With this blog, I want to keep all of you updated on important information about bipolar disorder and how it affects families. Here you can discuss effects of bipolar disorder, the risks of bipolar disorder, analyze some case studies and also can come to know about the treatments for bipolar disorder. Share with someone who has bipolar disorder today.
Hi,
Hope you’re ok today.
I got home late in the evening last night from my 5 day trip. Or maybe it was a 4 day trip.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you something before I forget, okay?
You know how much I talk about medications and your loved one, and how you need to make sure they stay on their medications, right?
Well, I’ve had so many supporters write me to tell me their loved ones struggle with side effects from their medications that I decided to offer some suggestions on what you can do to help them with some of these side effects.
In my courses/systems below:
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
I have a whole section on all the side effects of bipolar medications and what to do about them, but here I’ll just go over the most common ones.
DRY MOUTH
This is one of the biggest side effects of bipolar medication. One of the things your loved one can do is to chew gum or suck on hard candy (make sure, if they have diabetes, that it’s sugarless candy, though).
Another thing is that your loved one can o to help with dry mouth is that they can suck or chew on ice chips.
NAUSEA
Another common side effect is nausea, and what they can do about this is to take their medication with food, or to eat a few crackers or a dry piece of toast.
If your loved one takes their medication in the morning or during the day, some doctors even tell their patients to take their medication at night instead if nausea is a bad problem for them.
WEIGHT GAIN
Unfortunately, this is a common problem with bipolar medication. The best way to combat this problem is with a proper diet and a good exercise program.
Other people have changed medications to other types of medications that do not make you gain weight, or at least as much weight as other medications.
However, I am NOT a doctor, and cannot advise you in this regard. All I can tell you is to contact your loved one’s doctor if they are having a problem with their weight because of their medication.
FATIGUE
If this is a problem for your loved one, have them talk to their doctor about it, so that the doctor can have your loved one taketheir medication at night instead of in the morning or during the day.
In most cases, you will find the doctor to be very cooperative, and this will solve the problem.
CONSTIPATION/DIARRHEA
If your loved one experiences either of these problems, over-the-counter medications are probably best. If constipation or diarrhea continue to be a problem, however, it is best to contact their doctor for advice.
DIZZINESS
If your loved one experiences dizziness, This is usually experienced upon standing up too quickly. The solution to this is to get up more slowly.
Have them sit up first on the side of the bed or couch for a few seconds or minutes. Then use their hands to raise themselves slowly the rest of the way into a standing position.
LIGHTHEADEDNESS
This sort of goes along with dizziness, but n reverse. Have your loved one sit down slowly (not too quickly, or they may faint).
Then let them sit for a few short minutes, and the lightheaded should pass.
NOTE: These are just common side effects to bipolar medications.
If your loved one experiences any serious side effects like heart problems or problems breathing, contact their doctor right away, as they may be having a reaction to the medication.
Make sure you talk to your doctor. I don’t know why so many people don’t.
Okay?
FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Hi,
Hope you’re doing ok.
I am actually coming home today so I have to write this really fast because I have to beat the traffic. I like possibly an 8 hour drive.
Anyway let’s jump into today’s topic.
Many people get frustrated with bipolar disorder.
Especially supporters.
Their loved one says something strange.
Their loved one isn’t acting like they normally do.
Something happens.
Their loved one is in another episode.
They can’t get in touch with the doctor right away.
They don’t know what to do.
Many supporters don’t just get frustrated.
They give up.
They give in.
They basically feel like it’s all over –
Like they’ve lost the war.
Well, if you’re really feeling like this, I want to encourage you.
I know, you’re probably thinking I’m crazy, right?
Where can I find anything in all this to be encouraged about?
I’ll tell you.
It’s this:
You may feel as if you’ve lost the battle, but you have NOT lost the war!
With bipolar disorder, it’s like you’re in a “forever” kind of war.
And sometimes you may feel as if you’re fighting battles right and left, all around you.
But the fight against bipolar disorder is still a war that you can WIN!
In my courses/systems, I teach different strategies for managing bipolar disorder:
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
STRATEGIES.
Now that’s a wartime word.
In any war, the “good guys” have to have strategies.
It’s how they fight their battles.
It’s how they win the war.
Well, as a supporter to a loved one with bipolar disorder, you have to have strategies, too.
Strategies like standing beside your loved one even when they’re in an episode.
Strategies like supporting your loved one through good times AND bad.
Strategies like making sure your loved one takes their medication.
Strategies like helping your loved one to manage their disorder.
