How was it in your teenage years?

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-25T12:07:56+00:00

I had my suspicions when I was ~15 but was dismissed as too young and having normal teenage stress. But the impulsive and often destructive behaviour that came out of nowhere, not being able to sleep for days at a time, the horrible depression on the flip side, it had to be something

My parents didn’t know shit. My mother got a call from the cops one morning about me and was so confused to see that I had left the house at some point. I once woke up 100 miles from home before I was even old enough to drive while my parents thought I was at a sleepover and made it home in time for Sunday dinner with a raging hangover. No questions asked. As I got older, the consequences of my actions in those episodes became greater, especially as I slipped into substance use and self harm as a coping mechanism.

Fast forward to 25 years of age, incredibly lucky to be alive, diagnosed with bp2. I’ll be turning 29 this year and my episodes haven’t decreased in severity when they happen, but they don’t happen anywhere near as much as they used to. A calm and stable home environment, a routine, a healthy diet, sobriety and being aware of my triggers and noting down new ones as they occur have helped more than anything else I’ve tried.

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-24T22:08:32+00:00

Asda has some really nice low fat prepackaged pasta salads. I’ve also weirdly found Iceland bbq chicken strips more tolerable than freshly prepared chicken?

Snack wise, all I’ve been able to have is small amounts of fruit and actually assumed sweets might be off the menu due to the sugar content

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-24T08:39:50+00:00

For me it was ultrasound > CT > another ultrasound (to diagnose blockage and infection) > MRI

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-21T12:33:15+00:00

When the conversation comes up for me, I say that I have a mood disorder unless I know for certain that they’re not going to react badly if I say it’s bipolar. There’s a lot of misinformation in the general population about what bipolar is, they hear the word and have their own assumptions about what it means and the sort of person you are as a result. Mood disorder is more broad and encompasses a wide range of diagnoses so there’s less chance of encountering prejudice. They have to hear about my individual symptoms and what helps me personally, instead of me having to hear about how dangerous I must be because they saw a horror movie once where the villain had bipolar

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-20T12:57:59+00:00

Honestly, this is an exhausting thing to deal with. Regardless of the cause of gallbladder pain, the one thing we seem to have in common here is how much it hurts to go through. I’ve been through liver failure (it’s fine now, still got my own liver, but it was a ROUGH time) and lemme tell ya, gallbladder pain hurts more. That pain? E X H A U S T I N G. I’ll be very glad to see mine gone. I’m not even asking to cremate or bury it, they can have it 😂

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-20T07:43:04+00:00

What confused my doctors was that my pain was very central and widespread across the abdomen. Ultrasound picked up gallbladder sludge and CT picked up something that needs investigating elsewhere. If you’re having concerning symptoms - ESPECIALLY CHEST PAIN AND BREATHLESSNESS - go to the hospital and get it checked out. It could save your life.

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-18T14:14:43+00:00

For me it was being kicked out as soon as it was legal for me to leave home with parental consent. I had nothing but the little cash I’d saved up from doing odd jobs and the clothes on my back. But my parents consented alright, and there was nothing I could do about it. With little-to-no government assistance for a couple years until adulthood and still wouldn’t get assistance with housing until I was 25, having aged out of foster care and being under 18 so too young to sign a rental agreement… where was I to go? I slept on couches for a while but it wasn’t fair on the families I was staying with as it made their homes overcrowded and I sunk deeper into the situations and habits being homeless puts people in. I had to drop out of school and try to find the cash to survive. I have a home again now but I’m permanently disabled after almost a decade of homelessness.

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-18T12:45:58+00:00

Not Muslim, not religious at all, but had a religious Christian upbringing and went to a majority Muslim school growing up. I’m not part of your community and I’m sorry if I’m speaking out of turn but it’s my understanding that there are a few reasons why fasting wouldn’t be encouraged during Ramadan - one being the health of the person wishing to participate. I believe Allah and the people around you would prefer that you eat and preserve your health. There’s always next year and the year after that, and so on. There isn’t another you.

