Hi Hanna. I've been on here for almost 2 years now. Was under a different name, but had to change due to people in my real life.

I live in my own little world, but that's ok everyone knows me here.

I'm married and have too dogs. I work, but will only be able to go back, if I'm lucky in Feb.

I've been stable for about 7 months now, that has been great

Hi Hanna, I've seen you on our site for many years now....

I'm 60 years old, was DXed at 50. Although like most of us, had years of episodes before getting a DX of BP.

I spent my 20's 30's 40's in a HAPPY HAPPY hypo manic episode...got slammed with a Manic episode that turned psychotic..that's when I went in to see a Pdoc.

I have been through a lot of changes in my life , many losses and yet I still can look back on my life, and probably not want to change a thing.

I deal with BPI , by realizing , that I do have limitations in my life...BUT, I still can have a good life

More to come ........
:)

Oh..I live in the Central Valley of California..NO there is NO beach near me LOL!

Thank you Carissa and DD (even though I already knew you :)). I understand having to change your name sometimes. I changed mine from HannaHanna, closed my account for no reason at all, and then reopened it as HannaHana. I figured there'd be less confusion that way. lol.

I was hypomanic not too long ago and have been stable for the past couple of months. I really hope it sticks. I've been on practically every medication combo out there and have failed for one reason or another. But I'm here, and I'm feeling positive, so that's a plus. Any other takers?

Thank you again, both for sharing. :)

Hi Hanna-- I am 47, married, have 2 sons (one with BPI), two dogs, a turtle and some fish. I live in GA, USA.

I was diagnosed BPI in 2003 but like so many others I have been afflicted since my teens. It definitely runs in my family.

I am on SS Disability but due to physical problems. I had to quit working in 2001. I miss it terribly.

I have pretty good family support although they don't really get it except for my son who chooses to remain unmedicated. he manages ok.

Looking forward to getting to know u better.

Laura

Thank you for sharing Laura. My 10 year old son has been diagnosed with Mood Disorder, NOS, ADHD and ODD. It has not been a fun ride. He has been pretty unstable for the past few months (after stopping his mood stabilizer b/c we didn't know if it was working), and we just restarted his meds. I'm really hoping that this brings my good boy back. I know he has it in him.

I miss my old job terribly. I absolutely enjoyed doing what I was doing, and I felt like I was making a difference in the world. I don't feel like I'd be making that much of a difference in peoples lives as a medical transcriptionist, but I do believe that the healthcare field is where I belong. I guess we'll see what happens between now and graduation anyway.

My sister has BP and remains unmedicated. She is pretty chronically depressed, but refuses to take any mood stabilizers or anti depressants b/c of the side effects. Hey, i can't blame her. Otherwise, she manages well enough. She does what she has to do and she is on SSDI as well for her BP.

Thank you again Laura for commenting. :)

bump.

Sorry, it's been a few hours and I still don't know very many people.

I've seen you around too and I really love your avatar with the insane kitty.

I live in San Francisco and I'm an old weirdo who likes weird humor and tries not to be too offensive. But it's hard. I'm a singleton and am somewhat creative.

I have 2 very adorable bunnies who are the light of my life. I've been on here about 6 years or so. DS has saved my life. In the beginning, it got kind of insane (go figure) but it has been invaluable to me all the great people here and the honest talk about difficult subjects. Also the whackadoo jokes people tell. Only we get weird jokes about mental illness.

Hi zsa.
I do remember your name from being on here roughly the same amount of time as you have. Thank you so much for sharing with me who you are.

I'm young (at least, I keep telling myself that), and I have an extremely immature sense of humor. My 10 year old son and I go head to head with jokes. lol. Ok. Maybe not. But I do have a strange sense of humor and believe that a little bit of humor can be put in just about everything.

Thanks again zsa!

Nice to see you back Hanna! and in a holiday spirit : )

I'm sure your remember me - but for anyone one else-
I live alone, silly and talk way too much.....

Hey there Hanna! I remember you. I'm 48 and have been on the BP board for a couple of years or more since my dx was upgraded to bp from major depression and of course I still have PTSD, etc..... So I've been around the boards. I live in the non-flat portion of Iowa way up in the northeast corner, with my partner, Dave, of 22 years and our 11 cats. We do rescue work with special needs kitties. They are so deserving and no one else wants them. Sort of how I feel some days. I'm currently hypomanic and loving it. But I know that this too shall pass. Welcome back Hanna.

Thanks for the warm welcome Gina and Cammie. It's nice to be back and to be remembered even! GinaWonders, I don't really remember your username....did you go by something else in the past?

Ah yes, Towritegina - for some reason DS messed up that account, and I no longer got email or journal notifications - hence, for awhile I've been GinaWonders,

LOL, still Wondering what happen to Towritegina's account : )

Ah. Towritegina. I remember you. Thanks for clearing that up!

I'm 46 have a grandson and a daughter and a hubby. Two dogs also. I have been on here for about 7 yrs. I have been in and out of the hospital. I have been in about 7 times now and hope not to go back. I'm doing pretty good on my meds now and hope they continue to work.