Mental Madness

I need blog therapy today.  If you're not interested, please move on.    The sun will come out tomorrow . . . and all that jazz.

 
If I were a professional, real live, licensed psychiatrist, then I would definitely have front desk help to make sure my phones are always answered.  At the very least, I would have a professional answering service so that my mentally ill patients who are experiencing life-affecting side affects from their medications would have some recourse other than calling and hearing the phone ring off the hook for 2 weeks at a time with no answer.  

Mom has been seeing this . . . doctor . . . and I use this term very loosely . . . since her most recent hospital stay back in February.  I have never been overly impressed with him, but he seemed to at least acknowledge that Mom has a problem and needs lots of hand-on serious help, plus he didn't get overly perturbed when I bum-rushed her appointments to correct all the hallucinations she was representing as fact.  That was a small positive in my book.

What I didn't like was the fact that her appointments were only once a month and they only took about 5 minutes total and then he'd whip out his prescription pad and start laying on the drugs.  He seemed to be more interested in warehousing her than actually treating her.  Seriously, he'd ask her questions like "Are you having hallucinations?"  

WHAT??!!

Even the craziest patient knows the answer to that question.  Uh . . . "NO!"  If you answer that question incorrectly, the result is a one way ticket to the loony bin.  When he pulled that stunt with Mom, I was like . . . "Are you serious?  That's the best you've got for an out-patient interview?"  I mean, I've NEVER been to medical school and I'm sure I could have done a better job.  In fact, as the black sheep of my family, it's my job to get Mom to open up to me without upsetting her or making her overly suspicious, so I KNOW I can do a better job.  I DO a better job.  Regularly.  Have mercy!

I'm sorry I'm so prickly.  I was at the end of my rope yesterday.  Today, I let go.   

My mom is experiencing some frustrating side effects from her medications, which the doctor just increases every time she goes to see him without actually gauging how each increment will affect her.  She's been trying to contact him, but he won't return her calls.  She has an appointment later this month, but I'm not sure what little sanity she has will last that long.

I'm also just feeling sort of ambivalent about this entire situation surrounding my Mom.  She has been staying with my sister for a few months now, but she spends about 10 hours a day by herself because my sister works and my niece goes to school.  My sister has more room at her place because it's just her and my niece, we have Baby Boy and we have a classroom/office.  of course, we did give her full reign of the guest room, even moving in her own bed, desk, and as much of her personal furniture as we could fit in here to make her happy and literally gave her 100% free access to all things Two Moms', but she just wasn't happy here.  The thing is, she certainly isn't any healthier over there.  When she was living here, our life was SUCH a struggle and I admit I was pretty happy when she moved out.  She and I are very much alike to the point that I feel like a guest in my own home because I try very hard to be respectful of her as a woman and my Mother.  Plus, since Mom can't work right now . . . and refuses to get a hobby . . . or do any volunteer work . . . or leave the house except to buy fast food . . . we see her a little too much when she lives here.  It's hard to share your throne.  This is my throne.
 
*SIGH*

I'm digressing.  The bottom line is that this week we're firing her psychiatrist even though we're having a little trouble finding another one who is both currently accepting new patients and also accepts Mom's insurance.

So keep the Two Moms plus One Additional Mom clan in your thoughts today.   



Until next time . . .