Sharing my life with Ms Sophie (Bipolar II)

hugs @Sophie1 and hope you can have some rest time to recover my friend xxx

@Sophie1

Answering over here, I know with one of Mr Ds meds that adequate fluids are essential especially when there is hot weather or physically active.

Bonus re: savings @Sophie1. Mr Darcy was able to get a non script item today too, $8 off usual price and $4 cheaper than chemists home brand. These savings can all add up.

There is the PBS safety net - are you aware that you can register as a family? It may or may not be of some help to you - here is link about it.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/pharmaceutical-benefits-scheme/when-you-spend-lot-pbs-medicines/pbs-safety-net-thresholds

I do hope something can be found that will give relief. Medical issues do impact so heavily on mental health.

You can also register as a family with medicare @Sophie1

for safety net - this works a little differently and is based on out of pocket expenses and Medicare rebate amount -but is similar in that all family expenses count toward threshold - is done per calendar year.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/medicare-safety-nets

@Sophie1 Christmas tree ideas for your cats.

Quick check in @Sophie1

Hi @Former-Member @Shaz51 @outlander ... not sure about you guys but I'm struggling - so many reminders this time of year re MsS's limitations due to MI and the judgement from family members and friends re that ... AND the usual reality check Christmas brings re the limitations of the family unit in general

also my grief that socialising will always be a source of tension and anticipation and anxiety for MsS and trying to not let that impact my life too much but of course it does

also the usual family rifts and arguments and tantrums - esp with a Mum with undiagnosed BPD playing up already with tears and swearing insults in front of young children - I find this so distressing and unacceptable and find it hard to understand how Mum can't see the damage this does to the family unit - and it's all over really really imagined problems that are not real at all - like why doesn't a distant relative call me at Christmas ?!?!?!?

just finished four days of Christmas celebrations in a row and I'm exhausted - MsS made it to them all except today which was my work colleagues party so that's ok in the scheme of things ...

we have one day off then we are off to a family holiday house for 2 days with BPD mother and all three adult kids - two of us with partners and one child ... a recipe for BPD tantrums as the audience is so large and mother doesn't deal well with groups and not being the centre of attention ... she even gets jealous of a 5 year old (my brothers daughter) and will compete with her for attention !!!!

I really struggle to process this time of year ... with BPD mother , step father who passed away traumatically and too young three years ago AND my father and step mum who refuse to talk to or invite my brother and his wife and child to family Christmas since they have had a fight three years ago ... sigh ... every way I turn it just feels like a powder keg with mums temper tantrums or a fake family as my older brother is missing ...

then MsS is of course still in major anxiety and depression land also with severe headache and migraines STILL continuing ... so I am driving the car, the organisation , the motivation and feels like everything lately ..: worried that I am heading for being overwhelmed myself and not sure what to do ...