It can be really hard knowing whether or not you are doing the right thing when you know something needs to be done to prepare…..

And she has her own ideas and is likely going to take your head off if you try to prepare.

But today WE HAD A BREAK THROUGH! She has agreed to work with the high school and that mummy and CAMHS can speak to them about putting measures in place for next year so that Jac can be supported as she starts high school.

While the idea of keeping Jac’s Bipolar an AWESOME surprise for the school is Jac’s eager preference….it could end quite spectacularly badly. I think everyone was quite relieved today when Jac agreed that maybe we should give them a heads up and put some things in place rather than just keep the awesome surprise to ourselves.

It wasnt the only such situation this week either.

Jacqueline had developed an ear infection and we had gone down to after hours for some antibiotics to get it nipped in the bud quickly as she has had swimming at school. She was not at all happy that part of the prescription was that she wasn’t allowed to swim without the Fort Knox of ear plugs in place. She actually struggled with it quite a bit having difficulty composing herself and needing a couple of minutes before we could leave the doctors office. (She REALLY enjoys swimming)

She refused to wear ear plugs and she refused to miss out on swimming. I could imagine her coming home the following evening screaming in pain from burst ear drums and it wouldn’t have been the first time. On the drive back home she declared she only went to the doctor for the medication for her Ear NOT to be banned from swimming! She swore me to secrecy I was under no circumstances to inform the school of the ear infection……

ok bub I won’t say anything….

And I left it at that, I could’ve badgered and expressed how painful, nasty and horrible burst ear drums and acute infections are but she has heard it all before, experienced the agony first hand to boot.

Going against her wishes could’ve resulted in a full scale meltdown either at home or at school, even if it was for her welfare that they were informed. It is difficult to know when to push the issue and when to let it go and prepare for the fall out.

When she came home the following afternoon she was fine she took her antibiotics and informed me that she had abstained from swimming so the truck load of aqua ear and anesthetic ear drops mum had stocked up on that day wont be needed. Oh well at least I was ready.

I am so proud of her for doing the right thing!

She does for the most part do the right thing eventually. She doesn’t always have to be lead and she certainly can’t be pushed. Trying to do so will almost certainly result in outright refusal and a full scale meltdown if you go behind her back.

She also is included in decisions related to her medication we may see the upper tip of symptoms….only she knows all of what boils inside and the full extent of side effects so really only she can decide how much is enough, or even if it is too much.

She is taking a minimal dose of sedatives currently, every other day. ‘Just’ enough to keep the burn out at bay. This was included in her webster pack at her request so she didn’t need to argue with herself daily as to if she believed it necessary or not and we agreed that the days and doses could be adjusted if she found it needed to be increased or reduced. And there is flexibility to throw in an extra dose as necessary from a box we keep at home. But it has been successful!

For an 11 year old….Wow that is my baby!