Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I take lots of nasty meds because I have Schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type). Which basically means I have all the joy of having schizophrenia and I’m also bipolar! One of the many horrible side effects is weight gain (5stone in 6months in 2009) I run often but struggle to get the weight down. I think if I run everyday then I will hopefully lose a bit more. I ran 5k three times a week for 18 months to lose 2 stone for my brother’s wedding. And in the following year I got very ill again, had the meds increased and put the 2 stone on again in TWO weeks.
Another side effect is severe sedation. I’m talking about being asleep 20hours and then snoozing the other four. You gradually become accustomed but it still feels like you are wearing lead boots. Another nasty side effect is akathisia. Which is like relentless leg twitches when you’ve taken your meds, really severe painful jolts. And that is just a few from the antipsychotics. The Lithium has been great for me, but it is a poison and needs regular blood tests to check for lithium toxicity, which will kill me. It also dehydrates me, something to do with being broken down in the kidneys I think, so I always have a water bottle with me as I literally dry out, which increases the lithium levels and possible poisoning.

So I take all these meds, that vary hugely in their efficacy, and can kill me, to basically stop me from killing myself in a depressed, manic or psychotic state.

So donate a quid or two, and DM me any questions you have about my illness. Don’t be shy, I’ve spoken to lots of schools and groups, so I’ve heard just about everything! 

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