For those of you who remember:
About a month ago (I think? give or take) I posted about my sister, who has psychosis and bipolar disorder, as well as a host of physical problems. You were all so wonderful and supportive, and it made me feel 1000 times better about the situation. A couple of you asked if I would come back and update, so I just wanted to keep you in the loop.
She saw a neurologist because MS runs in my family and she was showing all the symptoms of MS, but thankfully her brain scan came out normal. She still has really difficult symptoms to deal with, like constant GI upset and migraine headaches pretty constantly.
Emotionally, she is fragile. I still feel like I am never going to have my best friend back, even though I hope every day that she will get better. I can't talk to her about anything, even though I used to be able to spill everything to her, because she can't handle anything that's not completely 100% positive.
I was hoping she might be getting better, but then on Saturday, we unexpectedly lost our stepmother. We were very close, but she and my sister were like best friends. My sister is devastated, and I feel like I don't have time or a chance to be sad. I haven't even processed it yet because I've been too busy trying to be strong for her.
A couple of you suggested I find a support group or someone I can talk to about this, and that was the best advice I could have gotten. I opened up to one of my friends, and she found me some great resources. It has helped immensely. I'm starting to realize that it doesn't have to be my job to make her feel better every single time she needs me. It's really hard sometimes not to do everything in my power to make her feel better, even at my own expense, but I'm trying.
I hate feeling like a drama llama, but this of course has been at the forefront of my life for months now. My mom has gently suggested that my sister check herself into some kind of facility for a little while before she completely falls apart and something bad happens, but for right now, she won't consider it.
Anyway, again, just wanted to update those of you who asked, and thank you all again for being so supportive and helpful. Especially for the suggestion that I find some support, because I hadn't even considered that I might need some help, too, and it has made all the difference.