Strategies like being the best supporter you can possibly be.
Remember, you’re in a war, too –
You have an enemy, too –
And that enemy is called bipolar disorder.
But that enemy CAN be defeated!
Yes, you’ll lose some battles along the way.
BUT…
If you DON’T GIVE UP…
If you DON’T GIVE IN…
You WILL win the war!
What do you think?
FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Hi,
How’s it going?
I am actually coming back home on Tuesday because I am still in those meetings.
Yesterday when I was at my meeting, I was talking to someone about how he had seen Saw 5. He thought it was a very strange movie— which it is.
Anyway, the other day I told you how I went to see Saw 5. (if you have been on the list for like a week, you probably remember)
So I actually went with this girl who is really into horror movies. She is actually a chemist which has absolutely nothing to do with the story but I figured I would tell you.
So we decided to go.
What is Saw 5?
It’s a strange horror movie basically about a guy that goes around killing people for reasons that seem to make sense to him but don’t make sense to anyone else.
He essentially allows people to torture themselves to death.
This guy has to do a TON of planning to think everything through to make sure the people act the way he wants them to act.
So what does this have to do with bipolar disorder? Well, planning is so key.
Right now, November is my mom’s worst month of the year. It’s when 90% of her episodes occur.
I have carefully thought through actually what could happen and have a plan for it. I have back up plans to my plans. It’s like chess.
My friend said to me, “who the heck would plan so much” in reference to the Saw Killer in the movie. (My friend forgets it’s a movie) 🙂
But I told him how much planning I do with bipolar disorder.
Think of bipolar disorder as an enemy that is trying to get you.
It’s trying hard.
It strikes when you don’t want it to.
It works hard to make your life tough.
It strikes at the worst possible times.
YOU have to counter its goal to destroy.
Know what I mean?
In my courses/systems, I talk about looking at bipolar disorder as if it were an enemy trying to destroy you, and how you can defeat it by managing your disorder.
That way, you have control over it, instead of it having control over you.
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
So you think of bipolar disorder as an enemy.
What do you do?
Well, what would you do with any enemy trying to destroy you?
Naturally, you fight back!
So the way you fight back is that you strike first.
You make plans, like I do for my mom.
You take your medications every day.
You follow your treatment plan.
You see your doctor, psychiatrist, and therapist whenever you’re scheduled to.
You do whatever it takes to manage your disorder instead of it managing you.
In other words,
YOU DEFEAT YOUR ENEMY!
This isn’t a movie. This is real life. YOUR life.
And you do what you need to do to save it.
What do you think about the importance of planning and bipolar disorder?
FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Hi,
Hope you’re having a great day!
I am still up in New Hampshire working hard.
The good news is that the person that I am staying with made a home cooked meal.
Hey, who doesn’t love a home-cooked meal, huh?
Yeah, the kind made entirely from scratch.
No store-bought meal.
No ready-to-cook meal.
No fast-food meal.
Not even a meal in a restaurant (it’s still somebody else’s cooking).
Now, I’m not even going to get into the “Who’s a better cook, Mom or Grandma?” family argument. (LOL)
The point is, everyone loves a great, home-cooked meal made entirely from scratch!
Do you know why?
Because even though a restaurant can make Grandma’s lasagna, they can’t make it Grandma’s way, because Grandma has that secret” ingredient she’s only told Mom about, and Mom won’t even tell YOU about until you’re HER age!
That secret ingredient… hmmm…
Well, someone finally spilled that “secret ingredient,” and do you know what it was?
GUESS.
Oregano?
WRONG!
Parsley?
WRONG!
Italian spice?
WRONG!
Basil?
WRONG!
Pepper?
WRONG!
IT WAS LOVE!!!
That was the “secret ingredient” all along.
It was Grandma’s LOVE.
They say you can actually taste the love in someone’s cooking you know. But I know you’re wondering what the point to all this is anyway, right?
And what it has to do with bipolar disorder?
Well, I’ll tell you.
To make a good meal you have to have all the ingredients. Ok, and love (because Grandma’s always right, right? LOL).
Well, it’s the same with bipolar disorder.
In my courses/systems below, I talk about having a system, where you have to have all the “ingredients” (parts) working in order to manage the disorder:
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
Well, think about what I said.
Now think about it in relation to being a good supporter.
Compare the ingredients to making a good home-cooked meal with the characteristics necessary to being a good supporter.
Yes, you need sauce, noodles and cheese – they are the basic ingredients to making a lasagna.
