Anyone else with Bipolar Disorder?

[MantaRider]

Hey folks,

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder this year at 27. In retrospect, it probably kicked into gear when I was a teenager, so I lived with it and did many Disney trips without knowing. However, travelling always sets me off. Your routine changes, your exercise changes, the food you eat changes, and every day is jam packed and exciting. In other words, a recipe for disaster!

I am wondering what anyone else with this disorder does to help stay relatively stable during a trip. In August we are going down for a week, and I'm very excited and also nervous. It will be our first time taking DS2, so that is a whole new part of the equation for me. I won't be able to shift the trip to meet my moods, since I will have to stick to the schedule for him. Any tips or advice are appreciated. I am on meds and in weekly therapy, so management at home is good. Im concerned because trips in the past have always set off minor episodes and I'd like to mitigate that as much as possible. Thanks

 

[5kidsmommy]

I'm bipolar so I know a lot about this. Trips in general do cause my moods to be unstable. The biggest thing for me is planning. My son is autistic and we use the DAS for me which also helps me. Knowing he has options helps ease my stress. I research everything before we go, re-read all the restaurant menus, study the maps, etc even though we've been multiple times. I make sure to know what rides are down and what all is being refurbished. My family thinks I get a bit neurotic about planning, although I don't do spreadsheets or anything. Basically the key is be prepared and make sure to take lots of breaks from the crowds. There are quiet spots and they are good for breathing and relaxing.

 

[redberyl]

Lack of sleep will trigger my mania so i make sure to get plenty of rest at night and not push myself to get up super early or stay up late. I am well controlled on meds but my doctor has prescribed me depakote as a "rescue" drug. I do not take it all the time but if i take it at the first signs of mania it brings me back down to normal. We also know that my mania cycles with the seasons (gets worse in summer), so we adjust the dosage of my regular meds as the seasons change. It might be worth discussing with your doctor to see if it would be possible to adjust your med dosage for a couple weeks before you go, or to see if there is a rescue med that might work for you.

 

[MantaRider]

I'm bipolar so I know a lot about this. Trips in general do cause my moods to be unstable. The biggest thing for me is planning. My son is autistic and we use the DAS for me which also helps me. Knowing he has options helps ease my stress. I research everything before we go, re-read all the restaurant menus, study the maps, etc even though we've been multiple times. I make sure to know what rides are down and what all is being refurbished. My family thinks I get a bit neurotic about planning, although I don't do spreadsheets or anything. Basically the key is be prepared and make sure to take lots of breaks from the crowds. There are quiet spots and they are good for breathing and relaxing.

Sorry, what's the DAS? I'm not familiar with all the terms here. Doing some research and being better prepared sounds like a good coping strategy. I think taking breaks will help to, we will be coming back for DS's nap time and that should be fine. We did that in Disneyland and on our last cruise and those were both low impact trips for me.

I'm not glad you have this, but I am glad you are out there too! We aren't alone =D Being a Bipolar Parent is fun stuff, huh?

 

[MantaRider]

Lack of sleep will trigger my mania so i make sure to get plenty of rest at night and not push myself to get up super early or stay up late. I am well controlled on meds but my doctor has prescribed me depakote as a "rescue" drug. I do not take it all the time but if i take it at the first signs of mania it brings me back down to normal. We also know that my mania cycles with the seasons (gets worse in summer), so we adjust the dosage of my regular meds as the seasons change. It might be worth discussing with your doctor to see if it would be possible to adjust your med dosage for a couple weeks before you go, or to see if there is a rescue med that might work for you.

Currently my rescue drug is Klonopin because Anxiety is usually my worse symptom. I will definitely discuss this with my doctor on my next visit. Thank you for the idea! Something that can actually help with my mini mood swings would be really nice. Sometimes I go through 1 day mini episodes

 

[5kidsmommy]

Sorry, what's the DAS? I'm not familiar with all the terms here. Doing some research and being better prepared sounds like a good coping strategy. I think taking breaks will help to, we will be coming back for DS's nap time and that should be fine. We did that in Disneyland and on our last cruise and those were both low impact trips for me.

I'm not glad you have this, but I am glad you are out there too! We aren't alone =D Being a Bipolar Parent is fun stuff, huh?

DAS is Disability Access Service. It allows guests who are unable to wait in the traditional lines to wait elsewhere. Basically you get a return time one ride at a time. It works for lines that have a FP+ line.

 

[lanejudy]

every day is jam packed and exciting. ...
It will be our first time taking DS2, so that is a whole new part of the equation for me. I won't be able to shift the trip to meet my moods, since I will have to stick to the schedule for him.

I recommend a lighter schedule - less busy, less hectic, more relaxed, time to “go with the flow” and be willing to scrap the plan entirely. Maybe pick 2-3 “must do” attractions per day and do mostly quick service meals so you aren’t locked into ADRs.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[gap2368]

I recommend a lighter schedule - less busy, less hectic, more relaxed, time to “go with the flow” and be willing to scrap the plan entirely. Maybe pick 2-3 “must do” attractions per day and do mostly quick service meals so you aren’t locked into ADRs.

Enjoy your vacation!

