bipolar disorder and he is just starting a mood stabilizer.
Like you, I am committed to our marriage and our two kids but it has been a hard year for us. We have fallen into a pattern of me being the caretaker which is not satisfying for either one of us. I am hopeful that the new meds will help as well as the fact that he has started a new job that should be less stressful.
I'm glad to see your post and maybe we can compare notes. My husband does not want to talk about his diagnosis with anyone outside of us and I respect that but it is a pretty lonely place.

[(SunMoonStar)]

It is a terribly lonely place to live in as the Primary Caregiver/Wife. My husband has no problems talking about his illness, his diagnosis, or our situation with anyone, but in reality, who has time to socialize with anyone outside of our family?!? Our days revolve around his moods, his appointments, his side effects. With the running of the household, and trying to make sure the kids are also my priorities, we rarely are able to devote any time or effort to socializing.
As of today, Hubby is in hospital again. We went to his weekly appointment with his Psych last week. Since his release from hospital at the end of Sept, having controlled his racing thoughts, anxiety and hypomania with mood stabilizers and anti-anxiety meds. He hit a low, a very deep low that now meant an anti-depressant had to be added to his list of meds. After three weeks with no change, his PSych advised hospitalization again in order to be able to be more aggressive in new approaches and meds/dosages. That was a very difficult day. He'd been hospitalized in the summer twice for almost 2 months each time, but now with the kids in school it makes visits difficult. It makes my job as mom/wife/caregiver that much more challenging. And I'm now starting to feel that I'm reaching the end of my rope.
We are hoping to hear sometime this week what the next plan of attack will be. Hubby's Dr has been floating the term ECT around a little having also asked for a second consult.
worriedwife5: for sure we can compare notes!!! If we can make this lonely place of ours a little less lonely comparing notes and experiences would be very much appreciated!