But anyone can cook some lasagna noodles, layer them with cheese and pour sauce over them.
Ok, so every supporter has the basic skills –knowledge of bipolar disorder (the noodles), basic ability to care for a loved one with a disorder (the cheese), and a relationship with their loved one (the sauce).
BUT…
What about the other ingredients…
Those special spices that make up the sauce…
Those certain characteristics that make a good supporter into a GREAT supporter?
What about patience?
What about understanding?
What about compassion?
What about empathy?
AND…
What about Grandma’s “secret ingredient”?
What about LOVE?
Without love, you can’t get through the toughest of times you’ll have to face caring for someone with bipolar disorder.
And believe me, there will be tough (with a capital T), tough, times!
It’s that one “special ingredient,” LOVE, that will make you a great supporter.
What do YOU think?
FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Hi,
I hope you’re having a really great day!
I am actually up in New Hampshire today at that meeting. It took literary all day to get here.
So far, I learned several things that are going to help me help more people dealing with bipolar disorder.
I have been coughing like crazy because of this cold that I have. Thanks to everyone who sent me feel better soon messages.
Okay, before I came up here, I had to have an outline of what I wanted to go over and talk about.
Remember in school, how you had to write outlines for everything?
Well, imagine having to write an outline for your life.
I. Have a childhood
II. Go to grammar school
III. Go to middle school
IV. Graduate high school
V. Go to college (maybe)
VI. Get a job
VII.Have a career
VIII.Get married
IX. Buy a house
X. Have children
XI. Have grandchildren
XII.Get old
Well, you get the picture.
Have you noticed something in the outline?
Never in the outline does it include becoming the supporter to a loved one with bipolar disorder!
Did you ever expect that? NO.
I didn’t either.
But it happened.
Nobody can predict their life as simply as an outline. Life just doesn’t happen that way. There are unpredictable twists and turns along the way.
What if your job/career doesn’t turn out the way you expected it to, and you had to change careers in mid-stream?
What if you ended up getting divorced?
What if one of your children’s lives didn’t work out as planned and they had to move back in with you?
What if one of your children moved away and you never got to see your grandchildren?
See? Life doesn’t work out like an outline.
Especially when you’re dealing with bipolar disorder.
In my courses/systems below, I try to teach you about how to deal with the little “surprises” that you might face with being a supporter. Like those inevitable consequences to your loved one’s bipolar episodes:
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
Life is never like we planned.
We have to deal with the unexpected.
Think back to your loved one’s last episode. It was probably a surprise to you.
You try to do the best you can to know the signs and symptoms of bipolar disorder.
You try to know your loved one’s triggers.
You try to know the warning signs of their impending episodes.
But you still can’t predict how/when they’ll have that episode.
It’s certainly not on your outline, is it?
All you can do is your best.
Nobody expects a supporter to be perfect.
So don’t expect yourself to be perfect.
Just do the best you can.
FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Hi,
How’s it going?
I hope you are doing well.
I’m not. I have a bad cough and sore throat. I actually have to drive 7 hours today to a meeting.
It’s so annoying that I got sick yesterday. I am pretty confident by tomorrow I will be feeling better.
Anyway it’s going to be a long boring drive : )
Okay, enough about me, let’s get to the news.
Oh one more thing. Tomorrow I am not sure what kind of internet access I will have so the daily email might be late. Sorry in advance if it is. Here is today’s news.
To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews403
‘Hurry Down Sunshine’ author chronicles daughter’s experience with bipolar disorder
DO> Interesting article. Take a look
Caring comes with knowledge of mental illness
DO> Great article, what do you think?
Mom held in death of girl, 4, is released
DO> Shocking article. What do you think of this?
For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews403
==>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/catalog.asp
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Hi,
I wanted to post this about the Divorce course I posted the other day.
It was at:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/divorcespecialoffer
I have seen a number of emails and posts to me asking basically,
“Hey, Dave, I saw you sent out something in regards to preventing a divorce. Did you mean getting a divorce?”
Let me explain.
It was the oddest thing. A few years ago, I use to get people getting my Bipolar Supporter Master Course and using the f.ree consultation to talk about how to PREVENT a divorce from their loved one.
When people would schedule I was like, “hey, I am NOT a lawyer and can’t help you get a divorce.”
They were like, “I am not looking to get a divorce from my spouse I want to prevent one.”
I started to slowly discover this amazing thing.
People with bipolar disorder were going into manic episodes and coming home one day and saying, “I am getting a divorce.”
Many of the supporters or spouses had 2 or 3 kids and were devastated.
