mental illness

blackchameleon · Jan 27, 2009

i have been struggling with juggling my CF treatment and bi-polar illness for some years now. im wondering if there is a higher incidence rate of bi-polar (not depression only) among us CF sufferers.the depression obviously leaves me floundering in a sea of sorrow , helplessness and lethergy. when in this state it is so difficult to do airway clearance, nebs and exercise. the inevitable mania i love. it allows me to tap unto that high charge of "adrenaline" type feeling and i seem to have endless capacity to walk (10km) swim (2km) and do long sessions of airway clearance using low lung volume breathing. i am constantly amazed at the two different types of life i live. i am sure my physical health is so determined by my mental health. my friend who had a relatively cf symptom free life until her early 20s is now in ICU on a ventilator with respiratory failure and in desperate need of a transplant. i know she did very little treatment over the last 3 years and just accepted her life was going to diminish rapidly just as we had seen happen to many others. i too thought this 9 years ago and slid rapidly from near normal lung function at 24 to 35% fev1 and nearing transplant stage by 28. i found a friend who encouraed me to just walk around my house and concentate on airway clearance and good sleeping habits for a month. after this i started swimming, 25m laps of a pool, 4 in total with a few minutes rest between was my first days effort. now i can swim 60 laps with a small rest in between laps and walk 10km (with my gorgeous black lab who is having her 1st litter of puppies in about 6 days....cute!) my fev1 is still only 45% but i can do alot of exercise now. my point in all this ramble is it seems more needs to be researched in the way of mental health to fight cfs physical attacks on our bodies. i am really interested in seeing if many of us have a "mania" side to us and not just depression. hope 2009 is a great one of personal learning and peace for us all eh!! wink blacky from Australia.

blackchameleon · Jan 27, 2009

i have been struggling with juggling my CF treatment and bi-polar illness for some years now. im wondering if there is a higher incidence rate of bi-polar (not depression only) among us CF sufferers.the depression obviously leaves me floundering in a sea of sorrow , helplessness and lethergy. when in this state it is so difficult to do airway clearance, nebs and exercise. the inevitable mania i love. it allows me to tap unto that high charge of "adrenaline" type feeling and i seem to have endless capacity to walk (10km) swim (2km) and do long sessions of airway clearance using low lung volume breathing. i am constantly amazed at the two different types of life i live. i am sure my physical health is so determined by my mental health. my friend who had a relatively cf symptom free life until her early 20s is now in ICU on a ventilator with respiratory failure and in desperate need of a transplant. i know she did very little treatment over the last 3 years and just accepted her life was going to diminish rapidly just as we had seen happen to many others. i too thought this 9 years ago and slid rapidly from near normal lung function at 24 to 35% fev1 and nearing transplant stage by 28. i found a friend who encouraed me to just walk around my house and concentate on airway clearance and good sleeping habits for a month. after this i started swimming, 25m laps of a pool, 4 in total with a few minutes rest between was my first days effort. now i can swim 60 laps with a small rest in between laps and walk 10km (with my gorgeous black lab who is having her 1st litter of puppies in about 6 days....cute!) my fev1 is still only 45% but i can do alot of exercise now. my point in all this ramble is it seems more needs to be researched in the way of mental health to fight cfs physical attacks on our bodies. i am really interested in seeing if many of us have a "mania" side to us and not just depression. hope 2009 is a great one of personal learning and peace for us all eh!! wink blacky from Australia.

