Information and opinions on Bipolar from rayssemi at BipolarConnect.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910 http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910 http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/26437/charlatan Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:24:43 -0400 rayssemi Journals, mood charts, counseling, medication and shrinks- surround me, circling to guide, gauge and reflect on my mind. Secrets I hide, feelings I pretend, smiles I fake, subtle shifts in personality to twist perception ever so slightly away from the truth. Years of outward lies to appear to be okay to the people around me when the bottom of the world has fallen away. I can't shake irritation or hostility so I appear as a hostile... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/26437/charlatan http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/23645/wheel-fortune Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:48:00 -0400 rayssemi Been there-done that-felt that way-had the same questions-had no answers either. I don't understand this illness any better than anyone else. So far be it for me to offer advice on Bi-polar illness. Mr. Gregory has had the tiger by the tail for a few months now and feels lost. I have come to respect him and to find humor upon occasion in his writings. I offer a view of the illness I view as log-rolling. Forever on the precipice of falling... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/23645/wheel-fortune http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/22100/health-alert Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:56:00 -0400 rayssemi I do not want to scare anyone off medication or persuade them not to take Lamictal. I would like to advise anyone that is taking or going to take Lamictal (lamotrigine) to follow dosages exactly as they are prescribed and not to skip a dosage. This medicine has to be slowly built to a therapeutic level. It also has to be weaned off of as well. There were 2 cases recently here in Louisiana where the patients were not advised by private doctors of... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/22100/health-alert http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/18616/log-rolling Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:38:00 -0500 rayssemi I find my self log rolling today. That is what I call it when you can make it through to sanity or fall off into an episode of insanity. I am trying not to fall. I put a call in to my doctor, she hasn't called me back yet. Not to mention I am in Florida waiting on a grandchild to be born. SO I am not even in the same state as my doctor. I am in a pickle. I guess the thing that really hurt me today was a nightmare this afternoon. The ones... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/18616/log-rolling http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/18458/racing-stop Sun, 30 Dec 2007 12:30:00 -0500 rayssemi I have racing thoughts that come to sit during an episode. After 20+ years I have developed some coping skills. One is to write the thoughts down. It is almost like acknowledgement for the thoughts and they stop. I write poetry from a lot of the thoughts because they tend to come in lines for me. If they are dark thoughts that make me angry I shred them along with some newspaper to get past the anger. I have found that doing jigsaw... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/18458/racing-stop http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/18443/shopping-episode Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:04:00 -0500 rayssemi When you have a crisis and you tend to shop--Have someone who cares and you trust hold your cards and checkbook. If you don't know you do this yet- pay attention to what you buy all the time. Ask if you need it or if you just want it-- are you going to use it this week or are you shopping ahead for oh say next season? If you are making a purchase you don't need or won't use immediately- you probably have a problem. Only you can make... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/80910/18443/shopping-episode