To all and everyone , please give me some advice.

By nads Tuesday, December 23, 2008

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Ok , this is to all of you living with this illness. Ive been recently diagnosed , after many years of struggling with the signs and symptoms of bipolar.

Perhaps those of you with more experience in this can give some pointers.

Ive seen that addictions are part and parcel with being bipolar , one of these being eating disorders. I have a history of anorexia and recovered , or so I thought , but here I am , now 31 yrs old, now 3 months pregnant and Im in total panick all over again about my body.

I cannot handle the thought of getting fat but I know with pregnancy I will put weight on.

It makes me feel completely out of control , fat , ugly and unwanted and Ive started to feel the onset of depression and afraid its gonna get worse. I dont know how to deal with these feelings of getting fat , it my fear , my absolute fear. Can anyone , anyone give me tips on how to control my emotions.

Going through a bipolar depression episode now !

Comments (4) | Add comment

Erin

12/23/08 5:06pm

I can relate to all minus the pregnancy. In my last mania I lost 40 pounds... I used to be close to 300lbs. And the thought of all these mood stablizers causing weight gain is devestating. Makes me want another mania... i didn't want to eat, way too excited. When I got out off the hospital a few months ago I felt great, eating healthy. Now its all gone to hell again. Meal replacements, tofu.... You don't want to eat, drink the vitamins. Not sure if its best for baby, but its better than nothing.

Let me know if it works for you. I'm just starting it now. Drinking is easier than eating.

Maria

12/23/08 5:56pm

Hi,

I am recently diagnosed too and have been through four pregnancies not realising why my moods were all over the place. I got through it , it wasn't always easy. You can't control the mood episodes without medication although I think there is one you can take further on in the pregnancy, so although it may sound harsh you simply have to go with it for a while. Get all of the support you can if you feel overwhelmed or ideally before you get to that stage.

If you think that the anorexic behaviours are comprimising your health and the health of your child you must get sound medical advice as soon as you can. If you don't eat a balanced diet your baby takes your reserves leaving you with nothing. You could become anemic or there could be complications for your baby. CBT might be very helpful right now .

It must be very hard for you right now but I think you will be much happier if you tackle this head on.

Good luck, I wish you all the best and I hope your child brings you the same joy mine have brought me.

Maria

DocJane

12/27/08 3:03pm

This is excellent advise. You need treatment for bipolar disorder, anorrhexia and your pregnancy. Body image stuff is hard, but you should not be getting "fat" when you are pregnant, since you are not adding extra fat to your body. Your body image will change with the pregnancy, however. Perhaps it will be helpful if you don't attribute the change of healthy pregnancy with getting "fat".

Do get all the help you can.

Belladonna

12/26/08 11:52pm

Ok, with your past history I know it's hard; but right now you should go see your physcian and discuss a safe healthy diet to follow for both you and your baby. There are several safe diets you can follow while pregnant. If your physcian can't help, ask your obstetrician to schedule you an appointment with a nutritionist. They are very knowledgable about these problems. They can put you on a diet after you give birth to help you lose any unwanted weight. Just try to keep your focus on your baby, and then deal with these other problems after your precious child is born. I know it's easy for me to say; but right now is your unborn childs time. Please see a nutritionist. They do a lot more than just tell you what to eat. I will pray for you to have the strength to deal with this difficult situation, and for your precious babies health. God Bless and remember, you are not alone.

To all and everyone , please give me some advice.

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