Greetings and Welcome!

Holly - posted on 01/22/2009

Hi Michelle and WOW!! My hat is off to you. I can barely manage my one child with bipolar, let alone several others in the house with various other issues. I myself suffer from depression, but that is pretty controlled with medication and good friends. I am so glad to see you here, I hope somehow we can support and help you along your journey.

Michelle - posted on 01/22/2009

Hi everyone!  I am Michelle and am the mother of 6 wonderful, yet terribly challenging children.  My kids are:

Mathew:  He is 11 yrs old, was diagnosed with Bipolar in 2004, but just a few months ago was finally put on medication to actually treat the bipolar and not ADHD.  Boy was that frustrating!!!  He also has OCD and OPD. 

Kira:  She is 10 years old and has recently been diagnosed with Social Anxiety disorder and placed on medication which does not seem to be helping. 

Sarina:  She is 7 years old and has ADHD and Celiac disease, along with Lactose intolerance and allergic to just about everything under the sun.  I should also mention that Sarina was born with bilateral hearing loss in both ears.

Jarod:  He is 7 years old and currently undiagnosed.  We are beginning that process very soon.  He is impulsive and shows little to no remorse for things that he has done.  He is violent towards siblings and peers, lies about anything and everything & steals from everywhere.  I think he is my most challenging.

Elisabeth:  She is 5 yrs old and the apple of my eye.  She is my cuddle bug and so very helpful.  She likes to do dishes and even cleans without complaining...........I'm gonna take that while I can.

Zander:  He is 3 yrs old has speech delay and is in the process of being screened for cognitive problems and learning disabilities.

      I should mention that only Mathew, Sarina & Elisabeth are mine biologically.  I have been raising Kira and Jarod for over 3 years now, with the help of their wonderful father.  Their bm is a very abusive alcoholic and both children were born with FAE.  We have had custody of Zander for 2 years now.  His bm is neglectful and did nothing with him for the first year of his life.  So we have had the joy of playing catch up.  Now all we have to figure out is if it is just a delay or if there is an actual problem with his cognitive ability.

     Oh yes, and did I mention that I am also Bipolar and have anxiety disorder?  Makes for a very interesting and eventful home.  Well I am so glad that this group exists because I know that I could use a place to vent and get some much needed support.  Thank you so much

Laurie - posted on 01/19/2009

Hi Holly , I am Laurie

I have 5 children , My youngest Dakota has bipolar he is 9 .

I am glad to meet you .

Holly - posted on 01/18/2009

Hi Lori. I'm so glad you joined the group. You certainly have your hands full! Well, first off, congrats for admitting your son's diagnosis is not going away. I know that it is a tough diagnosis, and not something we want to face, but admitting that there is a problem is a huge and necessary step. Now, having a girl, I don't know if behaviors are very different or not, but I do know how you feel about not wanting to "rock the boat" as far as medication changes. Yeah, my daughter is manageable, but some days just barely. Compared with what she has been like in the past I guess I shouldn't complain, but still I wish she could/would act like a normal kid. Then I have to remind myself that she is not like other kids, and to make it worse, she has all the teenage hormones that make kids moody when they don't have bi-polar. As I told Stephanie, my hubby is my best friend, but he just can't deal with my daughter and her issues, which leaves me to handle everything on my own. My family does not quite understand my daughter's problems and they think I am too hard on her, so they are no help. I am glad that you were able to find a group to share with, I have not been so lucky in the past. I hope this group will be helpful to you. Please feel free to post, ask questions, add links and anything else you think would be helpful. I'm glad you're here.

Holly - posted on 01/18/2009

Hi Stephanie

I'm really glad you joined my group, I know I always need someone to vent to who understands, and can join me in this rollercoaster ride. I know where you are coming from with the medication adjustments, they can be tough. I don't know if you have experienced this, but my problem is that my daughter seems to metabolize the meds quickly, and then they aren't as effective as they were in the beginning, forcing us to increase or change her dosages. I worry because she has already been on so many different medicines, and she is on several now at high dosages, what will she do when they no longer work? I am glad to hear that you have what sounds like a good support system at home with other kids and a "best friend". My hubby is my best friend too, altho he has a hard time dealing with my daughter and her various issues. It makes it harder on me, but I know he supports me. Again, I am glad you joined the group, and please feel free to post anytime, make suggestions, add links and so on.

Lori - posted on 01/17/2009

Hi, I'm Lori, and I would also like to thank you for starting this group, I hope it grows.

I have 2 kids, Alexander 12 with ADHD and Anthony is 11 with Bipolar, ADHD and Type 1 diabetes. I am a single mother and have had my hands full. Anthony was dx'd w/diabetes at 3 and bipolar at 5. He has been hospitalized in the psych hospital 3x's (just a few days each time). He has been on what seems like every kind of medicine. Right now he's ok, not great but ok. What sucks is I don't even like to tell the dr that things aren't great because their not as bad as they used to be and I would hate for them to start messing w/med changes again, I don't know if I could go through all that again, because when they don't work I know he'll get bad again. He has had a reaction to Geodon and started to get tardive dyskinesia so he can no longer take any anti-psychotic meds (like geodon, abilify, etc) he is currently on Equetro and concerta. I recently for the first time joined a local support group for family members and friends of someone w/ a mental illness, I finally decided it's time to accept this disease in our lives and get all the help we can. I think I have always wanted to be in denial waiting for it to go away and I know it's not going to happen.

I know we can all use lots of support. Thanks for being here.

Stephanie - posted on 01/17/2009

HI Holly! I am Stephanie

I am glad you started this site! I have been married to my best friend for 13 years now. Jason and I have 5 children. Justin will turn 9 in Feb. He was also diagnosed bipolar when he was 7. The frist year was a living nightmare. The past year has been tollerable. WE have been told it will get worse. Justin is on a ton of medication that seems to be working for him right now. Everytime we try to make a medication adjustment or remove something his life starts slipping out of controle. I hope other people will join your group and that we will be able to get a support system going here.