About

Hello ~ I’m a sixtysomething retired nurse and writer who also happens to suffer from a nasty little mental illness called Bipolar 1 Disorder. Actually, I don’t always suffer; in fact, some parts of it are pretty cool…..like when I get a lot of energy and stay up half the night writing heavily metaphorical essays on life, love, sex, death, and other matters of consequence. And every day is FABULOUS and I love EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD and everything I see is MAGNIFICENT!!

When I’m not soaring, drowning, or otherwise battling BP, I enjoy the company of my family and the five fur-kids who rule us all. My late husband and I have four beautiful grown children and six even more beautiful grandchildren. In my “spare time”, I’m a site guide for the world’s largest nursing forum and a moderator at a San Diego Chargers fan website. However, my priorities are God, family, and working to reduce the stigma of mental illness. It is my hope that in some small way, this blog will help the cause along.

34 thoughts on “About”

  1. I am so blessed to have found your blog. I am coping with having been diagnosed recently with Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder, and it is so nice to see that I am not alone in all of this.

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    1. Thank you, Kelly. I’m here not only as a bipolar patient, but as an educator and advocate for other people with mental illness. You are most definitely not alone in this…..your struggles are mine as well as countless others. =)

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  3. Hello fellow blogger!
    I have nominated you for a Liebster Award. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read the nomination post (link below) and share the love. I was really chuffed to be nominated and have had great fun answering my nominator’s questions and compiling questions for nominees.

    Congratulations, and keep up the good work!

    Now, if you are so inclined, click here: http://pinkandbluemummyland.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/nominated/

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  4. I’m so psyched to find YOUR blog. 🙂 This is awesome. Thanks for checking out mine on psych central. 🙂 I’m going to carve out some time after Christmas to read yours thoroughly. Have a great holiday season. -Sarah

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  8. It was nice to find your blog. I am also a nurse who has mental illness (bipolar, ptsd, and borderline personality). I am not working though, and unfortunately actually only obtained a job for a short time after I graduated in 2011. So I am on disability now. But I am still passionate about helping others. My mental illness just prevents me from committing to things and I get overwhelmed so easily. I am glad I found your blog though, cause sometimes I feel so alone as people often tell me – “Oh you have a degree, your a nurse, you shouldn’t be depressed…” etc etc etc. As if mental illness cant affect someone with a nursing degree or something. Glad to know I am not alone… not that I want you to have to deal with it, but it just helps to know I am not alone.

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    1. I have found that some of the people who are most judgmental about mental illness are healthcare professionals. It’s a crying shame…..you’d think that they would understand, but they don’t and they don’t WANT to. I’m a site guide at Allnurses.com, the world’s largest nursing website, and I’ve spent a good portion of the past two years educating nurses and students on mental disorders and what it’s like to live with them. It’s opened a lot of eyes there on the site, but overall nurses and doctors are quite prejudiced. I don’t blame you for not continuing with nursing; it IS hard to commit to things when you’re bipolar (I’ve held 3 jobs just in the past 4 years) and the difficulty of the work will chew you up and spit you out if you’re easily overwhelmed. Thank you for the comments and the follow. 🙂

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  9. So glad to have found this blog. A lot of my struggle has been trying to connect with others who are bp or bp II. It is comforting to get another’s perspective. Thank you for sharing.

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  12. What a relief! That you’re not only a fellow RN but, diagnosed in our 50’s+. What are the chances? I have wrung out my sponge and absorb what wonders you have achieved to date.

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    1. You too? I’ve had symptoms for most if not all my life, but I thought it was just me being different, difficult, quirky, and obnoxious! Thanks for visiting my blog, I’m glad you enjoy it and hope you’ll come back for more. 🙂

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  14. I am glad I got connected to your blog through another blogger! I look forward to reading more and perhaps educating myself more about my wife’s bi-polar disorder!

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    1. Thank you for the follow! Your wife is a lucky woman to have you by her side. You have a good blog too… Your love and concern for your wife is obvious. Keep on learning!

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      1. Thanks for your vote of confidence about my blog, it is greatly appreciated! Always learning…so much to learn!!

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  16. Hi bpnurse,

    My name is Anuj Agarwal. I’m Founder of Feedspot.

    I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog bpnurse | I Hate Being Bipolar. It’s AWESOME! has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Bipolar Disorder Blogs on the web.

    http://blog.feedspot.com/bipolar_disorder_blogs/

    I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 100 Bipolar Disorder Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!

    Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.

    Best,
    Anuj

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  17. Your blog makes me feel not so alone.
    I am Bipolar 1 with several other sprinklings of comorbidity, & I was a nursing student up until a month ago.
    I had to leave due to severe depressive symptoms and a car accident suicide attempt. I’m trying so hard to live, as it’s clear that God doesn’t want me to leave yet.
    I still have an absolute passion for nursing, & hope I can find my way back to it.

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    1. Hi Katie, and welcome to bpnurse! I’m so sorry your schooling has been cut short for the time being, but things will get better…you can count on it. I’m glad you know that suicide is not the answer and that God wants you to stay here, that’s half the battle right there. Hugs!

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  18. Hi. I don’t know if this is appropriate because ASD neurodivergent here! I recently saw a comment you made on a psych board concerning using Zyprexa as a PRN. Clearly desperate, just wondering if you’d be willing to talk to me more about your experience. Thanks so much.

    Hi there. I use Zyprexa as a scheduled med, not as a PRN unless my pdoc tells me to increase it temporarily because I’m manic. You can PM me at Psych Central if you like and I’ll be happy to help if I can.

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    1. Hi there. I use Zyprexa as a scheduled med, not as a PRN unless my pdoc tells me to increase it temporarily because I’m manic. You can PM me at Psych Central if you like and I’ll be happy to help if I can.

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      1. I can’t PM you on the forum, I hadn’t been on in awhile and forgot my username 🤦🏻‍♀️ It says I have to make five posts before I can chat? Argh!

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