blackchameleon · Jan 27, 2009

i have been struggling with juggling my CF treatment and bi-polar illness for some years now. im wondering if there is a higher incidence rate of bi-polar (not depression only) among us CF sufferers.the depression obviously leaves me floundering in a sea of sorrow , helplessness and lethergy. when in this state it is so difficult to do airway clearance, nebs and exercise. the inevitable mania i love. it allows me to tap unto that high charge of "adrenaline" type feeling and i seem to have endless capacity to walk (10km) swim (2km) and do long sessions of airway clearance using low lung volume breathing. i am constantly amazed at the two different types of life i live. i am sure my physical health is so determined by my mental health. my friend who had a relatively cf symptom free life until her early 20s is now in ICU on a ventilator with respiratory failure and in desperate need of a transplant. i know she did very little treatment over the last 3 years and just accepted her life was going to diminish rapidly just as we had seen happen to many others. i too thought this 9 years ago and slid rapidly from near normal lung function at 24 to 35% fev1 and nearing transplant stage by 28. i found a friend who encouraed me to just walk around my house and concentate on airway clearance and good sleeping habits for a month. after this i started swimming, 25m laps of a pool, 4 in total with a few minutes rest between was my first days effort. now i can swim 60 laps with a small rest in between laps and walk 10km (with my gorgeous black lab who is having her 1st litter of puppies in about 6 days....cute!) my fev1 is still only 45% but i can do alot of exercise now. my point in all this ramble is it seems more needs to be researched in the way of mental health to fight cfs physical attacks on our bodies. i am really interested in seeing if many of us have a "mania" side to us and not just depression. hope 2009 is a great one of personal learning and peace for us all eh!! wink blacky from Australia.

blackchameleon · Jan 27, 2009

i have been struggling with juggling my CF treatment and bi-polar illness for some years now. im wondering if there is a higher incidence rate of bi-polar (not depression only) among us CF sufferers.the depression obviously leaves me floundering in a sea of sorrow , helplessness and lethergy. when in this state it is so difficult to do airway clearance, nebs and exercise. the inevitable mania i love. it allows me to tap unto that high charge of "adrenaline" type feeling and i seem to have endless capacity to walk (10km) swim (2km) and do long sessions of airway clearance using low lung volume breathing. i am constantly amazed at the two different types of life i live. i am sure my physical health is so determined by my mental health. my friend who had a relatively cf symptom free life until her early 20s is now in ICU on a ventilator with respiratory failure and in desperate need of a transplant. i know she did very little treatment over the last 3 years and just accepted her life was going to diminish rapidly just as we had seen happen to many others. i too thought this 9 years ago and slid rapidly from near normal lung function at 24 to 35% fev1 and nearing transplant stage by 28. i found a friend who encouraed me to just walk around my house and concentate on airway clearance and good sleeping habits for a month. after this i started swimming, 25m laps of a pool, 4 in total with a few minutes rest between was my first days effort. now i can swim 60 laps with a small rest in between laps and walk 10km (with my gorgeous black lab who is having her 1st litter of puppies in about 6 days....cute!) my fev1 is still only 45% but i can do alot of exercise now. my point in all this ramble is it seems more needs to be researched in the way of mental health to fight cfs physical attacks on our bodies. i am really interested in seeing if many of us have a "mania" side to us and not just depression. hope 2009 is a great one of personal learning and peace for us all eh!! wink blacky from Australia.

blackchameleon · Jan 27, 2009

i have been struggling with juggling my CF treatment and bi-polar illness for some years now. im wondering if there is a higher incidence rate of bi-polar (not depression only) among us CF sufferers.the depression obviously leaves me floundering in a sea of sorrow , helplessness and lethergy. when in this state it is so difficult to do airway clearance, nebs and exercise. the inevitable mania i love. it allows me to tap unto that high charge of "adrenaline" type feeling and i seem to have endless capacity to walk (10km) swim (2km) and do long sessions of airway clearance using low lung volume breathing. i am constantly amazed at the two different types of life i live. i am sure my physical health is so determined by my mental health. my friend who had a relatively cf symptom free life until her early 20s is now in ICU on a ventilator with respiratory failure and in desperate need of a transplant. i know she did very little treatment over the last 3 years and just accepted her life was going to diminish rapidly just as we had seen happen to many others. i too thought this 9 years ago and slid rapidly from near normal lung function at 24 to 35% fev1 and nearing transplant stage by 28. i found a friend who encouraed me to just walk around my house and concentate on airway clearance and good sleeping habits for a month. after this i started swimming, 25m laps of a pool, 4 in total with a few minutes rest between was my first days effort. now i can swim 60 laps with a small rest in between laps and walk 10km (with my gorgeous black lab who is having her 1st litter of puppies in about 6 days....cute!) my fev1 is still only 45% but i can do alot of exercise now. my point in all this ramble is it seems more needs to be researched in the way of mental health to fight cfs physical attacks on our bodies. i am really interested in seeing if many of us have a "mania" side to us and not just depression. hope 2009 is a great one of personal learning and peace for us all eh!! wink blacky from Australia.

