Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[goodmum_badmum]

Hi

I'm a new member and I thought I'd introduce myself and see what help I can get because sometimes (a lot of the time lately) I'm finding it hard to cope or function. Sorry for the long post.

I found this forum after my daughter's Paediatrician listed CoPMI as an issue on a report. I'd never heard of it, so I googled it and here I am.

A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with ADHD - Inattentive Subtype after many years struggling with issues like not being able to keep my job, always being disorganised and having a (very) messy house, depression and anxiety, among other things that I didn't even realise I had like sensory processing disorder, which led my psychiatrist to add an unspecified neurological disorder similar to Asperger's to my list of problems.

My husband and I struggled to conceive our first child, so we went through the traumatic experience of IVF. Fortunately, it was successful on the first round, and our first daughter came along without too many problems.

I had PND and although my ADHD hadn't been diagnosed yet, the problems that were always there became harder to deal with.

Infertility plagued us again for four more years until, after I had told myself that there would be no more attempts at falling pregnant, we miraculously fell pregnant naturally. I was 39 when our second daughter was born.  This is when the real problems began.

She was a hard baby, and I became very emotionally unstable. I lost my will to do any housekeeping, and did the minimum I could to ensure the kids were fed and clothed, and this led to a problem with rodents and roaches in the house, which to this day I can't overcome.

At about 18 months we knew something was amiss with her, and she started having seizures in January this year, a few months after her second birthday. When we saw the Paediatrician in April, he he flagged some Autism traits, and by August, we had genetic results showing a chromosomal abnormality which is probably the cause of her Autism and Epilepsy.

Taking all of this in, and dealing with her extremely challenging behaviour, while struggling with my own sensory and anxiety issues, has been a massive rollercoaster ride. My husband's mental health has suffered during all of this, and although he is trying, he is unavailable to support me a lot of the time, making this journey very lonely for me.

I know that I need more help, and the NDIS will help, but it is taking so long for both of our applications to be approved, that our finances are strained and it has taken such an emotional toll, I'm surprised I'm still hanging on.

Anyway, that's pretty much me... trying to survive for my kids.

Michelle. (goodmum_badmum).

[flipper]

Hi @goodmum_badmum,

I'm Flipper one of the SANE moderators. Welcome to the forums! I'm terribly sorry to hear things are quite difficult for you at the moment and that you are feeling as though you could really use some extra help right now. I'm hopeful that members will be able to offer a supportive ear, words of wisdom and an understanding of the hardship you are currently experiencing. 

Some members have already tried to connect with you here (note: the previous moderator attempted to move your post to a thread where it might have been more easily found by the community, but there seems to have been some technical issues. You can wait and see if they get redirected here or you may want to copy and paste what you have written in that new thread and continue the conversation there). 

You have been very strong so far dealing with what life has thrown your way, but you don't have to go it alone. I hope you find the forums useful to you.

Best,

Flipper

[goodmum_badmum]

Thanks @flipper!  It's a bit confusing, but I'm ok with my post hiding away.  Just writing it was therapeutic.  I feel comfortable on this forum, it is a place I feel safe to comment, which is something I don't often find, so I'll find the help I need through other posts, and perhaps ask further questions when they come to me.

goodmum_badmum

[Shaz51]

Hello @goodmum_badmum, how are you today my friend

[goodmum_badmum]

Hi @Shaz51!

I am doing ok.  Struggling a bit with focussing on my assignments for my online TAFE course, but it's not too bad.  Thankyou for thinking of me!  🙂  I hope you are doing well too. xx

[Shaz51]

what are you studying @goodmum_badmum 

yes focussing is hard at times , remember to take breaks in between

My husband and my 4 step children all have MI , but the kids are all adults now

[goodmum_badmum]

@Shaz51, I'm doing a Certificate III in Health Administration.  I've been out of the workforce since 2011, so I need to refresh my skills if I want a job this year!  I've got a background in HR and Admin, but I want to work in the hospital system.