Bipolar for Life
Ep 1/S2-Frosting
Good evening and welcome to the second season of “Bipolar for Life.” I’m your host, Wendy Foard, and I’ve managed to live with bipolar disorder for 44 years now. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve survived several suicide attempts, four psychiatric hospitalizations, and one disastrous trip to rehab. Yet, I’m still here!
Let me say up front that I am NOT a medical doctor. I am simply a seasoned manic-depressive trying to help others survive this deadly mental illness through shared information and experiences.
I was looking back over last season, and realized, I’ve given you a great deal of information to digest, but we haven’t really talked about the day-to-day struggle that is bipolar disorder. I want to spend this season discussing just that…daily living issues that come up. Some may seem mundane to outsiders, like taking a shower, but it becomes a serious struggle when you’re clinically depressed.
As we discuss issues this season, please remember that I am speaking from my own experience; your bipolar experiences may be entirely different. Yet, I suspect we will have more in common than not.
That being said, tonight I’d like to talk about one comorbidity with bipolar disorder that doesn’t get discussed much out loud…obesity. Nationally, obesity affects 41.9% of the adult population. Recent clinical research suggests that approximately 68% of people seeking treatment for bipolar disorder are overweight or obese. That’s more than half of us—me included.
I’ve never been what you would call skinny. Hell, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t struggling with my weight.
There is some recent research, however, that was published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2023, that revealed “individuals who are obese have an increased risk of developing bipolar disorder.”
Coincidentally, their research also showed that “patients with bipolar disorder have an increased chance of obesity.” So, this research shows, definitively, that there is a connection between the two, but we have no clue what it means, nor how it relates to the disorder.
Personally, I think it is directly responsible for the insatiable sweet tooth that I get from time-to-time. I don’t know if this happens to you, but in a mixed state I get a NEED for sweets, and the sweetest of sweets is NOT sweet enough! I start out with the usual suspects with candy bars or chocolate; nope, not sweet enough. Then I make my way to ice cream and fudge sauce; nope, not sweet enough, then, to just fudge sauce; yet still not sweet enough!
You have to understand, inside my mouth, there is a taste need that I’m trying to meet…an intense craving for extreme sugariness that overwhelms your rational mind! The only thing that I could ever find that came close to that craving was cake frosting straight out of the container. It wasn’t what I was looking for, cause it wasn’t really sweet enough, but it was close.
These intense cravings for sweets only happen when I’m in a mixed state situation. I like sweets but try to stay away from them, as a rule. Yet, these cravings are undeniable!
I realize, in my rational mind, that eating frosting right out of the can with a spoon packs on the pounds, but there is NO WAY to stop it until that craving is satiated. It’s terrible in its control… Is that addictive behavior? Probably. I just thank God that it doesn’t happen to me that often.
Oh my, confessions of an old manic-depressive… I wonder if you’ve ever had such a sugar craving, or something similar. If you have, I’d love to hear from you. Just drop me a line at bipolarforlife@myyahoo.com. Let’s compare notes!
So, for 68% of us, weight is an issue. It doesn’t help that the medications add to weight gain. Many antidepressants have weight gain as a side effect. So, weight issues become a daily struggle.
For me, none of the diets work well. I can usually lose a few pounds, but nothing of real significance. The weight problem invariably gives you a self-confidence problem, since our society has a love affair with skinny bodies. And don’t you know that when the depression comes around, those self-loathing voices remind you of every pound you’ve gained…ounce…by miserable ounce.
Weight gain is not only bad for self-esteem, but also for your heart. Cardiovascular disease is the most common, non-suicidal, cause of death in people with bipolar disorder.
Previous research has indicated that people diagnosed with a serious mental illness die 10 to 15 years earlier than the general population, and the leading cause of death is heart disease—which includes coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, cardiac arrest, and stroke.
Scientists don’t yet know why bipolar disorder raises the risk of heart disease, but it might reflect the role of inflammation and stress that are active in both conditions.