TestifyToLove · Jan 27, 2009

M was diagnosed with bipolar this fall. We were not told about this when we adopted him from fostercare. At 6 with a low IQ, M does not understand the nature of his disease nor his prognosis. But, his diagnosis is most definitely not a mistake.

I've never heard of a connection between CF and bipolar. We just assumed M was the unfortunate recipient of 2 crummy diseases by nature/God/the universe.

TestifyToLove · Jan 27, 2009

M was diagnosed with bipolar this fall. We were not told about this when we adopted him from fostercare. At 6 with a low IQ, M does not understand the nature of his disease nor his prognosis. But, his diagnosis is most definitely not a mistake.

I've never heard of a connection between CF and bipolar. We just assumed M was the unfortunate recipient of 2 crummy diseases by nature/God/the universe.

TestifyToLove · Jan 27, 2009

M was diagnosed with bipolar this fall. We were not told about this when we adopted him from fostercare. At 6 with a low IQ, M does not understand the nature of his disease nor his prognosis. But, his diagnosis is most definitely not a mistake.

I've never heard of a connection between CF and bipolar. We just assumed M was the unfortunate recipient of 2 crummy diseases by nature/God/the universe.

TestifyToLove · Jan 27, 2009

M was diagnosed with bipolar this fall. We were not told about this when we adopted him from fostercare. At 6 with a low IQ, M does not understand the nature of his disease nor his prognosis. But, his diagnosis is most definitely not a mistake.

I've never heard of a connection between CF and bipolar. We just assumed M was the unfortunate recipient of 2 crummy diseases by nature/God/the universe.

TestifyToLove · Jan 27, 2009

M was diagnosed with bipolar this fall. We were not told about this when we adopted him from fostercare. At 6 with a low IQ, M does not understand the nature of his disease nor his prognosis. But, his diagnosis is most definitely not a mistake.
<br />
<br />I've never heard of a connection between CF and bipolar. We just assumed M was the unfortunate recipient of 2 crummy diseases by nature/God/the universe.

NYCLawGirl · Jan 27, 2009

I know very little about bipolar disorder, so please correct me if I'm off base here, but my understanding is that the disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I don't believe that the CFTR gene would have anything to do with this sort of chemical issue, since this gene is primarily responsible for a protein channel relating to fluid transfer and mucus. That said, I'm not arguing that there's no possibility for a connection, just that I would find it unlikely.

On a behavioral/emotional level, I think it's well established that CF can cause depression. I would not be surprised if CFers are also prone to periods of high activity, especially when feeling healthy. I would probably attribute this to a combined sense of joy/gratitude at feeling healthy, and also a sense of urgency. Many CFers I know tend to pack as much into "good" days as they can in part because they know that the good days might not last. Obviously this is not what happens in someone with diagnosable bipolar, but I think it might explan some tendency on the part of cystics to swing from depression to states of increased activity/emotional highs. Just a thought.

NYCLawGirl · Jan 27, 2009

I know very little about bipolar disorder, so please correct me if I'm off base here, but my understanding is that the disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I don't believe that the CFTR gene would have anything to do with this sort of chemical issue, since this gene is primarily responsible for a protein channel relating to fluid transfer and mucus. That said, I'm not arguing that there's no possibility for a connection, just that I would find it unlikely.

On a behavioral/emotional level, I think it's well established that CF can cause depression. I would not be surprised if CFers are also prone to periods of high activity, especially when feeling healthy. I would probably attribute this to a combined sense of joy/gratitude at feeling healthy, and also a sense of urgency. Many CFers I know tend to pack as much into "good" days as they can in part because they know that the good days might not last. Obviously this is not what happens in someone with diagnosable bipolar, but I think it might explan some tendency on the part of cystics to swing from depression to states of increased activity/emotional highs. Just a thought.

NYCLawGirl · Jan 27, 2009

I know very little about bipolar disorder, so please correct me if I'm off base here, but my understanding is that the disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I don't believe that the CFTR gene would have anything to do with this sort of chemical issue, since this gene is primarily responsible for a protein channel relating to fluid transfer and mucus. That said, I'm not arguing that there's no possibility for a connection, just that I would find it unlikely.

