I must say that admitting your child to a psychiatric unit is no easy task. SuperDad and I have shed many tears and prayed many prayers over this. We now ask for prayers as we try to make the best decisions for her continued treatment both in and out of the hospital. I received a call on my drive to the hospital today from her nurse asking for permission to add another medicine to her treatment plan. This particular medicine is supposed to stop the voices she says she is hearing in her head. The Dr also doubled her Lexapro {again} saying she was still on a very minute amount. SuperDad & I are still not completely convinced that Lexapro isn't the culprit of the recent behaviors... so we need prayer about what to do about that medicine. We understand that she has a possible serotonin imbalance requiring the use of this particular type of medicine, we simply are not sure if this is the correct one for her. Please continue to pray for wisdom!
We also had a huge praise when I received another call on my way to the hospital {yes, it was a very long drive} from our assigned Family Therapist that informed me that we would have a room waiting for us at the nearby Ronald McDonald House! This was exactly what we had prayed for since finding out they had one nearby. The hospital is only one block away {I walked to and from today} and the insurance is "supposed to" cover the cost {prayerfully}. Princess JF was excited to know that I could still be so close to her even though I could not stay in the room with her.
And, as for Princess JF, she had a pretty amazing day! I was able to see her for an hour at lunch {12-1pm} and then 4 hours in the evening {4-8pm}. In fact, I watched her eat lunch, dinner, and evening snack. I made sure she brushed her teeth for bed. She & I read a book together and watched a little bit of a movie before she was ready for bed. She fought her tired eyes to do her best to stay awake until 8:00pm! At 7:55pm, I walked her to her room so that she could get ready for bed. We talked about tomorrow and then prayed over her precious mind and body. I kissed her good night and she went to sleep.
Princess JF's entire demeanor was once again transformed back to a similar rendition of the daughter we used to know! She actually crawled up on my lap at one point and wanted to cuddle {touch is not a strong love language for her}. We played board games, put puzzles together, and just talked all evening. It was great! She talked of the other patients on the floor with her. She spoke about her favorite nurses. She could not say enough about how much she liked school that morning and told me all about what she had learned. She showed me her room and her bathroom. We looked out her window to try and see where I am staying but it was behind the parking garage. Everything seemed so surreal and perfect. Yet... I know it has only been about 24 hours since we had her moved and things are all a process. The changes we are seeing now may not truly represent what we will see in a few days or once something triggers her anger outbursts.
We have asked the nurse if they are going to try to provoke her anger at any time during her stay. My sister even mentioned to me how she can listen to us tell her what happens, but until she witnessed it herself she was not fully aware of what we are experiencing. We would actually like the nurses, staff, Dr, someone here to see what it is that happens when this "Roger" she speaks of takes a hold of her poor body and mind. I guess we will see as the weekend approaches how they will go about that.
For now, SuperDad and I are feeling encouraged and hopeful that we may soon have our daughter back. Although she may not come back to us at 100%, we are eager to get her back home and on the proper road to recovery. The past few months have been quite a journey but we are faithful in the One we know as a Mighty Healer!
