I got pulled over awhile back for driving under the influence of Zyprexa. Actually, what the Oregon State Trooper noticed was my huge gaping yawn and erratic weaving within my own lane as I was passing him on the freeway about half a mile from where I worked. I was still yawning uncontrollably, with bothContinue reading “Driving While Bipolar”
Author Archives: bpnurse
Normal? What Is This “Normal” You Speak Of?
Actually, it looks an awful lot like……..me. At least for the time being. It seems a bit odd to be discussing bipolar disorder when I’ve never felt less bipolar in my life. But I think I love this newfound serenity even more than I do my hypomanias. This is what it must be like toContinue reading “Normal? What Is This “Normal” You Speak Of?”
Strange Brew
Looking down at my handful of sanity tonight, I am once again amazed by the different colors and shapes of the various medications in my palm, and I wonder at the technology and the brilliant minds that brought them into existence. Here is a dark blue capsule; it’s the antipsychotic, which for some reason costsContinue reading “Strange Brew”
Stuff about Nothing
OK, so I talk a lot about bipolar disorder and what it’s like to live with it, but I don’t ALWAYS talk about bipolar. Sometimes I will hold forth on politics or religion (you know, the topics our parents taught us never to discuss in public), and other times I just yammer about anything thatContinue reading “Stuff about Nothing”
How I Got Here
You know, no child wakes up in the morning thinking, “Gee, I wanna be a psych patient when I grow up.” For one thing, they don’t understand it, no should they be expected to; mental illness is hard enough to explain to adults (especially those who don’t have it). For another, kids with issues don’tContinue reading “How I Got Here”
The “C” Word
No, no, no, not THAT “C”-word……I meant The “C” Word. As in “crazy”. I can’t speak for all bipolar people, of course, but I’d have to guess that most don’t particularly like having that term applied to them. It sounds so “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”-ish. Who wants to be associated with images ofContinue reading “The “C” Word”
My Meds, My Self
And now, a few words about the wide, wild world of bipolar medications. Now, I am in awe of the few BPers I know who manage their illness with nothing more than a healthy lifestyle. Yes, they still have their ups and downs, and some I quietly suspect would do better if they’d take atContinue reading “My Meds, My Self”
For Rent: Used Nurse. Dirt Cheap!
I’d better explain that. I am not, of course, a ‘lady of the night’ who dresses up in a nurse costume and gives bed baths to her, um, patients for money. What I AM is a newly unemployed, 50-something nurse who’s showing her age, and as such, does not suffer fools gladly. Although I wasContinue reading “For Rent: Used Nurse. Dirt Cheap!”
I Hate Being Bipolar. It’s AWESOME!
If ever a bumper sticker needed a beverage alert, it was this one. I saw it a few months ago on the back of an old Honda that was held together with prayer and duct tape—kind of like my life—and promptly spewed Diet Coke all over my dashboard. Then I went home and told this story to myContinue reading “I Hate Being Bipolar. It’s AWESOME!”
