Progress
80 %
Glinda 
1:27pm, August 20, 2009
-
About Me
Glinda
-
About Me
Working toward living a more consistently radiant life. Mother of 3, still fighting with kids' father, happily remarried since 1999.
Working toward living a more consistently radiant life. Mother of 3, still fighting with kids' father, happily remarried since 1999.
-
Interests
gardening, walking, weaving, my family of one husband and 3 children, taking care of our log cabin and 19 acres of woods, having friends and family over to visit, getting out in the community to help with a project, figuring out what I can do with my BP II and general anxiety disorder, writing, reading, researching, getting a dollar out of a penny. Hoping someday I can return to work helping people with their income tax returns as an Enrolled Agent.
gardening, walking, weaving, my family of one husband and 3 children, taking care of our log cabin and
-
-
Recent Activity
- Sorry, there is no activity in the My Activity feed.
-
Journal
This entry is private
This entry is private
This entry is private
This entry is private
This entry is private
-
Hugbook
Ray of Sunshine
Sending some sunshine for you today !!! Hope you are well, and feeling great !
-
Flower
Some flowers for you - we met awhile ago in some group, don;t remember ! We are both bipolar.
Hug
Dear Glinda, Bless you! You are doing it right: cabin, distance from the throng of tyranny, corruption and decay... That has been pretty much the same with me and I want to share light (because you can receive it): http://jeffreymorganfoss.spaces.li...
Love and honor,
Jeff
Well Done
you are very kind and supportive :)
-
Well Done
Thanks so much for your support.....
-
Photos
-
Advertisement -
Goals
View all in progress Goals
-
Support Groups
Close Bipolar Disorder
Recall feeling bipolar II since I was a preteen. Diagnosed at 47 years of age, after decades of counseling. Now, I only work with PhDs. Too sensitive to meds for anything to work well except Klonopin for general anxiety and escalating hypomania that precedes deep depression.
Treatments
- Caffeine Not Working
- Are you kidding? Caffeine makes me climb the walls; makes my skin turn inside out. Even decaf. Only gentle herb teas for me. I do enjoy high-quality green tea that has been brewed with hot (not boiling) water for 2 minutes; but longer or hotter than that, and it winds me up. I understand that green tea's caffeine is buffered by an amino acid: tryptophan.
- Chiropractic Adjustment Too Soon to Tell
- I am really counting on this one since I really like my chiropractor, it is very inexpensive, and I am so sensitive to meds. It makes sense to me that opening the pathways could stabilize my brain functioning...
- Crying Somewhat Helpful
- Very helpful when I have a significant event to cry about. Horribly embarrassing when I sob inappropriately in public. Nothing brought a tear to my eye for months while on certain meds.
- Dancing Somewhat Helpful
- Great when I feel well. It's one of my favorite activities...but I have to feel well enough to do it
- Depakote Not Working
- I turned orange, especially my hands and knees, and somewhat my face.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Working / Worked
- using it now. Breezing through it because my therapist says I "get it". I should after decades of counseling.
- Eating Healthier Foods Working / Worked
- Sugar sends me down really quickly. No sugar high for me! That's great when I feel hypomanic ;) I'm better off taking a Klonopin. After my last bout with migraines following hypomania, I'm strictly committed to following Dr. Mark Hyman's 6-week diet to heal my body chemistry. When I really tune into my body and commit to only feeding it whole foods, then I feel so much more stable.
- Holistic Health Working / Worked
- I am finding that my therapist is quite holistic in her attitude. As she confirmed, a treatment will work if the person believes in it. She was impressed by the success of acupuncture on one of her clients. She is open to the possibility of chiropracty working on me.
- Keeping Busy Not Working
- Keeping busy sends me into mania or depression. Either I get too hepped up/into it/involved, or I get overly tired. Instead, I need to keep calm and still until a small task catches my attention, and then set the alarm on my watch to make sure I limit how much time I spend at it.
- Lamictal Somewhat Helpful
- Caused me to physically crash into things and not think clearly. Wound up falling and cracking ribs. Lowered dosage still caused lack of balance. Also seems to increase my inclination to have migraines. I gradually went from 200 mg. to 25/day. I really liked 200 mg./ day; it definately stabilized my mood.