Op this will most likely help you the most do not go in thinking you will do a long list of rides go in with some FP ( 2if you have another adult then maybe one of the FP rides can be one you really like that he can not do and you can do rider swap with the other person that your with) the good thing about table service is you do have to be anywhere at any set of time and you can often preorder so no lines to wait in, the dwn side is you might not find a set but if your ok eating outside or having too look for a minute or two you should be fine ( the time of day you go the time of year you go and also where you go like if it is a small place or a big place would help too) make sure you get plenty of sleep so no late night early the next morning thing make sure you take care of your needs too ( eat and drink sleep keep as normal ruteen at you can so if you eat lunch at 12 try and eat as close to 12 as you can dinner at 6 eat as close to 6 at you can. talk to your theripest about things they think will help you ( brething/ meditation you can do medication you can take ) they know you best and know thing that you find hard if you need a DAS ( talked about up thread) then you will have to talk to GS about your needs as they have to do with waiting in line ( the DAS let you wait your time outside the line and when your time is up go in the fp line.) you wil have to let the CM know why you can not wait in line and how it will help you to wait outside the line. this can be a good tool but do not rely on it as your only tool. one thing to remember it is ok to call it a day and go back to the hotel for a rest or a swim and then head back to the parks. you might all enjoy it. and you might notice things you would not have if you were on the go go go all the time so enjoy your trip

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My DD has both bipolar disorder and autism. We use the DAS, which helps, but we still need a lot of additional strategies. Getting enough sleep is very important, but my DD still wants to be able to see some of the nighttime fireworks and shows which put us back at the resort late. So we schedule our park days so late nights are followed by later starts the next day. On days when we aren't starting late, we do rope drop, stay until shortly after lunch, then go back to the resort to rest and unwind. We then head back to the parks for a few hours in the evening.

Staying hydrated is critical, especially since DD was put on lithium. We carry refillable water bottles with us and refill them often. Not getting overly hungry is also important, so I pack granola bars or some other small snack in my purse for DD to eat in case we let it go too long between snacks or meals.

We used to use noise reducing ear muffs, but once DD became a teenager, she decided the ear muffs drew too much attention to her. So now she uses earbuds and listens to music on her iphone when she needs to tune out the park noise and confusion. She prefers over the ear headphones over the earbuds, but has come to recognize that having something small and easily carried in her purse is more important.

Sometimes, we just need a little time to chill out in the parks. So make use of certain attractions that are air conditioned and will have you seated for a while. Carousel of Progress is a good one in the MK. The movie in Epcot's France pavilion has been a go-to for us, but I think I read that is either closing or changing. Sometimes we just duck into a quick service restaurant during off-peak times and try to find a table away from other people.

And, as I'm sure you are aware, making sure you take your meds exactly on time is critical. Set an alarm on your phone if need be because it's far too easy to lose track of time when you are in the parks and take your meds late.

 

[MantaRider]

I recommend a lighter schedule - less busy, less hectic, more relaxed, time to “go with the flow” and be willing to scrap the plan entirely. Maybe pick 2-3 “must do” attractions per day and do mostly quick service meals so you aren’t locked into ADRs.

Enjoy your vacation!

Thanks for the Tips! I think we will be trying to keep things on the relaxed end, since we will have a two year old anyways. Here's hoping!

 

[MantaRider]

My DD has both bipolar disorder and autism. We use the DAS, which helps, but we still need a lot of additional strategies. Getting enough sleep is very important, but my DD still wants to be able to see some of the nighttime fireworks and shows which put us back at the resort late. So we schedule our park days so late nights are followed by later starts the next day. On days when we aren't starting late, we do rope drop, stay until shortly after lunch, then go back to the resort to rest and unwind. We then head back to the parks for a few hours in the evening.

Staying hydrated is critical, especially since DD was put on lithium. We carry refillable water bottles with us and refill them often. Not getting overly hungry is also important, so I pack granola bars or some other small snack in my purse for DD to eat in case we let it go too long between snacks or meals.

We used to use noise reducing ear muffs, but once DD became a teenager, she decided the ear muffs drew too much attention to her. So now she uses earbuds and listens to music on her iphone when she needs to tune out the park noise and confusion. She prefers over the ear headphones over the earbuds, but has come to recognize that having something small and easily carried in her purse is more important.

Sometimes, we just need a little time to chill out in the parks. So make use of certain attractions that are air conditioned and will have you seated for a while. Carousel of Progress is a good one in the MK. The movie in Epcot's France pavilion has been a go-to for us, but I think I read that is either closing or changing. Sometimes we just duck into a quick service restaurant during off-peak times and try to find a table away from other people.

And, as I'm sure you are aware, making sure you take your meds exactly on time is critical. Set an alarm on your phone if need be because it's far too easy to lose track of time when you are in the parks and take your meds late.

Thanks for all the tips. I definitely plan to talk to my therapist about the trip long beforehand, and my psych for medication. I'm hoping it will be a lot better just because I am on medication now and I wasn't on previous trips, and they never triggered a severe episode. I'm still afraid, though. As I've come to realize that changes in routine set me off over this year, I'm starting to become afraid of those big changes. Even weekends can be hard for me at times. This is stuff I plan to tackle in therapy but it's helpful talking to others who deal with it and learning some new strategies