difficult child 1 is home and I'm stressed!

sandman3

New Member
Ok, so difficult child 1 got discharged on Tuesday afternoon. He's on new medications and has an "official" diagnosis for now, but I quickly saw that not much progress was made. Last night he was back to his normal, whiny, disobedience and I was really frustrated but stayed calm. I will say that the medications are helping him go to sleep faster which did allow us to escape an escalation at bedtime last night. The f/u appointment with a new psychiatrist proved to be uneventful at the very most and I was not all that impressed with the service. And this morning (first day back to school) he started the "I'm sick, my stomach hurts, I don't want to go to school, I hate school". UGH! Why is everything so darn difficult???

Meanwhile, difficult child 2 is now inpatient since Sunday to help get his medications straightened out and figure out why he is so aggressive (the medications should be controlling this behavior). He's in a Major Medical Center so it's a much more thorough and complete review of his situation. Residents, Interns, Students, Attendings, etc.... I like it there, they keep him safe, communicate well with me and even work with the school to try and get things in order there. But it's hard having him gone, he's never been away from me before. He's doing well though, attending the "hospital school" daily but still refusing to go to group. And the doctor's decided to go ahead and modify his diet (casein free) to see if that's affecting his behavior which I'm thrilled about! I figure, they might see the change quicker than I would if it is indeed having an effect on him. Of course, as a family we are "dairy hogs", so we're in for a challenge if it works but I'm guessing we'll manage.

So for now, myself and the 2 boys are driving an hour each way, every night to visit "D" and let him know we're here and we love him. He's asking when he gets to come home, but he doesn't seem stressed about it right now which is good. I'm exhausted, behind in my schoolwork (college classes) and now last night, my Vertigo kicked in again so I'm spinning all over the darn place!!! Calgon, take me away!!!

Anyways, just needed to vent. Who else would understand but you wonderful Warriors who live the same life I do?!
:coffee2:
 

smallworld

Moderator
I'm sorry things are so rough for you right now. Most hospital stays are short and just deal with the crisis at the time. There is generally work to be done (both medications and therapy) once the child is released. What did the psychiatric hospital recommend for follow-up for difficult child 1?

You should also be aware that some of the medications take a while to kick in. Depakote takes 6 to 8 weeks at a therapeutic level for full efficacy. Is anyone monitoring your difficult child 1's Depakote blood levels to see if he's at a therapeutic dose?

I hope things settle down soon.
 
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