My last post ( http://bit.ly/Inptpart2 ) left off where I was taken to my room on the psych ward at the hospital. They woke me up around 6am to draw blood and again at 6:30 to take my vitals. As soon as I got out of bed I began dry heaving (as usual). After I started pacing back and forth my psychiatrist walked through the door. I was glad he got to see firsthand what I was going through.
We spoke for a bit and he said he’d be back the next day. I headed down to the dining area for breakfast knowing damn well I wouldn’t be able to eat anything. I ate about 3 bites of scrambled eggs and several sips of orange juice. There was a slip of paper on our trays for them to record how much we ate. Wonderful.
I headed back to my room to look over the packet that they gave me which explained the schedule for each day. To say it was regimented is an understatement.
8AM – Breakfast
9AM – Light exercise/stretching
10AM – Group therapy
11AM – Free time
12 noon – Lunch
1PM – Group therapy
2PM – Free time
3PM – Nurse shift change; required to be in our rooms
4PM – Crafts
5PM – Dinner
6PM – Visiting hour
7PM – Therapy wrap up
8PM – Snacks
9PM – Free time
10PM – Required to be in our rooms
11PM – Lights Out
There was only one hour each day when we could have visitors. That was a rough one for me. Each visitor had to put their purses, phones, etc in a locker and were wanded by a guard. At 6:00 on the nose the doors were opened and our family and friends flooded in. The only things they were allowed to bring us were clothing (without drawstrings), books and magazines.
The second day I was there I woke up and didn’t have dry heaves. That was the first time in almost 2 months and I couldn’t wait to tell my psychiatrist! I was able to eat half of my breakfast and considered that a huge success.
The day after that my appetite was completely back. And I have to admit, the food there was fantastic! If something wasn’t on the menu, they got it for you. You wanted 2 cheeseburgers? No problem. My favorite had to be the crab cakes with asparagus. (Not your typical hospital food, right?)
Group therapy was like nothing I had experienced before, and I mean that in a good way. Seeing that I wasn’t the only one going through this was so helpful and very comforting to know that I wasn’t alone.
Craft time was a nice break from all the “psychological” stuff. The radio was playing and we could chat freely amongst ourselves. ( I made 2 bracelets that I still wear today to remind me of my journey.)
Showering was kind of a pain. The showers were at the end of the hall and a nurse had to let you in. She waited outside the door until you were done. If you wanted to shave your legs she had to be there watching so I said the hell with it.
It was very strange not having my phone or iPad. Think about it. How many times each day do you check your phone? No email, texts, or anything from the outside world. After a few days I have to admit that it was sort of nice not being able to be reached 24/7. Whatever I was doing couldn’t be interrupted by someone texting me.
I kept improving every day and my next post will tell about the day they said I could be discharged.
The Pharmacist on Mental Health 