The Formal Introduction

Greetings, All!

So, after a little bit of an accidental mini-break, I am back on my meds and RIP-RARIN' TO GO!
Well, sort of.  Close enough anyway.

Let's start this journey!

This is the first day of my blog, and I must admit, I am pretty excited about it.  I figured with the restarting of all my meds and whatnot, as well as generally trying to bring a little more structure into my life, this could be a really good thing for me and hopefully, not just for me.  There's a lot that can be read about Bipolar Disorder(s) and information on meds, therapies, etc., but it's a little harder to get the personal perspective and to me, that feeling of connection, of recognition of someone else's words has always been beyond reassuring.  They've been straws to grasp at.

Melodrama aside and speaking of medication, here's the nitty-gritty:
I'm diagnosed as Bipolar II - meaning instead of full-blown mania, I tend to cycle into hypomania which is similar, but generally less intense and usually doesn't tip over into full delusion - more along the lines of lots of energy and desire for chaos.  I'm sure this will get discussed more in-depth as I go along.

I'm also considered to be rapid-cycling. Basically, I go back and forth from hypomania and depression very quickly - sometimes in a matter of days, even hours.  For those who are unfamiliar, that doesn't mean that I'm bouncing back and forth all the time, 365 days a year.  I have periods of non-extremes as well.  Those just aren't as worth talking about :)

The medications I'm currently on are Lithium, Lamictal, Wellbutrin, Klonopin and Restoril.  For me, the Klonopin and Restoril, while generally taken every day, don't need to be and are kind of on an as-needed basis to deal with anxiety and insomnia, respectively.  The rest are  musts every day.  This is just my personal medicinal schedule and what has been prescribed to me.  Please don't assume this will also work for you.  Also, please don't come find me and rob me for my pills.  I need them.

So anyway, those are the basics of my disorder. Good to know, but really just the background to what this is about - the day to day life of a Bipolar. It's pretty crazy.