Yesterday was the very LAST day of school and now we engage in the “lazy, hazy daze of summer!” Lately, I want to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder is exactly what it is. There is no definitive test or series of tests that can give us a bipolar diagnosis. Instead, we have to rely on identifying symptoms and plugging those symptoms into something that fits within the parameters of what is listed in the DSM#. Since the beginning, we have been treating symptoms which have alluded to this rather subjective mental health diagnosis. I am wondering, how much of their moods and behaviors slowly worsened over time due to the medications they had been put on to treat the ADHD and anxiety in the first place. I mean, what if it is really SEVERE ADHD and anxiety with PTSD due to the stress of our home which is precipitating the other symptoms of rage and intense mood swings? Can much of these things be directly related to the inappropriate treatment of all these issues? If so, there must be much more effective and less detrimental treatments to help my beloved children!
I can't help but feel somewhat guilty that they continue to struggle, but it is not all consuming (anymore). I do my best and try to think about how my actions and decisions are going to impact them in a healthy or not so healthy way. It IS a huge weight sometimes, but I am their first teacher, their role model, and the decisive element in their lives to make change and implement appropriate and healthy life choices. That includes, the form of treatments I find for them, the food I put on their plates, the climate of the home I create, and the expectations I have of them for behavior. I don't know how to not exhaust myself! They are my full time job and my life, but I am also learning to forgive myself when things aren't perfect, or the yummy meal I made WILL NOT be eaten, or the expected respectful interactions CAN NOT be demonstrated. I'm striving to find a balance between having clear expectations which they are to comply with and giving them grace when their moods are making it impossible to manage their own thoughts and behaviors. Regardless, when they do not follow the expectations of respect and responsibility, there are consequences. It doesn't matter why someone did whatever...there are consequences for people when their actions impact others. They can be positive consequences or negative, but there are always consequences. OK, so I ramble...
I don't want to just treat the symptoms; I want to know where these symptoms are originating from? I want to get them the best treatment and therapy. What if there are allergies at play here that we don't know about, like citric acid or dairy? What if there is a thyroid imbalance or issues regulating insulin, or endocrine regulation problems, or Lyme disease? What if alternative therapies like acupuncture, massage, cranial-sacral therapy, and homeopathic medicines can make them stable without the psychotropic cocktails we have been searching for? I have to hope that something can help. We are running out of options in the pharmacological treatment realm as nothing has worked for very long. In addition, we don't even know what "normal" would look like anymore....
I was talking to another blogger a few weeks ago, In The Pink who was also diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder as a teen. Much of her symptoms are/were very much like my Obug’s! And she had a really good point... I need to have my kids tested for adrenal fatigue, once she mentioned it I remembered reading something about it in regards to the symptoms they display and chronically high cortisol levels (which they certainly have had). You have to click on the link below with cortisol and read what relationship there is between all of these things in the body. HOLY CRAP! Is this the answer?!!!!!
Cortisol in Blood
A cortisol test is done to measure the level of the hormone cortisol in the blood. The cortisol level may show problems with the adrenal glands or pituitary gland. Cortisol is made by the adrenal glands 
. Cortisol levels go up when the pituitary gland releases another hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
. Cortisol levels go up when the pituitary gland releases another hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).Cortisol has many functions. It helps the body use sugar (glucose) and fat for energy (metabolism), and it helps the body manage stress. Cortisol levels can be affected by many conditions, such as physical or emotional stress, strenuous activity, infection, or injury.
Normally, cortisol levels rise during the early morning hours and are highest about 7 a.m. They drop very low in the evening and during the early phase of sleep. But if you sleep during the day and are up at night, this pattern may be reversed. If you do not have this daily change (diurnal rhythm) in cortisol levels, you may have overactive adrenal glands. This condition is called Cushing's syndrome.
Two blood samples may be taken: one in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Why It Is Done
A cortisol test is done to find problems of the pituitary gland or adrenal glands, such as making too much or too little hormones.
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