Update on sister

My sister was to be moved to a long term facility for ECT last week, but she started rallying and the doctors decided to hold off sending her.
She called me Saturday and asked me to sing to her. She was sounding really with it. Today we came to visit and it was terrible.

She was shaking violently in terror, holding herself tightly, rocking and crying.

The doctor had been having her Journaling her feelings and she read us bits and pieces confessing all sorts of evils she had done (which were nothing) and claiming they were going to arrest her. She took the dull pencil and tried to stab her wrist with it. We took the pencil away and thought we talked her down. We also told her nurse about it. She kept pleading for the pencil back some, but calmed down some. Soon after they brought her dinner in. She immediately grabbed the plastic knife and started sawing on her wrist. My father grabbed the knife quickly. She grabbed the plastic fork and started stabbing her wrist. I grabbed it and she picked up the plastic spoon and started digging the end in her wrist.

She had only succeeded in turning her wrist red at that point. Next she took her sharp fingernail and started digging it into her wrist. We held her hands and talked softly to her. I asked the nurse if they had clippers so I could trim her nails short. They said they weren't allowed to cut her nails! I got an emery board and started filing her nails down, but the board was pitiful and wouldn't file.

At this point we asked if there was something they could give her to calm her down because the staff was just watching us trying to help her.

They finally gave her some pills, put some mittens on her, place her in the main room with the other patients, and told us to leave.

I'm very upset and want her moved to the long care facility for better care! I'm going to try to reach her social worker tomorrow to get this move back on track.

It's 3:30 am and I can't sleep due to my mind racing over things that happened today. I've got an ambian in me and two benadryl. I'm yawning but my mind won't stop worrying and go to sleep.

I'm going lay back down and try to listen to a relaxation tape again. Maybe I can get to sleep finally.

Ps. Thanks, HT. I will keep checking on her.

Hi Joy,

I am so sorry about your sister. I hope that things improve in the facility and for her. Keep hanging in there, that is all you can do at this point. I hope things get better. I hope you can find a good facility or that this one improves.

Hugs, Karen...

CT-Sorry to hear of the downward slide. Well, if they decided to hold-off, they can reverse themselves. I hope it is an easy process getting her transferred.

Remember to take care of yourself!

I'm in shock!!!!

They're releasing her into my care tomorrow ! They are classifying her to outpatient status because she calmed down after sitting on her hands yesterday and sleeping in the day room where she was in constant observation. She slept 7 hours like that. The doctor, nurse, and social worker all talked with her since then and said she was better today and ready to be moved to outpatient.

We all feel it's way too soon. If she does come home tomorrow after reevaluation I've got to drive half way across state to pick her up and stay at her home for the next few weeks to be sure.

Oh I hope she better for sure, but I'm still very worried.

Can someone get her to a psychologist, perhaps a female psychologist, since she is female and very sensitive?

I haven't heard a whole lot of talk of getting her any therapy, in the long term care place or anywhere.

Since you'll be with her for 3 weeks, can you set up an appointment with a female psychologist where only she talks to the therapist, no one else in the room, where she can talk freely.

Even if she's not talking when you get her to her appt., maybe she'll turn to her other side on the car trip to the office. A least the psy. can see the problem, and start a one way dialogue to get things moving, and see again in a few days or a week.

I mean, I think that's what therapy is all about. If it's not for this, what is it for?

I think she should get to a psychologist, who could rec. her to a psychiatrist, who could suggest she be hospitalized for a month or more.

I was hos. for month, the anti-dep. pills helped, I didn't need hos., so if I was in there for a month so the doctors/hos. could make money on my ins., your sister surely qualifies.

She could be individual and group therapy, occupational therapy where they make ceramic things and bathmats (I did), while benefiting from socialization and accomplishing things that they've just made and put together.

This was a private psy. and hospital, paid for by my wife's ins., and you may not have that. But I think she would really benefit. Of course, you have to go back to the same world where you left, and in her case, that may be part of the problem, of course some of it sounds like her sensitivity and upbringing.

But that's what hos. could help with. We have a state/regional mental hospital in our city, and it offers basically the same thing, for free.

I'm glad she's seeing a psychiatrist. That was my number one wish.

Hip, hip, hooray! Hooray!

I'm glad she was n group and one on one therapy in the hospital.

And she did so well, they're releasing her tomorrow. Pretty quick.

She has a "regular psy.?" How long has she been seeing that person?

You say, "I'm staying at her house until I determine she will be fine. Last time I stayed for a month afterwards."

That's a very good thing, also. Any chance you two could get out and go places and do some things?

Does she drift back into this when she gets back to her home for a week or two, without you being there?

Is she being clamped down once she gets back home? Anyway she could stay at your place?

Healing for you and your sister...