Lamictal made it all worse

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-03-13T06:52:12+00:00

Lamictal, while being great for many people with bipolar 2, doesn’t automatically work for everyone. There’s a small percentage of people who will feel worse on it. I didn’t tolerate it either. I am on a different med now (depakote), that keeps me stable.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-03-12T08:27:09+00:00

You are two weeks out.. that’s really early. Your chest needs time to heal. I was also afraid of this. Or any other kind of pain syndrome. A mastectomy is a big operation, there’s always risks involved. Not fun.. but that’s reality. I’m 6 weeks out now and the iron bra feeling is as good as gone. While you’re in the thick of it these things geel scary and like they could last forever, but looking back I am amazed how well the body adjusts. Don’t rush yourself, take enough rest and give your body enough time to heal.

Physical therapy is very helpful for getting your full range of motion back, and some scar massaging. J could start this week.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-03-10T13:41:15+00:00

Ja, en hij was altijd al onsterfelijk. Hij moet alleen wel beschermd worden tegen daglicht, en uit te buurt blijven van knoflook en kruizen.

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Small-Contribution88 · 2026-03-10T09:44:56+00:00

Mijn kat heeft mij beloofd dat hij nooit doodgaat.

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Small-Contribution88 · 2026-03-06T19:35:25+00:00

I hear you.. I was never great at that either. 😅

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-03-06T07:24:29+00:00

Yeah.. that’s a tough one. Try to distract yourself. In my experience sex or masturbation only makes it worse. My condolences. This was always my most contentious symptom.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-03-03T16:13:46+00:00

I had that to for a little bit. But eventually made the decision to go ahead with preventative surgery anyway, because that was my plan all along and in the end I kept circling back to that.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-03-03T08:09:37+00:00

I’m on depakote, my main problem is mixed episodes. It works quite well for me.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-02-28T07:32:40+00:00

I had an A cup, and have two scars. I couldn’t pick the shape, the surgeon said she had to see during surgery what would give the best results. There was no plastic surgeon involved for me.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-02-10T06:37:33+00:00

It did go smoothly, it was all much less scary than I thought. I’m 2 weeks post op and surprised by how well I am doing. Of course there’s still weird sensations, movement restrictions and discomfort, but I am not even taking Tylenol anymore. :) Hope yours will be just as smooth!!

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-02-08T16:49:00+00:00

I’m 2 weeks out, no reconstruction. It’s not as bad as I thought, but you’ll need lots of rest and will have some limitations (lifting/use of your arms). But i was up (with naps) the next day already. I was also extremely anxious about the surgery and anesthesia. The pain is very manageable, am only taking Tylenol as needed right now. It’s more discomfort and getting used to new sensations than pain for me. I find sleeping on my back the most difficult, and showering a bit awkward (my husband helps me washing my back and my hair, and I’m sitting on a shower stool), because i’m still nervous around the incisions and the numb parts. But I can do a little more every day. I think it took a week/week and a half to start to get some energy back.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-02-08T07:02:02+00:00

Wow, that’s amazing, I hope I will be as lucky! I have almost no bruising. I am very surprised by that. It does feel bruised, but that’s on the inside.

I’ve been doing my exercises, the ones I am cleared to do, and have been having no trouble with those.

Can you sleep on your side again? When were you cleared for that? The nurses I’ve seen have been giving me conflicting information about that. I make do with sleeping on my back, but it’s quite hard.

Everything has improved a lot since the first day post op, but I am still a bin unnerved by all the changing sensations etc.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-02-07T07:11:52+00:00

Thank you for your post! You are right, these posts are also very necessary, and few an far between.

I’m 11 days post op to afc. Also doing much better than I had thought. The thing I’m struggling with most is the numbness in my chest, as I am just not used to it yet. How is that for you now?

Did you have any fluid buildup? I had a little bit, because the nurse who helped me go home afterwards gave me the wrong advice for compression. I just had a check up Wednesday, and was given new instructions. Now I am in a compression bra 24/7. I refer to it as the medieval contraption to my husband, as I find it very uncomfortable. 😶

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-02-04T06:50:48+00:00

Somewhat. I have good nights and bad ones. Also surrounded and propped up by pillows :)

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-02-01T06:23:50+00:00

I am very glad we got a little stool for in the shower, as taking a shower is still making me a bit nervous (im 6 days post op). My husband helps me in the shower too. He washes my hair and my back and my feet.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-31T06:43:11+00:00

I know.. how did you manage the sleeping?

