[Alois Wolf]

Originally Posted by zoeboboey

Who's joking/

ha ha just kiddin. And yes it is sad.

What is "Li"?
or is that just a typo?

Its the elemental symbol for Lithium.

[zoeboboey]

Originally Posted by Alois Wolf

Its the elemental symbol for Lithium.

oh doi, I knew that

I was on Li for a long time - got very tremulous and it stopped working very well...

I understand there is some state where it is naturally occuring, ie in the water or soil? and that the incidence of MI is much lower. Not sure if that is fact or fiction... sounds good anyway lol (I think it was Utah)

[Medicine Eagle]

Hey Zoe, Same things goin on here as before. Alois Wolf you need to get help. I was dx type II bipolar several months back. Now I am on mood stabalizers and anti-anxiety meds. Now if my new job would work out and I could get my daughter to the neurosurgeon across the country that she needs to live, Life might be okay. Also my good friend Chief Thunderhawk was killed in a freak mvc after doing my family's adoption ceremony. That is why my name is now Medicine Eagle not tired brave heart. So I am grieving for him with some friends also on here in the Native American Forum. Alois Wolf, I was curious about your name, are you NAI also? Gotta go but wanted to say hi, and hope you are doin okay.

[zoeboboey]

Originally Posted by Medicine Eagle

Hey Zoe, Same things goin on here as before. Alois Wolf you need to get help. I was dx type II bipolar several months back. Now I am on mood stabalizers and anti-anxiety meds. Now if my new job would work out and I could get my daughter to the neurosurgeon across the country that she needs to live, Life might be okay. Also my good friend Chief Thunderhawk was killed in a freak mvc after doing my family's adoption ceremony. That is why my name is now Medicine Eagle not tired brave heart. So I am grieving for him with some friends also on here in the Native American Forum. Alois Wolf, I was curious about your name, are you NAI also? Gotta go but wanted to say hi, and hope you are doin okay.

Time stands still while you wait for a breakthru, it's hard isn't it? Well it sounds like some things are stabilizing, you have "your own O2 on" and now you can help your daughter better - Take care!

[Stepher Gale]

I probably am Bi-Polar as well. I definitely have many seasons that change very quickly. However, you like everyone else has the right to privacy. So, I wouldn't disclose that you are unless absolutely necessary. Plus, as long as you are you doing your job, I wouldn't worry about it. However, if your moods get in the way of working, then maybe it is time to start some medications. There are some that do NOT cause severe sedation. My friends husband takes Lexapro and it manages his symptoms very well.

[zoeboboey]

Originally Posted by Stepher Gale

I probably am Bi-Polar as well. I definitely have many seasons that change very quickly. However, you like everyone else has the right to privacy. So, I wouldn't disclose that you are unless absolutely necessary. Plus, as long as you are you doing your job, I wouldn't worry about it. However, if your moods get in the way of working, then maybe it is time to start some medications. There are some that do NOT cause severe sedation. My friends husband takes Lexapro and it manages his symptoms very well.

Hi Stepher thanks!

[tootysmom]

Believe me, I know what you are going through. I was diagnosed w/bipolar disorder back in 2001. I have a mild form of it, but I suffer through the mood swings. I actually was a patient for a week on the psychiatric unit that I currently work on. None of my co-workers know this, which sometimes makes me feel like I'm hiding a terrible secret. I was hospitalized when I was having a major crisis. This was before I went into nursing. I had no idea that I would one day be working on the unit I stayed on, but it happened. I don't tell my co-workers of my condition because I know I would be treated differently. I love my job and working with other patient suffering from the same condition. I was able to go off what little medication I was on and have been fine. I have learned to see the danger signs of my condition and know when I am beginning to escalate. There are probably many of us in the medical field and there is no reason we should not lead purposeful lives. I disclosed my condition to the health department, but that is as far as it went. I did not disclose that I was a prior patient because I was not an employee at that time and I didn't feel it was relavent to my getting the job. Hope this helped........

[GCS99]

i'm a nursing student with bipolar disorder. i am conflicted everyday thinking about if I could manage the physical/emotional stress that being a nurse intails. reading various blogs, i notice many nurses with bipolar have either lost their license or take breaks from working. this might be a self-confidence issue but i'm starting to think i can't/should not be a nurse. i'm worried about becoming symtomatic and possibly harming a patient. anxiety and stress will be a big factor. i have experienced 4 episodes within the past 8 years. i still have yet to grab a grip on control management. i just try to take my meds on times, sleep enough, and don't over-do anything. i truly am tried of getting sick and having to start over and pick up the pieces. i want this to be my last time recovering. i'm starting to think i should just drop out and do something less stressful and less patient contact. nursing may not be for me, considering my disorder.

[zoeboboey]

Originally Posted by ChrisDecon

i'm starting to think i should just drop out and do something less stressful and less patient contact. nursing may not be for me, considering my disorder.

How stable have you been in general? How have you responded to periods of high stress in the past?

For me it has been worth it (20 + years) even tho I've had to take time off here and there. And I know it has been worth it to the patients I've cared for. Now I am taking a long and possibly permanent break from patient care - we'll see... I still desire to work in it if I can at some point.

Good luck to you. May I recommend Kay Jamison's book, An Unquiet Mind, she's a doctor (psychiatrist) w/ bipolar and she relates her experiences rather well!

[GCS99]

Originally Posted by zoeboboey

How stable have you been in general? How have you responded to periods of high stress in the past?

For me it has been worth it (20 + years) even tho I've had to take time off here and there. And I know it has been worth it to the patients I've cared for. Now I am taking a long and possibly permanent break from patient care - we'll see... I still desire to work in it if I can at some point.

Good luck to you. May I recommend Kay Jamison's book, An Unquiet Mind, she's a doctor (psychiatrist) w/ bipolar and she relates her experiences rather well!

i dont believe i'm stable. my moods are still inconsistent. i'm currently in a central service tech externship while i wait for nursing school. my instructor gave me a pre-evaluation and says i need to work on my self-modivation and confidence. he says i'm inconsistent and i think its because of my moods. i've been stressing about continuing nursing school its been affecting my thought process. there are so many red flags why i shouldnt become a nurse. yet, when someone mentions job stability and salary... i reconsider dropping out.