Bipolar support thread

janthemum

Ive got 2 kids, admittedly I had them before I was diagnosed. I had them at age 23 and 25 diagnosed at 30.

I would of had them even if diagnosed before having them, in fact they have kept me going. i have been in and out of hospital sectioned and informal but they seemed to have turned out as pretty well rounded kids DS is now 19 and at uni and a classical pianist and DD certainly well rounded 17 often out doing well at school. However of course I do worry they may inherit the disease as my dad was bi-polar.

In a sense I sometimes feel it has made them more resiliant.

PS i am going pretty up at the moment, can see all the signs (I cant help enjoying the initial high at the beginning the energy etc. but fear where it may lead) therefore may be on this thread a bit more in the coming weeks!

Regards jan

the_devil_made_me_do_it

From what I've read, pregnancy affects BP women. It's to do with the hormones ect.

I think if you have good support & see a GP or psych regularly, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

System

I think being stable for 10 years, and asuming your wife is in good health, then go for it.

I do find myself worrying about the future. At some point i want children but i'm worried i wouldn't cope. That said i'd need someone to reproduce with and seeing as that isn't happening anytime soon i have a while to think about it :rotfl:

To be fair i have two friends, one has bipolar, the other has BPD. They are seriously considering trying for a baby. The friend with bipolar will be the one carrying it and apparently as long as she stays stable (has been on lithium and stable for about a year now) everything should be ok.



janthemum0my mood also seems to be on the increase so maybe we'll be seeing more of each other on this thread

Trialia

I wouldn't have kids even if I wanted them (which I don't). Not only would I risk passing on my bipolar disorder to them, there's a 50% chance they'd also get Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and given that it'd disabled me by the age of 20 and that it gets worse from parent to child and *I'm* third-generation, I wouldn't risk it.

sarah*a

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

To be fair i have two friends, one has bipolar, the other has BPD. They are seriously considering trying for a baby. The friend with bipolar will be the one carrying it and apparently as long as she stays stable (has been on lithium and stable for about a year now) everything should be ok.

I was told by my CPN and Pdoc that I would have to be med-free for 6 months prior to conception and all through the pregnancy to avoid any risks to the child from the meds

Was a waste of time coming off mine as have now been med free for 17 months and still no joy but stayed stable so thats something

the_devil_made_me_do_it

who people contact when your feeling unwell

i have tried contact my mental health social worker & she isn't in the office. don't know who to speak to now.

de1amo

The overwhelming fear is what has been brought up by Trialia--passing it on with worse conditions associated--my wife read there was some incredibly high 'pass on rate'-- the majority here seem positive about it. My age of 48 also raises issues of problems with general problems of illness aside from BP---my brother though has just 'had' twins at 52 and they seem fine!

seeya23

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

who people contact when your feeling unwell

i have tried contact my mental health social worker & she isn't in the office. don't know who to speak to now.

they should have a duty worker on call 9-5 pm after hours you should have a crisis team

the_devil_made_me_do_it

sw got back to me & had a good chat on the phone. SHe didn't really offer any help, but at least I'm keeping them updated on how my moods are fluctuating.

seeya23

is it just in nottingham that you do not have a cpn or s worker long term any more we only have when we are in crisis or after one