Thank you for being interested in how I am, I really appreciate that. I feel much better that I have a diagnosis and I am glad I went for the 2nd opinion. I could have just had the diagnosis with my first shrink since he knows what he is talking about. Yes I will see my original shrink on Feb 10, 2009 for 30 min with an update. Because of my support team I am on lamictal and wellbrutrinxl and that helps my moods. My pain is tolerable about a level of a 4, but i need to do my neck exercises more faithfully than I am. I also am very glad to be back at school and people seem to be happy to see me. I am determined to NOT let Fibro flareups get in the way, and I am working my 4 jobs and NOT go on disability. I hope you have a good week Wildcat, and I am glad you are feeling better. Take Care.....Everyone have a great wknd. Windsy
Good to hear you are doing well! Thank you for raising awareness and addressing the issue of stigmatism many individuals face as a result of being labelled by an illness. Members have any comments?
I think I have things in my life at a more tolerable level now. Usually the stresses of the holidays and of the extras at work push me towards the hypomania ... but I am relatively - okay lets go all out and say it ! I am well right now. I am on a good cocktail and am being careful of the rest.
Not too long ago I was trying to figure out how to be comfortable living with a pile of symptomes. Lables helped me break down the symptomes into manageable groups of inter-related manifestations. So I could deal with one thing at a time. I had a bunch of coping and living to learn along the way .
The most important lession is that we have an illness. We live and deal with illnesses. We are not an illness. I have Bipolar Disorder, Not, I am Bipolar. And this is with any thing ...Not, I am Cancer, I have Cancer. Not I am Diabetis, I have or I am Diabetic. It means that I am a complete person and have a world or interests other than this illness that I have to live with like I have to live with Chocolate Brown hair. I can display or hide both at my discretion.
By the way how did the second opininon go? you were wondering if you met all the criteria for BIPO II and how meds were manitaining your stability. How was the doc... will you be back to your original pdoc? Did the 2nd give you any good insights?
How are you look at returning to work? especially with your discomforts? Will it get in the way of work?
you really do not have to answer my nosy questions you know. It is just me reading so much in the very compact cube of info you wrote. It is all so intriguing and with winter being mean I need to be stimulated a bit more ...
Windsy, I see labels as positive things. It means there is a cause and a treatment and a course of action. It means I'm part of a bigger picture, or of society, and that I belong. As you said a label is just a label.....but can also be seen in a positive light. I'm learning this day by day.
I'm glad you've gotten some answers. I know this must be a relief and you have a plan of action. What an accomplishment!
I hope you all had a good weekend. Today I went for my 2nd opinion and I do have hypomania. I have bipolar2 but that is not all who I am, it is just a label. The pdoc said to continue on my meds as they work for me and pace myself and concentrate more on the present and here and now. She said welllbrutrin is an antidepressant but for some people it does have an effect on your mood, such as what happened for me. I woke up within a week being on the medication. My pain level in hands and feet is about a level of a 4 and tomorrow I start back work at the high school. I really haven't been back to work since Dec 10, 2008 and I know it will be a very good day. I miss my students and colleagues and my teacher. I hope you all take care and have a good week. This week I want to continue working on my negative thoughts and distortions. I also will read one book at a time on mind, body, spirit how Fibro is all connected to stress etc....Then after reading this book I borrowed from Fibro Society I will start doing my self esteem workbook. In therapy my counsellor and I have decided that if we are working on a topic that I have a book for I will bring it to therapy to work on it. I will NOT work on the books at home by myself at this stage. Then next week my therapist will discuss with me what homework I could do. My therapist liked the idea that I did a thought record when my therapy appointment was mixed up and how I reacted about it after I thought about it. The CBT strategies are being used by me. Thank You for all your support
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