Hi everyone.

Hi everyone, hope things are going well. For those who don't know me I'm a highly adapted BP1 who is living med free. Been doing it for about 8 years now. Have some new advice to share.

I'm currently deployed and let's say it's been tough at times. But with some new diet restrictions I have made huge gains. So let's talk about diet first.

My new diet is based on the paleo diet. In this I have eliminated grain based carbs and 95% of processed sugars. This was done three months ago and the results where striking. My mind cleared up, my body calmed down (even more then before) my moods became easier to control. The diet really switches you away from fast burning crash inducing sugars (grains turn into simple sugars) to a fat burning diet where fat is good for you. This helped me so much with my mood it was amazing. It became easier and easier to reel my mind in when it wanted to go a little manic.

Mood wise I continue my study of agnostic Buddhism, in a nut shell AB focuses on using the teachings to help with day to day life and less concerned with what ever comes afterward. In short I don't worship Buddha as a god, I value him as a teacher.

By focusing on understanding that from time to time my mind will race, I accept that and put processes in place to limit damage to my life. So instead of spending a 1000 on a whim, I may spend a 100 at worst. In my mind a 90% decrease in the damage to my wallet is acceptable. Now some will argue that any failure is failure as a whole. I submit that it you try for a zero sum mistake free life you are setting yourself up for failure before you even start. Those urges are allways going to be there for me, but I've found a way to live with them and let them off the chain from time to time to let them run just a bit. Because there is a lot of great things about living a BP life style that I frankly don't want to lose.

This takes practice and patience. But there is huge payoffs if you find this can work for you. I've incorporated this curse into my life and found the things that make it better and worse.

I hope this may help some people here understand that this isn't all about doom, gloom and the end. It's about learning to live with a chronic desease that I did nothing to contract. It just happened, these are the ways I have found to live with it.

Feel free to ask any questions. I've allways been open about things. I'm 9 hours ahead of east coast time right now so responses may be delayed a day.

hi happy bill,

i am bp1 and have a form of perserveration. i am also dealing with advanced MS and heart disease. for 62 years i used no psych meds.

exercise, diet, and more exercise served me well. at 62 my wife developed cancer, and i was dealing with possible life threatening liver disease. my psych started me on zoloft, which did not work. so he kept raising doses until i was in a permanent manic flare. i confronted my dr, telling him he misdiagnosed me. i told him from the get go, my twin is bp1 and adhd.

i called medicare and spoke to the ombudsmans office. they mandated my dr to put me on seroquel and buspar, while detoxing from zoloft.

i am now on 25mg seroquel for sleep, and thats it. i am now back to exercise , diet, and coping.

my wife passed 15 months ago. but now i try to focus on our 2 teen daughters who both started college. family is my rock. the girls look up to me, little do they know that i look up to them.

i plan to stay with only sleep medication

 

Wow. Signed on for the first time in a couple years and I see a post from you !! Still inspiring I see ;-) This post made my day, stay well and honestly thank you for sharing re the diet I just might try ...

Cheers, Mogs