In May, I had psychiatric testing completed that resulted being diagnosed with the following:

• Major depressive disorder, recurrent episode, moderate degree
• Bipolar II disorder with rapid cycling
• Cyclothymic disorder
• ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), combined type
• GAD (generalized anxiety disorder)
• Narcolepsy

I know… I KNOW. TERRIFYING. I have had Depression, Anxiety and Narcolepsy for several years – it was the Bipolar II disorder with rapid cycling, Cyclothymic disorder, and ADHD that are new… and wow, what a slap in the face, huh?

Hear me out… it’s not all as bad as it sounds.

Prior to May 2021, I was on:

• Effexor 150mg QD (1 time per day)
• Adderall 20mg BID (2 times per day)
• Propranolol 20mg PRN (as needed)
• Abilify 5mg QD

I recently had an appointment with a psychiatrist who changed up my medications to:

• Effexor 150mg QD (kept the same)
• Abilify 10mg QD
• Modafinil 200mg QD
• Propranolol 20mg PRN (kept the same)

I’ve been continuing to take Adderall 20mg QD (instead of BID) in the morning to help kickstart my day due to my narcolepsy. She wanted me to discontinue it all together but I’ve been on Adderall for 12+ years and man, I can’t imagine not taking it for my narcolepsy. I don’t want to be a zombie. I have a follow up appointment with her in two days so I’m sure she’s going to demand I rely strictly on the Modafinil for my narcolepsy and stop the Adderall completely. Ugh!

Bipolar II disorder with rapid cycling… what the hell does this even mean?

“Rapid cycling is a pattern of frequent, distinct episodes in bipolar disorder. In rapid cycling, a person with the disorder experiences four or more episodes of mania or depression in one year. It can occur at any point in the course of bipolar disorder, and can come and go over many years depending on how well the illness is treated; it is not necessarily a “permanent” or indefinite pattern of episodes.” – WebMD

Prior to my psych testing, I had suspected that this could be a possible diagnosis, but I’m not going to lie, it was hard to hear it/see it on paper.

Am I crazy? Am I part of the stereotypical feeling of “That person is bipolar!” or “You’re bipolar!”?

The answer is no. I’m not crazy, and why yes, yes I am part of that stereotypical feeling now… but I have a legit diagnosis. And you know what comes with a legit diagnosis of bipolar disorder?

TREATMENT! Medications to help you so you don’t feel so out of control and uneasy. And I’m SO incredibly thankful for having the diagnosis now, because that means I can get the help I so deserve, and need. I’m not ashamed, or afraid to admit my diagnosis. It is me, part of me, part of what makes, me, ME! I’m thankful I don’t have a severe form of bipolar, and I’m thankful that I’ve had a primary care physician that’s been very in tune with my feelings, and had started me on Effexor 150mg QD and Abilify 5mg QD just over a year ago, because those helped immensely. My psychiatrist only had to make minor tweaks which included increasing my Abilify to 10mg QD, discontinuing my Adderall 20mg BID and adding Modafinil 200mg QD. We’ll see if there are any more changes coming up at my appointment tomorrow.

Anyway, as part of my diagnosis, I was obviously told to check into therapy options and I’ve been meaning to do it, I just haven’t taken the leap. And in my search for a therapist online, I came across Noom Mood. If you’ve heard about Noom, it’s typically liked for their Noom Weight Loss program. Noom now has a Mood program where you download their app and it’s essentially, per their website:

The Noom Mood program empowers and equips participants to better manage their day-to-day experiences of stress and anxiety. Noom Mood offers a fun, friendly, and engaging way to develop emotional awareness, effective stress response mechanisms, and overall stress resilience.

Key program elements include:

• A 16-week curriculum offering education and motivation
• Weekly activities to put stress management concepts into practice
• One-on-one coaching to help users personalize their journey, work through challenges, and deepen reflection
• Daily logging to help users better understand their moods
• Reminders and notifications to encourage engagement and commitment

I started this a few days ago and so far, I really really like it. I plan to have a whole separate post on it, once I get a few weeks into the program. It’s been a great addition to my day to day thoughts/mind practices. Their approach is right up my alley and I’m so thankful they have a program like this.

I’m going to end this here because I’ve got some writers block, but I’m not done with this topic yet and talking about bipolar disorder, so stay tuned!

More soon! <3

I know, I know… I’m new here and obviously haven’t written before… but I’m here to change that today.

A little about yours truly…

My name is Krystle and I’m happily married to my husband Nate. We’ve been married for 7.5 years and have four children. We have a blended family… Nate had 3 when we met, and we have 1 together. Kelsi is 19, will be 20 in December… Kaden just turned 16… Carson just turned 10 and Ella is 5, and will be 6 next February. Ella starts kindergarten next week, and it’s hard to believe my baby is that old already. Kelsi is going to college to be an RN, she wants to be a traveling nurse when she graduates. Kaden is a motorhead and likes everything that moves and has power. Carson is learning what life is all about, loves anything revolving around Bey Blades and Nerf guns!

I used to have a blog once upon a time on this same domain, but I let it expire from approximately 2013 to just here recently. Someone else bought the domain, blogged for a few years, and let it expire, so when I noticed it was available again, I scooped the domain back up and here I am! This feels like home to me and I’m so glad to have it back.

If you want to read about me from 2006-2013, feel free to search the Wayback Machine or click this link.

Just for fun, I’ll leave you with answers to 50 random questions about me!

