Posted by Ilene on March 12, 2004, at 16:19:28
In reply to Marplan Diary Day 22, posted by Ilene on March 5, 2004, at 20:32:09
I got out yesterday afternoon. It was extremely restful, if somewhat boring. I spent most of my time talking with some of the other patients. The two best things were "getting away from it all" and talking with other mentally ill people about being mentally ill.
I was afraid the place would be really creepy, but it wasn't. It was nice and clean, the food was okay (plenty of fresh fruit), and the staff were polite. The MDs were the worst. The resident assigned to me is one of the least expressive people I've ever met. I especially hated rounds--you're in a cold room at a table ringed with 8 or 10 strangers, asking questions about whether you've thought about killing yourself lately. Ack.
The formal activities--group therapy, occupational therapy, and art therapy--were fairly useless, with OT being the most superficial, and art therapy being something like psycho-astrology (I have control issues, and unresolved issues with my mother). Group therapy tended to get hijacked by the people who had less of a grip on reality.
I'm taking more Neurontin--1200 mg at night--and I started on 300 mg of lithium. They also ran a better thyroid profile than the internist did, and lo and behold! my thyroid function is borderline low, something I've suspected for a while. I will be seeing an endocrinologist soon. I got stuck for a bloodtest at least every other day. They took vitals every few hours. My blood pressure has been so low that I don't think I can take a higher dose of Marplan.
I feel better than when I went in, but there was certainly no magic fix. I'm having a hard time transitioning back to the real world. I might go into a partial hospitalization program after my husband leaves, or maybe start group therapy.
I.
poster:Ilene
thread:315567
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040308/msgs/323686.html