Category Archives: Mental Health – Child

Mental health articles relating to a condition your child might have can be found here.

miscommunication sucks

When I last talked to David’s therapist, she asked if I thought it would be a good idea to limit phone calls from David to our home.  At the time, I was still processing what is happening to our family, so I said yes, that is a good idea.

Evidently word came down to everyone that David and staff were not to have any contact with home.

Friday nights, I have been getting a call from David’s primary.  That didn’t happen tonight, so I called there.  After having the situation explained to me, all that I can say is I am disappointed.  Disappointed that when we need it most, we are limited in our support from this facility.  David is still in their care.

So after explaining what was said between the therapist and myself, the primary indicated that she would call me tomorrow.

It is bad enough that they are discharging him without a transition plan.  Don’t abandon me 60 hours before discharge.  I need communication from your facility.

oh, and David is already limited to one outgoing phone call per day to our home.  Unless we call and ask his to call us back.

So I have reservations about this event in his life.  I pray that David proves me wrong.

I need someone in a position of authority to understand, just what they are doing to our son.

He is all kinds of anxious right now.  He knows he is coming home.  They gave him no explanation as to why he couldn’t call home except to say that Dad was getting ready to come and get him and needed his space.

I now pronounce sentence. 72 hours and a prayer

The appeal to Medicaid to further fund services has been denied.

As a result, I will be picking up David from the facility on Monday.  We then come home to begin a new chapter in our lives as a family.

We had an IEP meeting for him this morning.

Short term he will be homebound working on school materials supplied by the district. Long term we are applying to a day program for him.

During the IEP meeting we got a look into the life of David.

  1. Minimum five hours a week of intensive group therapy.
  2. Weekly individual therapy.
  3. Weekly family therapy.
  4. He is in a self-contained classroom for all but two classes. Those two classes are Art and Physical Education.
  5. His therapist makes regularly daily contact throughout each day to ensure that David knows she is checking on how he is doing.
  6. He has 24×7 staff support of some kind.
  7. Staff has to keep eyes on him at all times.
  8. He needs constant redirects to keep on task.

I can’t recreate this environment in my home.  It just isn’t possible.  We asked for 45 days to transition him home.  We were given 72 hours.

This is a recipe for disaster.  I pray that I am wrong, but I don’t think that I am.  I give us 2 weeks before all hell breaks loose in our home.  It might not take that long.

Please, pray for our family.  brokenI am thankful for this book “Get Your Joy Back”  it has helped me this past week as we have struggled to put some kind of plan in place to support David during this period.  By supporting David, our whole family will be supported as well.

 

Today I ask for strength in getting through this period successfully.  Honestly, I have nothing left but prayer and Hope.

Lord, I give our lives over to you.  That we may see what your plan for our son is, and through him your plan for us.  Please forgive me my short comings in the coming weeks as I rally against the system that has abandoned our son and our family.  Through your strength and goodness, we will survive. Through these trying times in our life, please lift us in your heavenly embrace.  So that my cup may runneth over, rather than act as a sieve.  Amen.

Encouragement from me to you

Living a life filled with fear does things to the body.  I have a number of chronic health issues, and the stress from this is exacerbating those health issues.

Please, if you are reading this then you have either an interest in the topic, or are experiencing it yourself. honesty doesnt make us bad parents

Remember these key things.

  1. It’s not your fault.
  2. The way that you feel, about yourself and your child is perfectly normal.
  3. Seek help.  Talk to a therapist, a doctor, your priest or rabbi, heck, talk to Harvey the Rabbit if it helps.  But talk to someone, don’t keep stuffing this.  It won’t help anyone long term.
  4. Know and understand that you are not alone.  There are a number of support groups both via facebook and on the Internet.  If you can’t find one on your own send us a comment and we will see if we can help you find something.
  5. Don’t give up.  Regardless of what happens today, the sun will still rise tomorrow.  Embrace that.

I pray every day.  Many times a day.  I also employ a number of support groups for the different things that I deal with.  In addition, I have this website that I use to journal my thoughts.  My reactions and as a way to keep a record for David.  Someday he can look back at this and know that we loved him enough to do everything that we could to help him.  Yes, he knows about this site.

And remember.  Life isn’t perfect. Don’t be so hard on yourself.