Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sarah and I’m twenty-seven. As you’ve seen in my bio, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was twenty-two, but I had been struggling with it since I was twenty.

Before I got married, I was seeing a doctor that had misdiagnosed me. We trusted him at the time because he had correctly diagnosed me with my Asperger’s Syndrome. Sadly, he didn’t know that I had bipolar disorder. To be fair, bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed. I’m sure a lot of us can relate to that. That doesn’t make the journey any less painful, though.

When I was twenty and twenty-one, I was in a very painful relationship. We brought out the absolute worst in each other. My disorder was really acting up because not only was I on the wrong medication, but I was staying in a relationship with someone all because I was afraid of being alone. It was a very dark time and I’m very sorry for what I put us both through.

I wasn’t correctly diagnosed until I was twenty-two and newly married to my wonderful husband, Sean. We were in marriage therapy and the therapist suggested that I might have bipolar disorder. Honestly, it made perfect sense to me. I wish that I could say that it was all uphill from there, though, but it wasn’t. I went to the hospital twice that year after that. I also started gaining weight and a close friend died, all in one year.

I’m happy to say that even though I went through a rough, rough, year, I continued taking my medication and going to therapy. Both Sean and my Mom stood by me. I had people to talk to and to be honest, my faith even deepened. When I told my friends about my disorder, they were supportive. It was a wonderful feeling.

Over the past five years, there haven’t been any mood swings and my weight is under control. Overall, I have found the positivity in my pain; my faith in God has increased, my marriage has gotten stronger, my Mom and I have grown closer, and I’ve even gotten more creative.

I hope that over time, this blog and the stories that I’ll end up sharing will bring you hope and maybe even some peace. I know that it sounds like I had a pretty smooth ride, but as we get to know each other more I’ll share with you my personal struggles and triumph. I promise you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I want nothing more than to show you that.

I know from personal experience that God never promised us an easy ride, but to help us through the hard times. I hope and pray that I can get you through some rough patches as well.

 

See you soon!