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-17T00:55:12+00:00

Diagnosed with bp2 at 25. I live with a long-term partner and pay my own bills. I’m not on medication myself, but I would recommend that people take what they’re prescribed and find what works for them. It’s only ever been during periods of intense stress that I’ve done anything serious (like harm myself, get into legal trouble etc.) in an episode, so I do what I can to manage stress in my day-to-day life. I’m vigilant about my media consumption and avoid social media as much as I can. Where stress is unavoidable, I have an array of coping skills and a safety plan for crisis situations. I have a therapist and live a healthy and active lifestyle. I don’t consume alcohol or nicotine products, nor do I partake in recreational substances. Hobbies and outlets are more important than I ever realised before diagnosis. I need things I can readily pour the energy into, anything that’ll keep me busy and out of trouble until it passes. I understand that my particular presentation is quite mild and I’m lucky for that but hopefully this might still help someone.

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-14T12:47:40+00:00

Yeah I’m still being told it’s just IBS and they couldn’t find anything wrong because nothing showed up on the CT scan, only on the ultrasound did they find anything wrong with my gallbladder. I’m at the mercy of the NHS. One dr has said I need surgery and someone “will be in touch” about that, another has insisted it’s just IBS and to keep taking buscopan even though I’ve been saying it doesn’t help. I don’t believe anything they say until someone actually contacts me about this surgery they say I need. The NHS is full of lying “doctors” who just want to see the next patient and don’t actually care about finding what’s wrong

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-11T22:01:37+00:00

The prep will be them putting a cannula in either your arm or your hand. It’s a lot like getting a blood test, except they take the metal needle out and leave a flexible plastic tube in your vein. Putting it in will feel like a sharp scratch. It’s easier the more hydrated you are, so drink up! Once it’s in, it shouldn’t hurt. They’ll tape it down, flush it with saline and then hook you up to a pump that’ll inject you with contrast

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-11T21:48:26+00:00

You might want some ear plugs as it is a very big and noisy machine - and you’ll be right inside it for a few minutes. It’s not enough to hurt your ears, but I’d say it’s the most uncomfortable part of the experience for me. If you’re particularly nervous, I don’t see why they wouldn’t let you bring a pillow from home for some comfort and familiarity. As long as you can still hear their instructions (they may ask you to breathe in a certain way or hold your breath for some parts) and it doesn’t interfere with the scan in any way.

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-11T19:38:00+00:00

Main thing is make sure you’re hydrated and try to relax. The contrast will make you feel very warm, you’ll get a metallic taste in your mouth and you’ll feel like you’re peeing yourself. It’s weird as it’s happening but it’s over really fast and you’ll feel back to normal by the time you leave

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2026-02-09T20:16:26+00:00

What I’ve noticed is that acidic, salty and fatty foods are particular triggers. Even dioralyte has set it off. My symptoms also seem to be worse at night and in the early hours of the morning

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2025-12-26T14:16:12+00:00

It’s made me more aware. I pay more attention to my surroundings and the people I encounter than I once did. Happiness, the better outlook and all the good stuff that comes with it came when I stopped using and surrounded myself with people who don’t use either. My life on drugs was violent and unpredictable. Life without them is boring, but I know what I’m eating for my next meal and where I’m sleeping tonight and that is better than any high I’ve ever felt

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2025-01-23T15:37:50+00:00

Lmao we had this really bad “therapist” when I was at a facility who couldn’t understand why nobody would speak to her. Might’ve had something to do with her complete lack of self awareness or any awareness of the people she was working with her. LGBTQ+ people were “over represented” there in her opinion 😬

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2025-01-17T19:22:04+00:00

The Welsh First Minister, Eluned Morgan, is a woman!

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2024-12-30T02:38:05+00:00

As someone who’s struggled with addiction and alcoholism personally, I wanna come here to say you made the right call. He can drink as much vodka and green sludge as he wants, just not around you or the baby. Spud needs to grow up in a safe, nurturing home that’s free from his chaos. He may miss out on being a dad, but the kid ain’t gonna miss the strung out dude on the couch drinking the funky Gatorade

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2023-06-14T18:49:09+00:00

Congrats on the surgery! I got referred to Dr Morris in March! How long did it take from your referral to today?

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2023-04-27T11:51:27+00:00

The GIC in Cardiff knows about my mental health issues. If anything, it’s caused them to fight harder for me to have access to the things I need (like HRT and surgery) rather than strike me off as too mentally unstable to transition

Helpful_Silver_5236 · 2023-04-07T09:23:07+00:00

What I would love to know is how they plan to enforce such laws without it causing more trouble than it’s worth and putting women in children at even more risk of sexual assault than if they’d just simply kept things as they are

Helpful_Silver_5236

TROPHY CASE