My son has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He's in his mid-twenties, so it's the average time for onset of bipolar disorder. No family history that we know of, but if it was just two generations back, it probably wouldn't have been talked about.

He had his first manic episode early in the year. He spent a brief time in in-patient treatment, followed by a period of out-patient treatment. During the out-patient treatment, his psychiatrist started to think the diagnosis was incorrect and she weaned him off his meds.

He has had another manic episode, and he's back in the in-patient facility. Luckily he was able to get back into the same place he was in before, so they aren't starting from zero. They started him back on different meds, and he's much better much faster than the first time.

His fiancee was talking to a friend and someone overheard. The person who overheard said her mother was bipolar and she had to take her to the hospital six times, and she told his fiancee that she should break up with him.

The only experts I've spoken to have been the doctors in the crisis center, and I don't know to what degree they are trying to sugar coat things to prevent us from giving up hope.

I'd rather know the reality.

If anyone has any personal experience they can share, I'd appreciate it. If anyone has any professional experience they can share, I'd appreciate that as well.

It's pen cleaning day, so the girls have an afternoon in their playpen while their home gets refreshed.

A new bill proposed by State Senator Doug Mastriano (R) would require state employees to return to their designated in-person workplaces.

According to its memo, the State Employees Return to Work Act aims to improve the delivery of public services, enhance employee efficiency, elevate workplace coordination, and revitalize the local economy by bringing workers back to in-person workspaces.

“In-person work fosters team building, spontaneous problem-solving, and stronger relationships among colleagues,” the bill’s memo said. “As we rebuild our workforce culture, it is essential that employees are given the opportunity to interact directly, share knowledge, and support one another in their work.”

The memo says employees would be given sufficient notice, and clear guidelines would be established via a structured and phased approach to returning employees to their workplaces, starting with departments where in-person presence is “most essential.”

Flexible working hours and hybrid work options would be available where applicable and feasible, the memo added.

The bill has not yet been submitted for introduction to the state legislature.

When the directions for knitting the 4th Doctor's scarf were posted, I mentioned in a post that I had the one my mom made for me ~40 years ago.

I said it had never been washed and it needed to be.

I finally did it. Cold water in the laundry room sink, a little bit of woolite, and some swishing. A couple of rinses, and some gentle squeezing to get as much water as I could out.

The tricky part, of course, was laying it out flat to air dry.

Seeing lots of cat pictures, but not enough guinea pigs, so here's Daisy and Rose.

Rose, by the way, seems to have recovered completely from her intestinal parasite.

She was getting better, but her recovery coincided with us introducing fresh wheatgrass into their diet (we grew a little window garden for the girls).

They both loved it, but Rose may have loved it too much and gave herself a bellyache. Rushed back to the vet and got more X-rays just to find out that Rose perhaps doesn't know the meaning of "enough".

She's doing well now, and having no problem with the wheatgrass.

We're also pig sitting for our daughter while she takes finals.

This is Etch, the chill college boy:

He's unique among guinea pigs in that he was abused by the other pigs in his environment before she got him, so he wouldn't tolerate being around other guinea pigs. He does ok with Daisy and Rose, although they are in a different pen at a suitable distance from his.

I have no idea what a kangaroo has to do with my employer, but they brought in a baby kangaroo for an event, so I waited in line to hold it.

We got Rose's test results back on Friday, and she's all better, so Rose and Daisy can be together again!

Edit: this is what things were like every day while they were separated:

https://youtube.com/shorts/SkCAVoe-cbM

We had to take Rose to the vet on Friday because she stopped eating hay and started having diarrhea.

Diagnosis: intestinal parasite and gas in her stomach.

She's on antiparasitic meds, antibiotics to prevent secondary infection, and a nutritional supplement to replace the hay she isn't eating.

She takes the tiny doses of the meds ok, but she's not a fan of the supplement.

We had a lot of trouble until we figured out how to get her burrito towel wrapped correctly.

She's starting to do better. More normal poops, started nibbling hay, and she stopped fighting the supplement.

Daisy and Rose are inconsolable because we had to separate them until Rose is all better.

The gateway between the pens is closed now and they keep pulling on it like they're trying to pull it open.

This is probably a stupid question, but if I want to add a line to a PDF telling people to direct any comments to my Lemmy account, how would I specify that?