Bipolar and your Family

     I am writtin this post simply because I have a son with ADHD and Bipolar and for me I have done alot of research, read other blogs, watched videos, seen MANY therapists, and now I just want to share things I know from experience and things I have learned from research.

This is Spencer, my 12 year old Son

     When Spencer was born he weighed 9 pounds 5 ounces and was 22 1/2 inches long.  The doctor looked at me and siad I think he already has a toothe and I cried.  He was laready a Toddler and now he has a toothe, REALLY?  My baby wan't a baby he was already growing way too fast.  As the days went on his dad became even worse to me and to him.  FYI I was married to a man that thought Love was beating his wife and removing her from any Family or Friends that she may have.  I left his dad when Spencer was only 1 month and 1 day old, so he had no clue really what was going on.  Because now I was a single Mother I had to work all the time and was never around to see him much.  We stayed with my parents, so my Mother would watch hi for me to work.

     When Spencer was 2 he was just completely  out of control, and I heard Terrible Twos until I was sick.  It was much more than the terrible twos I had ever heard of.  We did our typical Doctor visits and the Dr. finally told us at the age of 3 that Spencer was ADHD.  It disheartened me to hear this but at least now it makes since as to why he was acting the way he did.  When Spencer was about 4 years old his dad was arrested for murder and once again we witheld ALOT of information from Spencer.  However he did realize even at such a young age that he wasn't going to spend every other weekend and even when he went to his grandparents he didn't see or talk to his dad.  At this time I thought I need to get him into Therapy before we start experienceing some serious issues and having to explain to him what is going on.  Our Doctor reccomended a Therapists and we went there for about 3 years.  As the years passed I was getting more stressful not understanding why he is getting so bad.  THings aren't getting better but now they are getting worse.  So I talked to my Family Doctor once again and we stopped Therapy all together.

     At the age of about 7 I went to the Doctor in tears just begging somebody for help.  My Mother also there really just backing my story.  Spencer went under our house (mobile home) and would start fires. Do you know what happens if a mobile home catches on fire?  It is in gone in seconds!  Then I came home from work one day and nothing really looked out of place and I was playing around with my digital cmaera when I noticed that someone had beemn taking pictures.  So me I review them and noticed that my son has gone into my bathroom, took rolls of toilet paper and was lighting othem on fire.  Then being a real geneis that he is takes pictures not only of the evidence but of himself with the evidence.  On one hand I was really angry and wanting to beat him, but then on the other hand He is OK, he didn't burn the house down, and he can NOT deny doing this because he took pictures of himself commiting the crime.  My Doctorr after hearing just a few things like this said we are going to get him back intherapy, so I'm like OK.  He calls me at home and says I have an appointment in Greenville, which is about 1 hour drive from my house.

     By the time we go to see this Therapist in Greenville, I have already being playing around o the internet myslef just looking for answers on what is going on, but at this time I waas unsuccesful simply because I don't know what to look for.  So we go see this lady, she talks with me and Spencer, then like most she asked Spencer to sit in the hallway outisde of her office so she can talk to his mother (me).  Been here before so there is nothing to worry about.  She looked at me and told me that without doing a bunch of test she would not be able to be positive to what is going on, but just watching, him, and talking to both of us it sounded like Bipolar. Huh? Bipolar? What is Bipolar, how do you get it?  I have so many questions now!  She told me because we lived so far and gas prices at this time were just starting to skyrocket that I needed to find a GOOD Doctor closer to home.  She was willing to see him but also knew I could not make this trip as often as needed. So she referred me back to our HOmetown Goldsboro.

     At this point he is not medicated or under any treatment for Bipolar just the ADHD.  THings are really getting bad and I am on the verge of losing my mind.  Did I forget to tell you that during this time when he was 5 I gave birth to a healthy baby girl? Yea so to add to the problem I also have an infant at home that needs way more attention than I can give because I have to watch Spencer's every move.  All I can say is Thank Heaven for my Mother who stepped up and helped me take care of them both!

     We started a new Therapist... I refused to tell her what the Therapist in Greenville said because at this point I wanted to know what her Opioion was.  After talking with both me and Spencer she mentioned that ugly word "Bipolar".  At this point I informed her that I had already talked to another THerapist and she also thought Bipolar!  From there we started treatment.  At first things were working good but dropped opf, therapy wasn't doing anythings except draining my pockets, so we stopped Therapy although not the Pschiatrsit.

     Now here we are at 12 and we are seeing another Therapist that is not helping ANY!  So I am currently looking once again for a specialist is Children and the diffrent possiablilituies that he may be suffering.  We can;t seem to get his meds. straightened out and at this point we are back to him threatening to kill his siter and anyone around.  It is a very frightening thought that, well it scares me!

     I kmow I said I would include posts and things I learned from online but I will come back and write another on this one.  What is written here is not for use to diagnois your or your family but if you notice something I have wrote and it concerns you about your family then please see a Doctor, and not any Doctor will do you need a GOOD Doctor!

Please feel free to leave a comment if you, or someone you know is Bipolar. I am always looking for good programs that work! Thank You for taking the time to read and hope you enjoyed...More to come