Gone

People with bipolar disorder are at great risk for suicide if they are not getting treatment. The National Mental Health Association reports that 30%-70% of suicide victims have suffered from a form of depression. Men commit almost 75% of suicides, even though twice as many women attempt it.

It's not that I dwell on those facts. It's just that they hover over my thoughts daily while I struggle to keep my family well.

About the picture: I do not know Elvin Smith. I took the picture of his memorial wreath at the entry way of a local Wal-Mart. I suppose his co-workers displayed the marker to remember him. It seemed strange to see this in a place so all about consuming and exchanging and daily life. While I took this photo the alarm went off when someone exited the store with a high dollar item and the little security thing hadn't been deactivated. Chaos. And there was Elvin looking surprised. (Kathryn)

Paints

Charlie is painting the kitchen. We're not getting rid of the fish theme. Just toning it down a bit. It's a good winter project. Except when the day he paints the back door turns out to be the coldest of the year and we have to turn the heat off while the door stands wide open to dry.

It's a good thing he's doing the work because this is the perfect project I'd start and never finish. Wee, for having handy boys around the house. (Kathryn)

$hopping

I'm spending way too much money at Wal-Mart. I went there yesterday and again today. Funny thing is we don't buy any drugs there. Those we get from K-Mart, Walgreens, QVL and sometimes CVS.

The scary part of today's trip was I thought we were going for enchilada fixin's but Katee had a list. A Katee list. She requires more beauty products in a year than I've gotten in my entire life. I had one Flicker razor that my mom made me shave with for the entire time I was in high school.

When we tally up the order it's over a hundred dollars. Katee pops up and says "I've got twenty."

"Where'd that come from?"

"Gas. Money. You gave me."

"You better keep that for gas."

"Just thought I'd offer."

We did go to the Family Dollar store and buy dog pee pads. Share my wealth with everyone is my motto. (Kathryn)

Please?

Miss Kitty now has to nibble at the center island since we have a new kitchen table and we are actually eating at it. The old table just used to house clutter and Miss Kitty's feeding station.

Orange tabby is not happy about the change. But then when she first came to live with us, she stayed in the back room for over a year before she decided to come out and explore the rest of the house. (Kathryn)

Work and School

House Hunters on HGTV last night had the story of a young woman who was getting ready to buy her first place. She was looking for a condo in the city where she had gotten her first job. During the course of the show it was revealed she was thirty years old and this would be the first paycheck she'd ever earned.

Granted, she was a medical doctor but this makes me rethink how much we're expecting of folks with bipolar disorder. If a "normal" person made it all the way through school and was never required to work, why do we demand a bipolar person get a job? Are we pushing them to be our definition of normal? Are we expecting too much?

Katee starts at LSUS this semester after completing a couple of semesters at BPCC. BPCC is also where she got her GED. The GED program there with Becky Turberville is awesome. All the work is done on computers and she loved that. (Kathryn)

Totally

When Charlie was in a coma in 1993 he got bedsores on his feet that completely ate away the back of his heels. The left foot patched itself up. The right foot has always had an open wound festering on it.

His new doctor has decided to put him into a "total contact cast" to see if that will cause the open parts of the foot to close. The cast helps sores heal because it protects the skin and prevents pressure from being put on the sore.

He gets a new cast every week and has been wearing one for six weeks. When he goes back Friday to have this one removed the therapist says he might have progressed enough and won't need a another one. (Kathryn)