- Laughter Somewhat Helpful
- Can't laugh when I feel down. No way, no how. When I feel well, it is great at clearing my lungs and making me feel even better. But when I get hypomanic, I laugh until I cry, and then some. Very embarrassing.
- Lithium Not Working
- Dove into severe depression, got severe headaches accompanied by vomiting, loss of balance. Migraines continued for weeks after stopping the medication.
- Music Therapy Somewhat Helpful
- When I am only slightly depressed, music has a fabulous effect on me. I sing and dance and feel so much better. Also, my family notices that I sing a lot when I don't feel so depressed. But when I feel somewhat or severely depressed, I just want to hear silence or the voices of my family and closest friends; or the click of my fingers on the keyboard as I type emails and messages to my support groups.
- Phototherapy Working / Worked
- I got a huge full-spectrum light box on a floor stand that looks like it belongs in a hospital. I sat and read beside it every morning. I think it did a lot of good helping me to wake up and get out of bed in the morning. My insurance company paid 80% after my psychiatrist wrote a prescription with specs that only this light box met. This past winter, migraines made me too light-sensitive to use it.
- Research Working / Worked
- I can do and enjoy doing research as long as I am not absolutely severely depressed. It feels so good to be so low-functioning, yet look back on the day and see an accomplishment that is constructive and that I can share. Let me know if you want me to research something for you! I'll be glad to get back to you with something as soon as I feel down.
- Singing Somewhat Helpful
- I can only sing when I am feeling well or better than well...Otherwise, I open my mouth and no sound comes out. But when I sing, it happens spontaneously. Movies actually help me to move into a singing mode, like music videos, musicals, and operas; that is, when I am not too depressed. My family is delighted when they hear me sing because that means I am feeling better.
- Tai Chi Working / Worked
- Used to work; always made me happy. I bought a Scott Cole video that I borrowed from the library. Then, one day, it made me feel irritable. I used it once a couple years later and loved it. I have to be in the right frame of mind for it: not too wired or tired.
- Wellbutrin Too Soon to Tell
- Made me more anxious. Probably too large a dose. Reduced dose. I feel a general sense of increased wellness. Nice.
- Abilify Somewhat Helpful
- No apparent effect the first time, then it made me really anxious. Went from 10 to 1 mg. per day and now am not taking any. I oscillated between tiredness and wiredness which is better than just being tired, and then became terribly tired but sleepless. I broke out in a rash all over my body when I stopped taking it.
- Art Working / Worked
- Pastels and charcoal worked wonders for me. So did watercolors or crayons with my kids when they were small. I must get back to that. On the other hand, designing weavings is art, and it was therapeutic 2 winters ago when I was severely depressed.
- DailyStrength Working / Worked
- Yes! It has my vote! A great place to share with people who personally know what we're going through. A great place to share and receive ideas and support.
- Dietary Modification Working / Worked
- Careful attention to what I eat has always been essential to my health - beginning with many food allergies when I was born. Now, I'm strictly following the diet recommended by Dr. Mark Hyman's latest book. It has made a world of difference!
- Faith Working / Worked
- I seem to have been born with a strong faith or belief that things will get better. I had a very difficult childhood, and yet, still I often said to myself, "if childhood is this bad, I can't wait to be an adult." I continue to always know that things will get better, no matter how depressed I get. I feel scared when I think I have no resources, but someone has always shown up and reminded me that they care about me. Then, I remember that God uses "manure" to make plant food :)
- Lexapro Not Working
- It interfered with my general physical sense of well-being. My pdoc took me off of it because it didn't seem to have an effect on me.
- Love Working / Worked
- My husband's love keeps me alive. So does loving my kids. So does my brother's love for me. Being "radiant" is my greatest goal. To me, that means to love everyone I encounter, even simply by wishing them well.
- Music Somewhat Helpful
- I am reluctant to listen to music when I feel depressed. I am irritated by anything that is not silence, easily ignored, or the voice of a person who is extremely dear to me. When I notice that my body is moving when I hear music, I know that my depression is lifting, and then I put some on and I'm dancing with great relief.
- Pets Not Working
- Too much consistent responsibility. Tried cats and fish.
