Physical Just as Important w/Bipolar Disorder

Hey, ya'll --

I've been having a real bad time of it lately physically.

I had an MRI done on my neck and it showed bone spurs and decreased spinal fluid. I don't know what all the doctor-speak means, all I know is I have incredible pain in my arm and it hurts whenever I move it certain ways. I mean excuciating pain sometimes! My husband says I even cry out in my sleep from this.

Now, I have no idea what this problem has to do with pain in my arm, but my doctor thinks it's a pinched nerve in my neck.

I've already had 2 steroid shots into my arm and a shot into my neck, both of which didn't work, so now I'm in physical therapy for it.

The physical therapy was working for awhile, but now it's become painful.

I know they say it hurts before it becomes better, but now I'm getting real frustrated.

The pain was getting better! Then last session she added another exercise that was really painful for me, and I'm supposed to do this exercise 4 times a day (which I've done), and it seems like I'm worse again.

I don't mean to complain, but to bring up a point.

If we don't take care of ourselves physically, it can affect our bipolar disorder.

Right now I'm only frustrated. But if I start to get depressed because of all the pain, or if I don't do anything about it (I'm going to have a talk with the therapist today), I'd get more depressed, and more depression can lead into a bipolar episode.

The bottom line here is, if you didn't have the disorder, you'd go to the doctor if you didn't feel good, right? You wouldn't expect it to get better on its own.

If you had the flu, you'd take medicine to make you feel better.

Well, just like you take care of yourself physically, you have to take care of yourself emotionally as well.

Bipolar disorder isn't going to go away on its own. It's not going to get "fixed" on its own.

Like going to the doctor if you don't feel well physically, if you don't "feel well" emotionally, if you feel "off," or not like yourself, you need to call your psychiatrist to find out what's going on.

That's at least as important, if not more.

And you have to be proactive about it, just like I'm being proactive about the pain in my arm by having a talk with the therapist today (and, if that isn't successful, I'll have a talk with my referring doctor about it).

Wishing you peace and stability,

Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele