Information and opinions on Bipolar from Rose 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/97855 http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855 http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/33155/sooner Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:09:37 -0000 Rose One day I will find my true calling.  I hope it is sooner rather than later. http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/33155/sooner http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/32033/do-you-really-know Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:39:39 -0000 Rose Interesting.  We all try to express our pain to anyone who will listen, but it doesn't seem anyone listens, except for a sympathetic pat on the back.  Does anyone really know what this is like?  I think we do.  I don't think anyone else can.  Because they haven't been through it.  Of course only we would know our own experiences and each person only knows their own experiences.  What I say is that our... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/32033/do-you-really-know http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/28502/light-dark Wed, 21 May 2008 20:11:09 -0000 Rose As my father says, you always need confidence.  I've found that is the most helpful way to start believing in yourself.  Yes, I am paranoid and get extremely nervous, but I can tell you that the darkest days that I have ever known are ebbing.  I am terrified those days will return, but it's almost a year that I have felt more alive.  Family issues still plague me.  I still have fear of other people.  It is much... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/28502/light-dark http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/24198/sorting-thoughts Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:18:00 -0000 Rose Thankyou for all of your support.  Although, some of it seemed a little accusatory.  Perhaps I am just a little sensitive.  I am volunteering at the Humane Society and it is very rewarding.  Still having trouble sleeping.  I wouldn't say I'm manic, or horrifically depressed.  I am almost like who I was before the illness.  That's not the greatest either.  I was very shy, and now that I've... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/24198/sorting-thoughts http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/23048/depression Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:13:00 -0000 Rose I thought that once you had gotten past a certain point, you would no longer have any of the symptoms of your particular mental illness.  I guess I'm wrong.  This very night, I spiraled down into a pit of despair, but was revived by my husband's insistence that there were a lot of things to be happy for.  Yes, it hits everyone from time to time.  It seems too often that they don't realize the depth of our... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/23048/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/22428/stage Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0000 Rose I am having difficulties going to sleep.  Yet, considering my past, I'm doing okay.  I don't want to go too high or dip too low. I am either happy as a clam, or having low self esteem.  I have panic attacks where it's difficult to speak.  At its worst, I am completely delusional that everyone is out to get me.  Which is totally ridiculous, but never the less, when it gets to that... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/22428/stage http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/21939/awakening Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:07:00 -0000 Rose I'm trying to keep up with my doctor's instructions, but sometimes I worry that I have ruined something.  I tread lightly so as not to waken the beast.  At the same time, a renewed creativity has opened doors for me that I thought were lost.  The artistic life was layered with dust.  I can breathe now as the tender shoots poke out of winter's death.  Life may... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/21939/awakening http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/21683/turns-life Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:26:00 -0000 Rose I have a husband who treats me well and is very supportive.  Sometimes I feel I've let him down, and he could have found someone else.  It has been rough with my family.  They could not accept that I wasn't acting it out.  Every second of every day was agony.  Really, I don't know how I survived it.  The coldness around me verified my pointless existence.   The... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/21683/turns-life http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/21478/gripes-ahead Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:15:00 -0000 Rose I started taking Lamictal.  I am now on 150mg.  When my insurance didn't cover, it  cost me $240!  I paid, but I wish I hadn't.  It plagues me.  I watch every penny that is spent.  No use crying over spilt milk.  I can't help but obsess over the tiniest of details.  It's hard to live confidently when I constantly tell myself I am stupid.  My father tells me I need... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/21478/gripes-ahead http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/19481/good-bad-taking Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:56:00 -0000 Rose I've been taking this new drug for about a month now.  The side effects seem to be lessening.  I'm worried that I'll still have them.  Changing meds is a big deal.  You're switching over to something unkown to your body and you don't know how it will react with the introduction of a different chemical.  What's happened to me that I've ended up taking numerous drugs daily?  I feel like a... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/97855/19481/good-bad-taking