- Physical Exercise Working / Worked
- Absolutely terrific when I feel well enough to do it, and when I set an alarm to keep me from over-doing it.
- Positive Thinking Somewhat Helpful
- The power of the mind amazes me. Sometimes positive thinking really brings me to "normal" like an injection. It works so well, sometimes I question where positive thinking begins and where hypomania ends.
- Prayer Working / Worked
- Always works on my normal depressions. I never think to use it when medication deepens my depression to blackness.
- Psychotherapy Working / Worked
- Began counseling when I was a teenager, but found that working with a real therapist, i.e. PhD, makes a huge difference. The therapist I am working with now has probably helped me to reduce my meds, and helped me to identify what triggers hypomania, and how to deal with it.
- Reading Working / Worked
- Makes time pass when I'm almost severely depressed: really down, but not too down to comprehend the sentences. I always chose books and magazines that are wholesome, so reading definitely improves my mood when I can do it.
- Sleep Working / Worked
- There's no point in setting the alarm and getting up before I wake up naturally. It's a sure way to aggravate my symptoms. I've been sleeping 11 hours each night for the past couple months. Makes the days shorter than I'd like, but better than the alternative...
- Support from Friends & Family Working / Worked
- I rely heavily on my husband to feed me and clean the house. He also facilitates my personal hygiene when I really can't get myself up for it. He is always available for me to call for help. He provides more support than any hospital or group home staffed by the best professionals.
- Support Groups Working / Worked
- Yes! Isn't that why we're all here? It's so helpful to talk to people who understand personally what my experience is like; and it's equally therapeutic to help someone when I'm feeling better. Hooray for support groups!
- Talking Working / Worked
- "Talking" here and elsewhere helps a lot.
- Walking Working / Worked
- One of my favorite things to do. Can't do it when I am depressed, unless someone sits with me for a while, then suggests that we simply go outside, then shows me something small that we could do together, and so forth until we wind up going for a walk. Feels great when I feel well or hypomanic!
- Writing Working / Worked
- I have written on hundreds of lbs. of paper. I wrote all my life until I started on meds.
Close Anxiety
diagnosed with general anxiety disorder during 2006.
Treatments
- Breathing Exercises Working / Worked
- Fabulous! When I get anxious about driving, I sit in the car and focus on my breathing until I can feel my whole body pulsing. Then, I visualize where I am going (to help me focus on getting there safely). Works great!
- Breathwork Working / Worked
- Same as breathing exercises?
- Klonopin Working / Worked
- My best friend. Works within minutes.
- Meditation Working / Worked
- Great, especially at night, and especially when my husband reads me a lead meditation. No cares in the world, and a sound night's sleep.
- Psychotherapy Working / Worked
- Began counseling when I was a teenager, but found that working with a real therapist, i.e. PhD, makes a huge difference. The therapist I am working with now has probably helped me to reduce my meds, and helped me to identify what triggers anxiety, and how to pevent it.
- Talking Working / Worked
- "Talking" here and elsewhere helps a lot.
- Support from Friends & Family Working / Worked
- My husband helps me to monitor and address my anxiety level. This could be really annoying, and was, but now he knows how to do it in a very helpful manner.
- Music Not Working
- When I feel anxious, even my favorite music just makes me irritable or more tense. It doesn't matter whether the music is serene instrumental or soothing vocal.
- Lexapro Working / Worked
- It interfered with my general physical sense of well-being. My pdoc took me off of it because it didn't seem to have an effect on me.
- Physical Exercise Working / Worked
- Works really really really well when I get out of depression to do it.
- Prayer Working / Worked
- Anxiety is a tremendous energy source for prayer, and prayer transforms that energy into healthy action.
- Dietary Modification Working / Worked
- Eating macrobiotically calms me to a great place of serenity and peace
Open Child Support & Custody
My X filed for divorce in 1995 when our kids were 2, 5 and 8. I left everything and started a new life. I am a child of divorce and decided to rethink the choices my parents made. I decided to always love my kids, stay in touch with them, and let them live their lives. Mid 2005 I discovered that my X was abusing my kids. I took him to court. My kids got permanent residence with me and the right to visitation. Now I'm filing for child support.
