Good days are a blessing. Before this illness, as for us all, I am sure, my idea of a good day was defined so differently. A 45 minute conversation is long. Where is your son housed in So Cal, if I may ask?
Tell us how you are today?
Vallpen
#264
AnnieNorCal
#265
Lou is at Patton State Hospital, San Bernardino County.
It is a state hospital for forensically committed patients, who are incompetent, that is one of the type of patients in this facility. In California, the judicial system decides who is incompetent. then it is up to the state hospital to accept a new patient. Lou has no criminal record and was never violent. after Lous accident he assulted the neighbor, it has been very grave. the charges he faces are mayhem. which could be 15 years to life sentence. pretty sad for this young man. he has always been a very nice, caring individual. You can read about Patton on their website. The staff and doctors are very compassionate. This is my 3rd call to Lou.
P.S. thank God the victim survived and has recovered. I thank my God through all of this, it could be so much worse for lou and our family. AnnieNorCal
banana1
#270
I am feeling nervous today. Our son is 27 yo and has been hospitalized for a week for the second time since December (he was in for 12 days then). He is on Invega Sustenna 156 mg, Seroquel and Klonipin as needed. He seemed to be doing so much better since getting back on meds in December and I got my hopes up again. He is getting out tomorrow and we are bringing him back to live with us for now. He just canât care for himself right now.
I am a bit scared because he has threatened us in the past, but only when he was unmedicated. No threats since December. I am hoping to get him into a program here where he can have a case manager, therapy and help applying for disability. He was diagnosed at age 19 right after he started college. He was on meds for a couple of years and then refused to take them. He does seem to have some insight that he is ill now, but is already saying he doesnât want to take medication anymore due to weight gain.
We are going to be very firm that if he doesnât take meds he cannot live here nor can we financially support him anymore. My almost 94 yo father in law still financially supports my husbandâs brother who also has sz. I hate this terrible disease! Thanks for listening.
DianeR
#271
This makes total sense especially with the threats when not on meds. Would a shot be easier?
hope
#272
We canât have our son living here anymore - he doesnât want to live here, so that helps, but the delusions about his dad and the refusal to take any meds made it too dangerous.
DianeR
#273
I got home to a âbrokenâ garage door. Ends up my son had locked it and clipped it with a tool so that no one could unlock it. This is the door going into the garage. I now have a broken garage door (for my car). Thankfully I had a secret way to get in.
DianeR
#275
Yes that is a crutch. The main door is gonna cost I have a feeling. Here is front door bolted and blocked with golf club case and box with a bike stand in it that was for him to use for exercise. Which is ironic in a way as Iâm sure he got exercise putting this all together. Excuse the mess in the background. I am moving. Should be interesting when the movers get here. AND we go to court the day before. I will likely ask the judge to grant him a court ordered MH eval. Which I pray they will take him and keep him while I move.
Jan
#276
He is getting his exerciseđ
Moving and court dates are both super stressful. I hope you can ge him out of the house during the move. Movng was always hard for my sz husbandâall these people touching his stuff!
calicakes
#277
Good news: My brother might be able to move in with us soon!
Sad news: As part of the process trying to get him moved we had to speak to a kind of case manager at the local clinic to verify his level of need. During the interview process my brother confabulated a lot of things which are much easier for me to pick up on now that Iâve gotten to know him better. He told a story about how he used to work at a bakery and would cut out cookies and once he made chocolate ones and everyone liked them a lot. It just made me a little sad thinking how impossible it must be for him to differentiate between false memories when he hasnât had family or friends around most years that could help confirm. 
At least theyâre happy âmemories.â
Alwayshopeful
#278
@calicakes. How great that he is moving forward, and will eventually be able to live with you. You bring up a very important point about schizophrenia. There are many different types. It is such a complex illness. My daughter does not appear to be tortured by this illness. When she does have a conversation with me, although often her thoughts are very disorganized and there word salad like, she appears to be âhappyâ and not tortured by this illnessfrom what I can tell. Her Dr confirmed that not everyone with schizophrenia has thought in dark places. Like you, i am reminded to be ok about this. Sometimes she is even funny, her old self is still there.
Vallpen
#279
You are being a great support. His delusions sound rather pleasant. Maybe now you can create some new shared memories baking cookies together!
Vallpen
#280
Criminy. I have a whole collection of doors in the basement in various states of damage. Not sure why I put them there, but they are original to the house, and it seems a shame to dispose of them. One more door is hanging on by a few splinters. I think my son realized he wouldnât have much privacy if that door is gone, and I have stopped replacing them. So now he mostly focuses on the metal front door and the exposed side of the oven.
I have thrown out most of the chairs he has broken, though for a while he insisted that they not be thrown away, so some are still in the basement.
The drawers on his dresser have no fronts, as he has kicked them all off. So basically, he has open shelves now.
DianeR
#281
Yes - I am super concerned about this. That is why I have a full month to move. I am going to see if he wants to move his stuff separately in a van (that I will drive) which means he will have to be near me (something that he does not like to do).