HereWeGoAgain
Grandpa
difficult child has just been released from a week-long stay in the hospital. From a combination of heavy drinking, illegal and prescription drug abuse, not taking prescribed thyroid and psychiatric medications, a diet of pure junk food combined with purging, and antacid overuse (50-100 Tums tablets daily), she came very close to dying. She was taken to the ER last Thursday after vomiting all day. Blood work revealed near-zero potassium from the purging and vomiting, leading to fears that her heart would stop, and hypercalcemia (sky-high calcium) from the Tums and messed-up hormone levels. The stress on her kidneys was too much and she went into acute kidney failure, swelling up by 28 pounds at one point with water retention. She was scheduled to undergo dialysis but they managed to stabilize her and saw signs of some kidney function returning, so held off. Her kidneys now are back to functioning near normal.
The doctors all insist that she must get into rehab again, naturally. She has supposedly contacted one that will take her for a 28 day program. I hope that's true, and that she avails herself of it, but I am not optimistic about it doing much good, if she even follows through on going. It is up to her.
wife was up at the hospital every day over the crisis. She's been awesome at detaching from difficult child's behavior but this was just too much, even in the knowledge that the whole situation was self-inflicted by difficult child. But, wife did draw the line when difficult child begged to be allowed to come "home" for "just a week or two" between the hospital and rehab. She realized that once difficult child was back in the house, old patterns would reassert themselves just as they always have. wife did this on her own, fortunately. I was prepared to, if necessary, deploy what I think of as my "nuclear option": an ultimatum that if difficult child moves back in, I pack my bags and head for a motel for the duration.
wife is going ahead and offering to pay difficult child's outstanding psychiatrist's bill so she can get her prescriptions reordered, which is a prerequisite for the treatment center. Although that might be construed as rescuing, I think wife gets a pass: not letting difficult child move back in is the main point.
The doctors all insist that she must get into rehab again, naturally. She has supposedly contacted one that will take her for a 28 day program. I hope that's true, and that she avails herself of it, but I am not optimistic about it doing much good, if she even follows through on going. It is up to her.
wife was up at the hospital every day over the crisis. She's been awesome at detaching from difficult child's behavior but this was just too much, even in the knowledge that the whole situation was self-inflicted by difficult child. But, wife did draw the line when difficult child begged to be allowed to come "home" for "just a week or two" between the hospital and rehab. She realized that once difficult child was back in the house, old patterns would reassert themselves just as they always have. wife did this on her own, fortunately. I was prepared to, if necessary, deploy what I think of as my "nuclear option": an ultimatum that if difficult child moves back in, I pack my bags and head for a motel for the duration.
wife is going ahead and offering to pay difficult child's outstanding psychiatrist's bill so she can get her prescriptions reordered, which is a prerequisite for the treatment center. Although that might be construed as rescuing, I think wife gets a pass: not letting difficult child move back in is the main point.