You know what? I really don’t feel like going over the information on heart disease. We’ve heard it all before from our doctors, haven’t we? Hell, let’s change the subject altogether, shall we?
First, I’d like to say thank you to all the people listening out there! Hello, Toronto! Thanks so much for listening. Hello to those in my ‘hood, Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia! A big “Hey!” to Charlotte, North Carolina and Garden City, New York!
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to those from overseas in Germany, India, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland and Afghanistan. France and Columbia have checked in as well!
Greetings to Bountiful, Utah, Los Angeles, California, High Point, North Carolina, and Baltimore, Maryland! I really appreciate the time we spend together!
It’s remarkable to me all the places that this podcast has reached! I have two maps in my hall, with pins indicating each location that listens in—they’re well pocked with little red pins! You all amaze me, each and every time I walk down my hallway!
Since we’ve gotten to know each other so well over the last season, and I now consider you my close friend… I need to ask you a favor. This is very important to me, and I need your help!
Can I be honest? Over the last four weeks, I have agonized over what to do with “Bipolar for Life” Season Two. I have stressed over what topics to discuss with you, and what format to do it in. If you listened to all of last season, you know that the show changed in format from its original design—No more commercials, or coffee klatches at my place. It has become more straightforward. So, here’s the favor I need to ask…
I NEED to hear from you. Yes, you!
I need to know what topics you’d like to hear more about. Whether you’d like it in the form of information or stories about experiences. What’s your pleasure?! Did you like the commercials and having coffee? Or do you like it better as an informal information session?
This is essentially YOUR show! I do this to try and help out, but I need to hear from you. How can I help? You can help me by sending an email to bipolarforlife@myyahoo.com. Bipolar for life is all one word @ myyahoo.com (which is also, one word).
Tell me what you like about the show, or what you hate about it. Let me know what I can do to help you with your daily struggle! Honestly, I want to help you deal with the issues you are running into, but I need to know what those are.
Right now, my daily struggle is with anxiety. I find myself wringing my hands and not sleeping well. It feels like I’m waiting for something to happen, but I don’t know what to expect. Ever get that way? It’s nothing specific, it’s just an all-encompassing anticipation that permeates everything. You don’t know when it will happen, or what will happen, but you ‘feel’ it’s going to happen, and soon!
What I hope will happen soon is that you will email me at bipolarforlife@myyahoo.com. C’mon, let’s chat! Tell me what’s going on. I can’t help if I don’t know about it, right? You’ve heard that before… Yea, I know. But it’s true!
So, let me know what you’d like to hear more about, or what issues you find yourself dealing with… That way, I can try to give you some help. If I don’t know the answer, or topic, I will find out for you! Remember, the only ‘stupid’ question is the one not asked!
If you’re at the beginning of your bipolar journey, I know you have questions, and if you’re well into the journey, you will have insights to share. Please email me with both!
As someone who is well into their bipolar adventure, I’m always looking for ways to make the daily struggle easier. So, if you have advice to give, please don’t hesitate to share! Your advice might just be what someone needs to hear to make it through another day! So, please, contact me at bipolarforlife@myyahoo.com and share your hard-won knowledge with others.
I’d love for this show to become a forum for all things bipolar—the good, the bad, and the mixed states… Everything!
There is nothing so onerous that we can’t talk about it. Every issue is important, and can possibly shed light on a problem for others. So, please, contact me with any questions, problems you’re having, or things that you want to know more about. This show really is all about YOU! I share the experiences and information that I have, but there is so much more we can accomplish, if you share too!
Again, my email address is bipolarforlife@myyahoo.com and I would LOVE to hear from you. In fact, I’m counting on it—So, please don’t let me down! Even if it’s just to say “Hello” and where you’re listening from, please email me.
Yes, I mean you! Don’t wait for someone else to respond. I need YOU to email me. And, it doesn’t need to be a book, just a quick note will suffice. I am anxiously waiting to hear from you!
As always, please be safe in all your travels, drop me a quick email about the show, and I’ll talk with you next time, on Bipolar for Life.
