The difference in my everyday life is exponential

I’m a transplant from Detroit, now living in Tennessee and working as a nurse. I moved here to finish school, fell in love, and made a beautiful mixed family, including a developmentally disabled young son.

Yet, as I was building this beautiful life, I have struggled with a general sense of feeling low. It’s been like this for me for years. When I hit a wall, I have a very hard time finding the motivation to get back up. A simple anxious thought could turn into something that left me crippled and unable to perform simple tasks, which would cause a cascade in a downward spiral that affected me personally in so many ways.

For more than 10 years, I was diagnosed as having depression. However, I was recently also diagnosed with Bipolar 2.

When the Coronavirus hit, I stopped sleeping, and couldn’t for the life of me figure out why. I didn’t feel like I was scared of getting sick. I knew that I was worried about my family, particularly because I am a nurse.

What actually happened was I was triggered into a manic state by the fear of the Coronavirus. I started suffering greatly from the lack of sleep within 2 months.

When my family started to be impacted by my mental state of mind, I asked for help.

Medication Trial and Error

I had been on medications before. Sometimes the medication would help, but they never seemed to help for long or the side effects would have too great an effect on me.

But I was at the end of my rope and didn’t know what else to do, so I asked my doctor to help point me in the right direction. We initially started with a medication for sleep and for my Bi-Polar disorder. Instead of feeling better, I felt TERRIBLE.

My doctor suggested that I take the GeneSight test.

Taking the GeneSight test at Home

My doctor ordered the test and I received the collection kit in the mail. It was easy and super self-explanatory. I was able to take the test within about 5 minutes from beginning to end. It came with two swabs, so all I had to do was swab my mouth, sign some papers, put everything together in the enclosed envelope, and get the envelope to FedEx.

My doctor received the GeneSight results within 48 hours and went over everything with me. And it was amazing. We actually saw that the initial medications that I was prescribed for my new diagnosis were listed in the “significant gene-drug interaction” category.

I felt like someone saw my invisible wounds for the very first time, I felt like what I already knew was true about myself was finally being proven. I felt like I WASN’T crazy.

The Difference in My Everyday Life is Exponential

I’ve been on my medication for 3 months now. The difference in my everyday life is exponential. I’m not “cured” by any means, but my ability to process, handle, and work through life is less challenging for me. My family is less affected by my illness in a lot of ways, as I’ve been able to process and temper my reactions.

Before the GeneSight test, I felt like I was just kind of living by the seat of my pants. I felt like everything was disposable, because I felt like I was disposable.

Now, I feel like I’m accomplished, organized, and holding things together. Life is a day-by-day process of building and rebuilding – and finding new ways to handle old things, new things, hard things, good things and bad things.

Getting a personal in-depth look into my own body’s chemistry made a difference in my treatment. Getting off the rollercoaster of trial and error has changed my life.