Hi @FrankyW84 and @whatsinaname,
It has been good to see this thread of Franky's has become something that is providing connection to others with this life-long and little known problem, a source of information on how to better manage our symptoms as well as some understanding from people with a similar lived experience to us which is a lot better than "aaaww I knnowww" from people who really don't know (or sometimes even care to know) what it's actually like to live with bd2 *cue Sybal from "Faulty Towers" 😅
@whatsinaname Franky has hit the nail on the head re looking after his body with the right foods (no simple carbohydrates where possible, and a mixture of foods high in protein, dietary fibre (vegetables) and some complex carbohydrates) and some regular exercise as well as abstaining from drugs and alcohol. This is what is working for me as well so far. Bear in mind that I'm still in the early stages of coming to terms with what I have.
Over the past 6 weeks I've stopped buying bread and if I've eaten pasta, I've had a sauce high in protein and veggies included but with a minimal serve of the pasta itself.
I've eaten chunky lentil soup with some meat and plenty of veg pretty regularly and for breakfast mushrooms and some scrambled eggs. I prefer to cook myself as packaged foods have preservatives (and who knows what else) in them. It's amazing how our bodies get used to enjoying bad foods and then when giving them up, it feels like an addiction. 😅
For example I used to eat two pieces of toast for breaky and two in the hour or two before bed with peanut butter and the other with vegemite; well after I stopped buying bread, for the first couple of weeks, I was cranky at times due to always feeling hungry and whenever I would go to bed, I would be fantasizing about those two pieces of toast BADLY 🤣. Now I don't miss bread at all. I think that for bipolar people, a diet absent of simple carbohydrates and unnatural sugars (natural sugar in moderation as well) and some pretty regular light exercise e.g walking is what has helped me the most to try and get a consistent baseline mood to be able to work with which for a bipolar person is hard enough to find... ffs lol.
I'm yet to be diagnosed but to be honest, I don't see what good a diagnosis is going to do for me because I've tried medication in the past but it never helped me find that place called home (medication has its place in society though and has brought me back from hypermanic episodes before for which I'm grateful for). Given this and the fact that I see a clinical psychogist that doesn't prescribe medication, my gut feeling is that he has more of an idea of what is going on for me than I do. I just put my trust into him and am up front and honest about whatever he wants to know about my past, present and finally now I can write it, my future (secrets keep a person sick or in a rut or both) and in turn, he is helping me make sense of what has been such a turbulent and turmultious life. Considering what I've experienced/endured in my life, I have no doubt that I'm bipolar type 2. The challenge for me is going to be learning to grow in spite of it.
Glad to hear that you're sleeping a bit better now @FrankyW84. Can relate to doing things to exess when badly hypermanic; spending money, exercise, drug use (pot mainly), sometimes rarely thank goodness, even unsafe sex with practical strangers etc.
This is why changing my food intake types to healthier ones has been instrumental in my moods starting to level out moreso and the troughs and peaks have been much less violent since adopting a better diet and some regular light exercise.
Sorry for the ramble everyone, I got a bit excited to see that we are all sharing our experience with this gift/curse and wanted to share what has been working for me.
Being Bipolar has given me things that others don't know what it's like to possess, like to love life in all it's splendor so much that you think your heart may just give out... (when being hypermanic I've experienced this) to the lows; I've experienced a depressive psychosis that lasted for 13 months hence the curse reference. Generally it's regularly mixed moods for me with some glimmers of hypermania which are a refreshing break. Having said this I need to be careful not to take risks when in this state. Hopefully my diet will continue to keep improving the stability of my mind and moods.
Bye for now Franky and Kate ✌
this forum is proving to be more of a resource for connection to like minded people and interpersonal growth than I expected... so kudos to you all for sharing some of your journeys!! and btw Franky, the appreciation is mutual I can assure you👍
