The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
When I arrived it Phuket my son appeared to be brain damaged. He walked with his legs far apart and he stumbled a lot. He had great trouble speaking and no short term memory. The hospital where he recovered from his near death binge, compounded by a bleeding ulcer, sent him out with 8 different meds, enough for the 10 days till our flight home. When I arrived many of the meds had been consumed becausse he had no short term memory and didn't remember what and when he had taken them. To make a very long story short, after a hellish week we arrived at JFK and went to the ER near home. They immediately scanned his head and did blood work. The scan was fine. The blood work showed he was toxic from the vast amount of perscribed med, some of which had been abused, but were meant to keep him quiet and calm and instead made him toxic. The drugs were not compatible and even if hehad taken them as perscribed, he would have been toxic. So he had 2 near death experiences, one self infflicted and the other from bad care.
So he spent 3 days in the hospital detoxing and came home yesterday, close to normal. The docs said it would take another week to recover all his motor and speech.
So now we have a cooperative 35 year old in our house, no job, money, friends. We need to find a psychiatrist to perscribe for his bipolar issue.
More- I started this post last week and never finished. Now we are in the 12th day home. We live deep in the country and he doesn't have a drivers license. He is on meds, going to AA and saying all the right things. But I know we have to see what happens. I am on ODAT. I am driving him to all his appointments and to work out. He has applied to some local places for a part time job.
I went back to my 3 day a week job today. DH works from home. We are not going to leave son alone in the house yet, which makes life difficult, but this house is our only asset and we don't trust him yet.
It takes a while to get situated on the bipolar meds and he needs to be with us until his meds are good and he has some money saved and he has a viable plan that can actually work as long as he doesn't drink. He was told that if he drinks he will bleed out.
If he blows it, the plan is the psychiatric ER and then a rehab and then he is on his own. I hope for his sake and for mine and DH, this was the bottom. We can only wait and hope.
(((((laurab and family)))))...This is a case for Higher Power...Keep in your program and gets lots of local support around you. Keep coming back here also.
Yes, Laura, giving it our best shot is the best we can do. What a feat! It is down to him, and hopefully a power greater than himself... something that will maintain hope, and purpose... -DavidG.
If you live in the states, check out services through the local career center and vocational rehabilitation services in your state...they may be able to help him get back to work...
Good to hear from you and that your son is back with the living. He can recover if he wants it bad enough and I'm sure you will know it soon if he really does this time. Just remember to take care of you first.
I will be thinking of you and him with prayers that you both continue a good journey getting healthy and having some peace in your lives.
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Lord, put your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth
Speak only when you feel that your words are better than your silence.
-DavidG.