In my consultations I gave the #1 non legal key tip which is get the person into proper treatment so they will be thinking right and not want a divorce.
But many people’s spouses were away and not going into proper treatment so these supporters or spouses needed to know EVERYTHING to prevent or stop a divorce from happening when a spouse has bipolar disorder.
So I actually went out spoke with lawyers, judges, marriage counselors, people with bipolar disorder, people who were spouses of people who wanted a divorce with bipolar disorder and prevented or stopped them and put the research all together.
If you need help PREVENTING a divorce from someone with bipolar disorder, please take a look at my special offer at:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/divorcespecialoffer
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Hi,
How’s it going?
I have a really bad cold today. I have
no energy at all.
Today I was thinking I really wish someone else could send out the daily email. But I had to get myself to do it : )
Okay. There’s another important Barack Obama lesson to be learned concerning bipolar disorder.
Yesterday we talked about the first lesson. Lots of people wanted to argue about his politics which I will NEVER do. Why? It’s a total waste of my time.
I reminded these people that they are struggling as survivors or supporters and they should start to focus on productive things.
Anyway, when it comes to Obama, he asked for help, the very best help and got the very best experts around him.
If we just look at his online campaign efforts, they were tremendous.
Why? Was he so smart? Yes and no.
One of my friends who knows the “back story” says that Obama contacted top founders of major companies that have done really well online to help him create a plan for his campaign.
Instead of saying to him, “I’ll figure it all out myself” he went to the top people and asked for help.
The result has been that he was able to generate a lot of results using the Internet. Way more than any other candidate in history.
NOW I WANT TO POINT SOMETHING OUT
There’s a bunch of people that will say, “Hey spent so much more money.”
Hey, here is my question, “HOW DID HE SPEND so much more money?” He did so because he had a strategy to get the best people to teach him how to do it.
When I was helping my mom, I did the same types of things. Don’t even bother wasting your time complaining about him, figure but how you can use his concepts for to reach your own goals.
Also, the point of this is for YOU to not think you know everything about bipolar disorder and figure it all out yourself.
With bipolar disorder, you have to surround yourself with experts, positive people and people who are going to give you new ideas.
In my courses/systems below you can get that.
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
But you have to go beyond even me. You need a great therapist, psychiatrists, regular doctor, pharmacists, employment specialists, etc. They are out there waiting to help you. You have to find them and ask.
Don’t get caught in the “I know everything and have tried everything” thinking.
My dad never said he knew everything but he always would say he tried everything.
I once told him there were several million possible things that he could try to help my mom and I asked him if he was more than 1 million years old becausehe would have to be to try several million things.
He got mad and then said he understood my point : )
Everyone who has tried to battle bipolar disorder by themselves has failed.
Because you just can’t do this alone. Only one supporter won’t do it, either, because that supporter will burn out.
You need information you don’t have.
So you go to sources of information that can help you.
Even if you think you already have all the information in the world on bipolar disorder, the information you have is probably outdated. You need to always be on top of new information.
Look for new books, magazines, articles, Internet websites, forums, etc. Even your doctor gets new information all the time so they can stay on top of things. So you should, too.
Do you or your loved one still go to the support group you did in the beginning when you/they were first diagnosed?
Why not?
Probably because most of the people there were “know-it-alls” who told everyone else how to do it, and that gets old after awhile, doesn’t it?
Things in the world of bipolar disorder are changing all the time.
There is new research being done, new studies.
You need to be on top of them. Don’t you want to know? It might affect you/your loved one.
It has nothing to do with being smart or not.
It has to do with wanting to beat this disorder.
You can’t do it alone.
You need all the information, experts, and everything else at your disposal to do it.
Do what Obama did.
He may have had advisors, but you can too.
You have friends and family.
You have doctors and therapists.
You have information sources.
You have the Internet.
You have the library.
You have support groups (if you can find a good one).
You have other supporters.
You have other people with bipolar disorder.
You have national organizations.
You have experts.
You are NOT alone!
You DON’T have to fight this fight alone!
Dummies fight alone. Smart people have a team. Great team.
There are other people who can help you.
So don’t get caught up in the “I know everything and have tried everything” trap.
Nobody does, no matter how long they’ve been dealing with bipolar disorder.
There’s always something you don’t know.
There’s always something you haven’t tried.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Does this make sense?
FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Hi,
If you are trying to PREVENT a divorce from someone with bipolar disorder that is in an episode and wants one, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/divorcespecialoffer
Thanks.
Dave
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.