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We purchased a little Chevette we called the
"Vegematic." My son was smiling more because mommy was happy again. My
husband helped me with meals in the evening. After a few months we settled in a
comfortable routine. Work was very challenging and I was trusted by my family and
colleagues.
After working six months I discovered I was pregnant. We had wanted two children all
along. I continued to work right up to the last month of my pregnancy. After my son
had the chicken pox and his tonsils removed, our beautiful daughter was born. I was
ecstatic, maybe a little too much. That first night in the hospital, I was ready to
get out of bed and run down the hallways.
My mind was racing with a million thoughts. This is what is known as the manic
phase of being bipolar. My newborn daughter traveled to every store in the
city, helped me pick out new outfits for everyone. I opened charge accounts at
various stores. At one point I even started house hunting and confronted real estate
agents to show me homes.
. My family suspected something was wrong again. I was just a little too active, never
home with the baby always on the go. This trip to the hospital my father explained
to my new doctor that my mother had had the same disorder. This new doctor knew exactly
how to treat me with a mood stabilizer, Lithium and an anti-depressant.
It wasn't easy to accept that I
was to be on medication for life. Often I thought about skipping a dose because it made me
so tired. I looked at those two beautiful children and decided I only wanted to go forward
in my life. My husband was again very supportive with the kids. We did move the next
year into a bigger home but this was done in a more rational manor.
I was fortunate that these medications worked for me. In future years I was able to go
back to work, perhaps in less stressful jobs. I look back on those years and think how
lucky I was to have a supportive family and medication that helps me deal with this
disorder. This all happened over 15 years ago.
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