Hello!

mari7413

New Member
Hi all! I'm sorta new here, directed by a good friend. A little about me. I'm a 30 yr old single mommy (for the last almost 4 years) with two children. Brittany is 11 and Tyler is 6. I work at a vocational/rehab facility for people with visual impairments and blindness as a career counselor. I LOVE to read, listen to good music, do puzzles (Sudoku’s become a favorite), watch movies, and play tennis with the kidlets.

I wish I came on happier notes, alas...it's not happy at all.

My son, Tyler, is 6 years old. He has been diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, Major Depression, and Anxiety. Lots of tags to put on a little man. Now, Tyler's diagnosed as bipolar.

I've always suspected that he was. Even in the delivery room right after his birth, I looked at my mother and said, "This one's different" It was if God was whispering in my ear, I just knew it.

I could type up a whole book on Tyler. He's the text book bipolar. Rapid cycles, threatens to kill himself, and me, totally up one second, totally down the next. Has horrible rages over nothing of significance. Night terrors, bed wetting, foggy mornings, insanely smart, if you've read "The Bipolar Child" he meets 98% of the "signs and symptoms". After watching him, he's even hypersexual. :crying:


I just want a place where people understand, support me, give me suggestions on day to day activities, and share stories with me so I know I'm not the only one dealing with this madness.
 

Sheila

Moderator
Hi maria

We can sure sympathize with you. lol And we understand the daily grind of raising difficult children.

Welcome. :smile:
 

ck1

New Member
I just wanted to say welcome and you have definitely come to the right place. Everyone here can empathize in some way and offer very wise advice!
 

Steely

Active Member
Welcome, again! :smile: Sorry, you had to look us up again, but I am glad you found us.

My teenager has bi-polar, and I wish I could tell you it has gotten easier as he has gotten older, but unfortunately it has not. It is a tough daily grind. I can empathize completely with you and your journey, and you are definitely not alone.

Is your son on medications?
 
Hiya Mari!

I just want a place where people understand, support me, give me suggestions on day to day activities, and share stories with me so I know I'm not the only one dealing with this madness.

You found that place. This is a soft, safe place to land. And you are by no means the only one. There are lots of warrior moms with plenty of wisdom on the board here.

Welcome to our family...
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
Hi Mari,

Welcome to the site. It's good to hear a friend recommended you join us. It's very comforting to knwo that there are others out there who understand. I'm sure you find support and comfort here :angel:.

Sharon
 

mari7413

New Member
Is your son on medications?

Not yet. We're having a hard time finding someone who treats early onset bipolar. He was on ADHD medications when he was 4 - 5 but they were horrible. I finally took him off of those.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Hi Mari. Welcome.

Just out of curiosity, what was it that was different when he was born?

My difficult child was diff, too--didn't coo and gurgle sweetly--he screamed and growled. He was and is very loud. He also had a grip that could rival and pro wrestler. He only slept for 2 hrs at a time and has always had sleep deprivation issues. He is better now ... sleeps 8 -9 hrs if we can get him to sleep at night.
 

LitlPixy

New Member
Yes, welcome to the board. When I tell people about this board and how much relief I've gotten from it, they look at me like I'm a fruitcake!
 

ShakespeareMamaX

New Member
Welcome! :flower:

I, actually, have a question for you. How do they go about Dxing a younger child with bipolar? My son's 8 and I swear up and down it's what he has, but he psychiatrist won't even talk about the subject.

He has a lot of the same symptoms as your difficult child, as well.

What ADHD medications has he been on and what were the reactions he had?

P.S. I love your quote. It's so true...
 

mari7413

New Member
He was different at birth, yes. He was screaming his bloody (no pun intended) head off before his shoulders were out. He was a total high needs baby the whole way. He didn't sleep, and would only quiet down when he was in my arms and on the breast.

My difficult child has a strong family history on both sides of his family. ADHD and Bipolar children, although have a lot of the same signs and symptoms, are very different as well. ADHD children break things in hyped up play, bipolar children break theme in anger. ADHD kids go into fits/rages when they've been over stimulated, bipolar kids do when having boundries set or by a "no" from a parent. ADHD children show their fits anywhere, bipolar children tend to save their's for home, espically with-mom. There's other symptoms. Might I recommend the book, "The Bipolar Child", it's been a wealth of information for us.
 

Allan-Matlem

Active Member
Hi,
I am sorry about your child's challenges. I recommend a buddy -tutor , older brother. The site http://www.jbrf.org/ can be useful , there is a questionaire that you can answer and other resources. Maybe check with a children's hospital for references for doctors. Treatment needs to take into account the whole child , not only medication.

I hope this helps
Allan
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
From one Mother to another I Welcome you... From one Mother with a special needs child who has sought out support and friends to another I welcome you...
 

pnuts

New Member
Welcome. I am pretty new here too. It has been really good support here for me. My difficult child has bipolar disorder too. He's 12.... He, too has pretty much walked to the beat of a different drum. Difficult as it is for us, I know in my heart that it is a million times more difficult for him.
This is a good place to be for support. :thumb:
 
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