It is two weeks since I started my new medication, Zyprexa. But I have not taken the medication in isolation. We have committed the healing process to a lot of prayer for healing. The outcome has been very positive.

Week one I felt tremendously good. I worked well, stuck to the strict work structure that Michelle had set up for me, and I completed work fast, and delivered quality. My moods were totally under control and we joked a lot about "BP people". The children became more relaxed and Michelle and I did well. Michelle commented that it was like being with someone she knew 10 years ago! (how much I must have changed without even realizing it).

Week two became a little wobbly. Although I remained pretty stable, I slipped into depressed moods when things went wrong. And unfortunately, in life, things do go wrong! When my schedule got interrupted by unplanned visitors, and hours were "wasted", I became first tense and then despairing that I would ever be able to finish my work. With despair came depression, and I would slide into an episode. They did not last for long - usually a few hours - but enough time to upset the balance in the house, and enough time to upset Michelle. She took it badly, because after the painless first week - I think she hoped that things would stay better and that there would be no more bad episodes.

I discussed the disappointments of the second week with my doctor, and he indicated that he was surprised by the good first week - since he only expected meaningful results after a few weeks. The stabilizing in the first week was however understandable, as were the episodes in the 2nd week. The medication will counteract the severe mood swings, but that the process may take a few months to stabilize.

I have still got faith that I am on a road to recovery and that I can overcome the times when all control seems lost. What has pleased me, is the almost total lack of side-effects. I have a dry mouth constantly, but I am drinking about 2 litres of water a day - and that is not doing me any harm! During my episodes Michelle says that my eyes become watery and my speech starts slurring. I do not understand why this would be. And a final comment after two weeks - I seemed to have regained some very clear memories of my distant past - this is strange...