On a behavioral/emotional level, I think it's well established that CF can cause depression. I would not be surprised if CFers are also prone to periods of high activity, especially when feeling healthy. I would probably attribute this to a combined sense of joy/gratitude at feeling healthy, and also a sense of urgency. Many CFers I know tend to pack as much into "good" days as they can in part because they know that the good days might not last. Obviously this is not what happens in someone with diagnosable bipolar, but I think it might explan some tendency on the part of cystics to swing from depression to states of increased activity/emotional highs. Just a thought.

NYCLawGirl · Jan 27, 2009

I know very little about bipolar disorder, so please correct me if I'm off base here, but my understanding is that the disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I don't believe that the CFTR gene would have anything to do with this sort of chemical issue, since this gene is primarily responsible for a protein channel relating to fluid transfer and mucus. That said, I'm not arguing that there's no possibility for a connection, just that I would find it unlikely.

On a behavioral/emotional level, I think it's well established that CF can cause depression. I would not be surprised if CFers are also prone to periods of high activity, especially when feeling healthy. I would probably attribute this to a combined sense of joy/gratitude at feeling healthy, and also a sense of urgency. Many CFers I know tend to pack as much into "good" days as they can in part because they know that the good days might not last. Obviously this is not what happens in someone with diagnosable bipolar, but I think it might explan some tendency on the part of cystics to swing from depression to states of increased activity/emotional highs. Just a thought.

NYCLawGirl · Jan 27, 2009

I know very little about bipolar disorder, so please correct me if I'm off base here, but my understanding is that the disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I don't believe that the CFTR gene would have anything to do with this sort of chemical issue, since this gene is primarily responsible for a protein channel relating to fluid transfer and mucus. That said, I'm not arguing that there's no possibility for a connection, just that I would find it unlikely.
<br />
<br />On a behavioral/emotional level, I think it's well established that CF can cause depression. I would not be surprised if CFers are also prone to periods of high activity, especially when feeling healthy. I would probably attribute this to a combined sense of joy/gratitude at feeling healthy, and also a sense of urgency. Many CFers I know tend to pack as much into "good" days as they can in part because they know that the good days might not last. Obviously this is not what happens in someone with diagnosable bipolar, but I think it might explan some tendency on the part of cystics to swing from depression to states of increased activity/emotional highs. Just a thought.

blackchameleon · Jan 30, 2009

i believe our thought patterns actually change the chemical balance in our brains. western medicine suggests the chemical imbalance changes our thought patterns. been doing some research and it appears the percentage of cf sufferers also having a bi-polar type illness is far greater than the normal population. i think the evidence is there to prove the chemical imbalance is due to prolonged anxious thoughts and the like, not the chemical imbalance striking first.

blackchameleon · Jan 30, 2009

i believe our thought patterns actually change the chemical balance in our brains. western medicine suggests the chemical imbalance changes our thought patterns. been doing some research and it appears the percentage of cf sufferers also having a bi-polar type illness is far greater than the normal population. i think the evidence is there to prove the chemical imbalance is due to prolonged anxious thoughts and the like, not the chemical imbalance striking first.

blackchameleon · Jan 30, 2009

i believe our thought patterns actually change the chemical balance in our brains. western medicine suggests the chemical imbalance changes our thought patterns. been doing some research and it appears the percentage of cf sufferers also having a bi-polar type illness is far greater than the normal population. i think the evidence is there to prove the chemical imbalance is due to prolonged anxious thoughts and the like, not the chemical imbalance striking first.

blackchameleon · Jan 30, 2009

i believe our thought patterns actually change the chemical balance in our brains. western medicine suggests the chemical imbalance changes our thought patterns. been doing some research and it appears the percentage of cf sufferers also having a bi-polar type illness is far greater than the normal population. i think the evidence is there to prove the chemical imbalance is due to prolonged anxious thoughts and the like, not the chemical imbalance striking first.

blackchameleon · Jan 30, 2009

i believe our thought patterns actually change the chemical balance in our brains. western medicine suggests the chemical imbalance changes our thought patterns. been doing some research and it appears the percentage of cf sufferers also having a bi-polar type illness is far greater than the normal population. i think the evidence is there to prove the chemical imbalance is due to prolonged anxious thoughts and the like, not the chemical imbalance striking first.

mental illness

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