Sick is as sick does

Yes a lame attempt at a pun on words by Forest Gump's quote: Stupid is as stupid does...

I did get a call back on Thursday from my son's nurse that the psychiatrist was discontinuing the Latuda and reinstating the Olanzapine. ;)

Sadly that hasn't fixed everything as I had hoped. I think we may be heading for an hospitalization if he doesn't start taking care of himself physically. The hand gestures have pretty much stopped or is happening every now and then. Getting him off the Latuda was a good thing. The problem is that he started making himself sick. He has been making himself vomit... So he has barely kept any food down since last week. He is drinking lots of fluids which is good but it's not enough.

We have Pepto-Bismol and Gravol but getting him to take it is another story. It's taken me about 3 days of asking to finally get him to take a Gravol today. As far as I can tell he hasn't vomited today however he is again refusing to take anything so that he won't. I have been trying not to nag as I don't want to trigger his ODD and cause him to get defiant about taking his Invega and Olanzapine.

He hasn't been doing anything except making messes ;) I have been having to hose down areas of the backyard sometimes a couple of times a day. Between him spitting, leaving food items and garbage and even vomiting, it's been fun... Finally I put a bucket out for him which I'm having to dump and clean. Poor hubby. Watching my son make himself sick and listening to it, has been making my hubby want to be sick and he can't be around it. If he wasn't my son I would probably be the same.

It's gotten to the point where I'm moving the ashtray outside to where he is sitting because if I don't he is putting his cigarettes out on the table. When I point it out to him he says he doesn't remember doing it.

I commented today in a group I'm in about how to handle aggression. My helpful hint was to try to remember how we acted when they were small. Ignore the negative behaviors if you can. Yes I know... that doesn't really work with everything. I was thinking today that it sucks because at least with a child you can tell them that if they can't carry drinks without spilling etc then they can't carry drinks. Try telling that to a 21 year old that is spilling drinks everywhere or leaving opened freezes everywhere. I found one leaking all over my magazines. One today making a sticky mess in the backyard.

He had a bath today... He walked by me and phew... Several times a day he has been wanting me to message his back as well as at bedtime and cuddle with him. I told him today that I couldn't tonight if he didn't get clean.

You may not remember the brown corduroys that he got when he was in the shelter the last time. They came out last week. Finally one night I went into his room and put them in the laundry. Thankfully he gets undressed for bed. There was no way he was wearing them another day if I could help it. I'm debating getting rid of them and told him so. He said ok. They never did fit him right and so they have been falling off him.

So it's pretty much a waiting game right now on whether he will start eating and keeping it down.

*fingers crossed*

Mom
BarbieBF

© BarbieBF and Schizophrenia - Mom's Journey, 2014 - 2015. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Links to blog posts and/or pages as a whole (in there entirety) may be used provided that full and clear credit is given to BarbieBF and Schizophrenia - Mom's Journey with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

'Normal' Sick

I hope everyone had a good Easter weekend. Ours was pretty quiet as my son has been sick with what appears to be a stomach flu for the past couple of days. The good part of this is he hasn't been drinking ;) Friday night he asked me about Benadryl as he recalled getting it while inpatient September 2013 and that it helped him with sleep and I guess withdrawal. Saturday I remembered that I had some from when my hubby had an allergic reaction so he I gave him some. It seemed to help with his withdrawal/cravings for alcohol however it didn't help with the stomach flu that he was about to have symptoms of. Saturday and Sunday he had a low grade fever, nausea and diarrhea.

Several times he spoke about going to the hospital because he 'felt like he was dying'. Yes being sick can feel like that ;) We kept an eye on his temperature and I made him toast, tea... I don't know if I can explain what it feels like to be able to parent a 'normal' sickness. Easy. Comforting. No second guessing myself. As long as the Tylenol was keeping his fever down and it didn't go over 100. As long as he was hydrated. Pepto for the nausea and diarrhea. Got this! Easy...

He is much better today and no fever since Saturday night. He got some extra attention. I spent a little more time rubbing his back which he has been asking me to do lately, as well as scratching his head ;) Saturday night we watched TV with his head in my lap. I have been somewhat bemused at myself that my son being sick has felt... I don't know what word to use. Good? Normal?

Saturday hubby and my son got their hair cut. My son needed it and I had been bringing it up for a bit. He looks so much better. Next we need to tackle his beard. He wants a long beard. That's fine if one keeps them clean...

So, knock on wood, my son hasn't drank since Tuesday. He was on his way out to the liquor store Saturday when I told him that hubby and I were going shopping for things for the backyard and if he was drinking he couldn't come. His choice. He decided to come and that is when we thought we would try the Benadryl to help with withdrawal and cravings. He ended up having to come home after the haircut and he didn't go back out like I thought he was going to.

Hubby and I did get a barbecue and a patio set. That took two trips to Walmart and my goodness the line ups... Easter weekend. I was thinking about getting a fire pit but we can't as they aren't allowed where we live.

Talked to my daughter for a bit. Poor girl... Life just keeps throwing her curve balls. She is another story that I will probably delve into one day. 'A bag of worms' I'm not willing to open yet ;)

I think I have good news... I'm trying to stay hopeful and not let negative thinking that 'It sounds to good to be true' get in the way. I have a job... It's work from home and the pay is pretty good. I'm waiting on the employment contract to hopefully make some things a little more clearer as some things are not making sense to me. Granted I have not worked this type of job before so I have no idea what is considered normal or appropriate. Part of it is collecting payments from customers which is fine however it seems they want me personally to collect then remit to the company. I don't know...

I got the go ahead to take my son completely off his Celexa so he has been off it since Wednesday. Considering everything he is doing good.

Sadly I'm beginning to feel like I just may be getting my son's stomach flu.

Mom
BarbieBF

© BarbieBF and Schizophrenia - Mom's Journey, 2014 - 2015. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Links to blog posts and/or pages as a whole (in there entirety) may be used provided that full and clear credit is given to BarbieBF and Schizophrenia - Mom's Journey with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.