1. What’s your favorite candle scent? I love the MidSummer’s Night by Yankee Candle if I’m being completely honest!

2. What female celebrity do you wish you were related to? I love love LOVE Colleen Ballinger aka Miranda Sings. She’s so amazing and incredible and I’d give anything to know her in real life.

3. What male celebrity do you wish was your brother? That’s a really great question!!

4. What’s your favorite thing about marriage? (And if you’re not married, what’s your favorite thing about being single?) Honestly, my favorite thing about being married is just having someone that I know is 1,000,000% in my corner at all times. And, having that best friend always with you/near you. My favorite part of every day is when my husband gets home from work. I’m like a giddy little kid when I see his vehicle pull in the driveway.

5. What’s one thing you own that you should probably get rid of, but just can’t? My wedding dress from my first wedding. I have NO idea why I still have that thing. NO CLUE! But, the thought of burning it, or throwing it in the trash is just… I don’t know. It wasn’t a nasty divorce or anything, and we didn’t have any kids between us… so, I guess I don’t have any ill-will towards it really. I learned a lot during that part of my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The dress though, I’d honestly love to try it on again. I felt so beautiful and the dress was gorgeous too! I suppose, I could donate it…

6. Can you do a split? Hell to the no!!

7. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike? I think around 5 or 6!

8. How many oceans have you swam in? Oh boy, now I have to look at the map… okay, the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico.

9. How many countries have you been to? Two! United States and Mexico.

10. Is anyone in your family in the army? No – well, our Kelsi’s boyfriend is in the Army and stationed in Hawaii right now. Not sure if that counts. No one directly in my family is in the service though.

11. What was your favorite TV show when you were a child? I loved Arthur, Barney, Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood, Where in the world is Carmen San Diego, Bill Nye the Science Guy… ummm, I know there were more but I can’t recall off the top of my head.

12. What did you dress up as on Halloween when you were eight? Oh boy… age specific… I’m thinking I was a spider that year!

13. Have you read any of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Twilight series? Negative.

14. Would you rather have an American accent or a British accent? Probably British!

15. Have you ever taken karate lessons? Nopers

16. Do you know who Kermit the frog is? Who doesn’t?

17. What’s the first amusement park you’ve been to? Valley Fair in Shakopee, MN.

18. What language, besides your native language, would you like to be fluent in? Spanish or French!

19. Do you spell the color as grey or gray? My gut wants to say Gray.

20. Do you know triplets? I do not, actually.

21. Do you prefer Titanic or The Notebook? Both are great, but I loved The Notebook.

22. Have you ever had Indian food? Yes!

23. What’s the name of your favorite restaurant? My favorites right now is probably our local Rancho Loco in Red Wing, MN and Osaka in Woodbury, MN or Sapparo in Hudson, WI – both are Hibachi style restaurants.

24. Have you ever been to Olive Garden? Duh!!!

25. What would your parents have named you if you were the opposite gender? That’s a good question! I should ask my parents…

26. If you have a nickname, what is it? Growing up, I was often called, “Krickle”. I don’t really have a nickname now though.

27. Who’s your favorite person in the world? In the world??? Oh boy. That’s a hard one. Probably my Ella or Nate.

28. Would you rather live in a rural area or in the suburbs? Rural for sure! I’ve lived in a suburb and while it was always nice to have stuff close by, I really love the rural life – which is where I grew up, what I know.

29. Can you whistle? Yes!

30. Do you sleep with a nightlight? Nope

31. Do you eat breakfast every morning? Not every morning, though I know I should!

32. How many times have you been to the hospital? ER visits? Ummm… quite a bit for kidney stones or gallbladder attacks. Overnight? 3 nights for when I had Ella. Plus 2 weeks or so for her NICU stay.

33. Have you ever seen Finding Nemo? Yes, and I almost cry every time. Poor little buddy.

34. Where do you buy your jeans? My favorite jeans have all been bought at my local boutique that I work for, Wild Arrows Boutique in Ellsworth, WI.

35. What’s the last compliment you got? I was told I was sexy and beautiful. Which I’ll gladly take!!

36. Do you usually remember your dreams in the morning? Usually, but not always all of it.

37. Favorite beverage that isn’t water? Ugh, Mountain Dew. I’m trying to cut back on that and ultimately quit though before my teeth all fall out.

38. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own? Ummm… A lot. A lot. Too many honestly.

39. How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real? I think maybe around 10?

40. What is one food that you used to hate but now you love? Onions! I love them now! Though they have to be cooked.

41. What is a weird lie you’ve told? Good question…

42. Heels or flats? Flats! I would be taller than my husband if I wore heels, and I don’t want that!

43. Do you have any weird phobias? Not really that I can think of?

44. What is a phrase or word you always say? “I know, right?”

45. What is a song that you blast or belt out when you are alone? Oh gosh, anything 80s-90s. Any really, wayyyyyy too many to write out here!

46. What is one of your biggest pet peeves? People who don’t use their blinker. JUST USE IT, PEOPLE! Don’t be a dick and swerve in and out of traffic expecting people to know where you’re going. It takes a move of a finger and one damn second to flick it on. JUST DO IT!

47. Do you sleep with your closet door open or closed? Open, because there are tons of clothes piled in front of the closet. I need a dresser STAT, but we have no room for one.

48. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? Ummm… neither? LOL! I guess a bear… bee stings are a bitch. But getting mauled by a bear is also no bueno… so I don’t know!!!

49. Do you have any weird things you do? I do a lot of weird things… but things I can think of right now, apparently nothing! LOL.

50. What movie could you watch over and over again and still love? Hmmm… I’ll have to think on that one.