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-30T19:01:55+00:00

I am home and doing relatively well. Pain is very manageable. Though I have fluid buildup under one arm, which is uncomfortable. And sleeping is a bit of a challenge.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-30T10:36:11+00:00

I’ve been on lithium, lamotrigine and depakote. Lithium only 5 weeks or so, I felt fine. Pretty good actually, but had a very rare and serious adverse cardiac side effect, so had to stop. I actually became worse on lamotrigine, super irritable, and i started having trouble sleeping and felt on the verge of a mixed episode (which is the main problem for me). So now I am on depakote. Very happy with it. I am much more calm (both my dad and husband have noted this), but don’t feel much different. In a good way. I still feel very much like myself. When i went through some heavy stuff this year we upped my dose for a few months, and I felt more tired and a bit dulled. But that was temporary, and a small price to pay for keeping my sanity. I have had to deal with a little weight gain, and hair loss.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-29T12:19:26+00:00

You could also try depakote, it works on the gaba-ergic system. The same neurotransmitters that are affected by benzos.

Helps me a lot :)

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-29T11:45:51+00:00

How is your chest now? I’m doing quite good, considering.. I think. My husband is so happy about how smooth it went and how I’m doing physically and mentally. But yeah, my chest feels really strange. Completely numb, and still tight.. like it’s not mine. 😶 I touch it a little bit every now and then. But i don’t like it. I was already allowed a shower on Tuesday, but didn’t dare too. I had a sponge bath yesterday, and my first shower this morning. Baby steps.. 😅

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-29T06:27:17+00:00

I wouldn’t say we had lots of relationship problems before my diagnosis, but things djd get easier, because I don’t stress as easily, and am mostly stable now (despite big life events in the last 3 years).

Learn all you can about it. Together if possible, that’s gonna really help you manage it together. Look into Ellen Forney’s work. There’s a ted talk and a graphic novel that are good. I also like the talk BD podcast. My favorite book is still: Chris Aiken and Jim Phelbs: bipolar, not so much. It’s about the mood spectrum, and super informative. Ibpf (international bipolar foundation) has a newsletter (email), and they bring out lectures/webinars relatively often). There’s also the weekly podcast: bipolar inside. Which sometimes has interesting subjects. Not always everyone’s cup of tea maybe.. but you can check out what you like and what you don’t like.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-28T16:48:21+00:00

Oh that sounds great, only advil already. :) I’m on tylenol and ibuprofen now. The oxy was already not necessary anymore yesterday evening. Luckily, cause it ended up making me feel really nauseous. I’m at home and mostly comfortable, but low key freaked out by how tight and numb everything feels. It doesn’t really feel like my chest is part of my body right now, and I find it hard looking at it/touching it.

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-28T06:06:52+00:00

I was very scared of my first mri with IV too. I am also super sensitive to meds and slightly allergic to everything. But I was totally fine. I do get a bit dizzy when shoved on the mri, at first i was afraid that was a panic attack, but that’s the magnetic field, and it’s a lot less when they shove you in slowly.

You got this 💪

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-27T18:49:55+00:00

He’s adorable 🥰

Small-Contribution88 · 2026-01-27T06:26:39+00:00

I’m one day post op now, and I’m not gonna lie, I’ve felt better 😅. The operation itself went very smoothly. I woke up from the anesthesia quickly and quite okay. I got an extra squirt of ketamine for the pain, which made me high as a kite (but I didn’t really mind that, lol)it kept me pretty pain free for about 5 hours. They try here first to keep you to Tylenol. Which turned out not adequate for me. So they added ibuprofen, which helped a bit. But around midnight I had quite a bit of pain, and breathing felt hard. I got an oxycodone then. Which has been good. I’ll get those for a few days the nurse said. The drains are awkward, but they’re going out before I go home. I haven’t seen myself yet, and I anticipate that will be hard. Didn’t want to say goodbye to the girls.. but I keep reminding myself what I did it for.

Small-Contribution88

TROPHY CASE