Open Parenting Teenagers (12-18)
youngest of my 3 children: daughter born July 1993
Treatments
- Psychotherapy Working / Worked
- Lots of good time spent with a woman who has a PhD. She gives me a very well-supported, well-educated sounding board as she helps me guide myself in my parenting practices. She is far superior to the dozens of CSWs I worked with for decades.
Open Migraine Headaches
When I was dealing with anger issues regarding my X 3 years ago, I began developing headaches that lead to vomiting for 9 hours. Since then, I recognized a correlation between the headaches and anxiety, anticipation or great enjoyment. They also correlate with quick swings in barometric pressure.
Treatments
- Aspirin Not Working
- Doesnt' touch them.
- Ibuprofen Working / Worked
- I take 800 mg. and then one Extra Strength Tylenol an hour later. I hate taking so much medication but I can't live with the pain.
- Magnesium Too Soon to Tell
- Naproxen Working / Worked
- Used to put me to sleep. However, it also used to effectively relieve the pain, but didn't stop the 9 hours of vomiting or sensitivity to light. I take minimal meds, but I double up on the first dose of this to get it to work. I used Naproxen since the late 70s or early 80s and really liked its effectiveness for extreme pain relief. Now it doesn't touch the pain.
- Tylenol Not Working
- Doesn't touch them. Now I'm taking one ExtraStrength Tylenol one hour after the Ibuprofen. That works.
Open Agoraphobia & Social Anxiety
my mother isolated herself to the point where no one knew she was bedridden for several months before she died of cancer. I was 11 and her sole caregiver. I thought my social anxiety had something to do with my Myer-Briggs profile: INFJ. I have had great experiences in large groups of people. Now, I stay at home most of the time though I'd like to get out more.
Open Physical & Emotional Abuse
emotionally abused all my life. My mother's temper was explosive and directed at me (I was the youngest). My sister did her share of oppressing me. Then I married a guy I didn't like just because he pursued me and I didn't want to be alone. I stayed with him for 13 years, most of which were miserable, though we had a couple years that were mostly great. He divorced me in 2005 because I didn't make him happy. He bullied me into leaving him with the kids and all of our marital property.
Treatments
- Abuse Counseling Working / Worked
- Decades of counseling including abuse counseling. What a shock when I heard that abuse included when my brother and sister tickled me mercilessly until I had been crying for a while! The best lesson I learned was that abuse is when someone says what they want and won't accept "no".
- Art Working / Worked
- I learned a lot from looking at the results of my scribbles, cartoons, and expressions of my feelings. They revealed great insight and even a representation of my bipolar disorder that was not diagnosed until several years later.
- Divorce Somewhat Helpful
- I still have to deal with my X because we have joint custody of our kids.
- Forgiveness Not Working
- I forgave too easily. I must recognize the wrong that others have done and feel angry.
- Leave Working / Worked
- Avoiding abusive situations sure works for me.
- Psychotherapy Working / Worked
- I'm finally working with a therapist who has a PhD instead of with counselors who are CSWs of various sorts. What a great difference!
- Talking Working / Worked
- Includes counseling. Also helps me to get feedback from other people whose judgement I trust. When they are shocked and alarmed by my stories, I realize that what I experienced was partly my fault: I allowed it.
Open Raynaud's Disease
My fingertips began turning white several years ago. I found that stress has a lot to do with it, not just exposure to cold.
Open Families & Friends Of Addicts
Found my son dying June 2008 from alcohol poisoning. He talks about helping his friends "drink responsibly" while he nearly flunked out of college. Over Winter Break, he admitted to being addicted to people, but not any substance. This semester his plan was to spend more time with his friends who actually study. His grades were much better. His plan for next semester is to join a frat that will help raise his gpa. I am contacting the college for more info to share with him about the frat.
Treatments
- Al-Anon Somewhat Helpful
- I attended meetings because my X was a workaholic. They were great. The meetings where I now live are too late at night for me to attend.
- Psychotherapy Working / Worked
- My therapist is great
- Talking Too Soon to Tell
- It's great when he and I can talk about it rationally. The last time we did so, I found out afterwards that he was drunk and doesn't remember any of it. My husband pointed out that my son repeated what he said as he was beginning to sober up after his alcohol poisoning: I'm sorry for disappointing you Mom. Haunting words.
