Sunday, July 11, 2010

Hospital Day Program? Any Better Ideas?

Quick update then I'll post more tomorrow after I get some answers.

Emergency psych appointment last week wielded a raise in Abilify dose. Taz actually got worse after. We went back down to the regular dose right away. Taz was still going haywire.

We took him off the Abilify entirely. No difference, maybe even slightly better off of it in some ways. He's completely manic. He ran into traffic yesterday, almost got hit by a car, then laughed hysterically and tried to do it again. He's more hyper than I've seen in a long time, laughing at everything.

He woke up yesterday saying he wants to fight us. He was going to blow up our house and destroy everybody. He wants to shoot us and make us dead.

After he made Chica bleed twice in one day (nose bleed from ramming his bike into her and mouth bleed from yanking her face into a metal table leg), I realized I literally can not handle him by myself while caring for our 16 month old daughter. So we decided to call the local psych hospital day program to see if we can get him into the partial program during daytime hours during the week.

I'm calling tomorrow morning. I'll update after. The website says ages 5 and up so it's a bit of a stretch since he's only four. I don't know if they'll take him but I'm hoping if I sound desperate enough they can make an exception. I think the structure would be good. But I don't have a back-up plan if it doesn't work out. He can't be home with Chica. I don't work and can't afford full-time daycare. I have nowhere for either kid to go.

Anyone have ideas if the day program won't take him?

4 comments:

  1. Oh honey, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sending you good vibes. What about respite? Do you qualify?

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  2. Oh, no. I wish I had more helpful things to say, but in most communities there is not nearly enough available for kids like ours.

    Do you know other parents who are raising kids like Taz? For us, that's been our saving grace for a thousand reasons, but largely because we help each other navigate the horribly complicated system and find needed services (if they exist).

    Other than that, I'd say start investigating in-home nursing care.

    Email me if you need to. I'm sorry it's so hard right now.

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  3. You might see if someone else could watch Chica (since she's easier) during the day for a few days while you get Taz situated. Abilify withdrawal is rough.

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  4. I'm so sorry it's escalating so fast. Maybe someone in your church can help out?

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