okay ad'ers. ask me anything (but be nice! :))

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I was wondering if during your hospitalization you were allowed Internet access. That was one of my main fears about hospitalization because I don't know what I'd do without my Internet.
 
Nika said:
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I was wondering if during your hospitalization you were allowed Internet access. That was one of my main fears about hospitalization because I don't know what I'd do without my Internet.
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i've attended 3 different hospitals for inpatient treatment and was never given internet access.

however, i didn't ask to have internet access either, so i don't know if it would have been provided to me.

at each hospital i attended, we were required to attend group sessions, art therapy, relaxation classes and individual appointments with a psychiatrist, so our days were pretty structured.

during hours that we did not have group session, a meeting with the psychiatrist or art and relaxation classes, we were encouraged to stay in the lounge and watch tv or talk with other patients.

the hospital i most recently attended wasn't strict about making me stay in the lounge though (or even attending my other classes. the psychiatrist even came to my room to see me for my appointments with him.). since i had been manic for several weeks, the nurses and psychiatrist allowed me to sleep most of the time since i had severe sleep deprivation.
 
Hear Again said:
at each hospital i attended, we were required to attend group sessions, art therapy, relaxation classes and individual appointments with a psychiatrist, so our days were pretty structured.
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Was that as nice as it sounds? I would definitely miss my online friends though!
 
Nika said:
Was that as nice as it sounds? I would definitely miss my online friends though!
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actually, it was. i really enjoyed art therapy. at each hospital i attended, i worked on wood kits where i would sand wood (such as a wooden mug coaster) and stain it. you could also paint, play cards or listen to the radio. relaxation classes i never liked though because they were boring and put me to sleep. sometimes i didn't like group session either because i couldn't always hear what people were saying.
 
That sounds really nice. Man, I almost want to be hospitalized now. <laugh> It beats being stuck with my parents watching over me like hawks because they now deem me as lesser and incapable of anything because of my PTSD.

That must have been really annoying, not being able to follow the conversations. Weren't you entitled to an intervenor by ADA law?
 
Hear Again said:
my local police department happens to have an excellent reputation and is in a relatively large suburban community.

however, i'm wondering if it might not be better to contact the police department from the city that is closest to where i live?
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why not try both? you could meet both referrals and go with the one you feel very comfortable with. :cool2:
 
Nika said:
That must have been really annoying, not being able to follow the conversations. Weren't you entitled to an intervenor by ADA law?
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if truth be told, being hospitalized *was* a pleasant experience. it was nice having someone watch over me to make sure i was taking my meds and asking me how i was feeling on an hourly basis (hourly in my case due to my rapid cycling). the nurses at the most recent hospital i attended were wonderful. in the morning, they would gently touch me on my arm or shoulder to wake me (since i'm completely deaf without my ci's) and wait until i had my ci's on before speaking to me. they also used to guide me from my room to the tv or activity room.

having said that, some hospitals are better than others. the first one i attended was great about providing me with a tactile interpreter, but they also removed my ci (i only had one at the time) while i was sleeping. they justified this because i was hearing voices and they thought the extra sound stimulation provided by my ci's would frighten me. needless to say, i was extremely upset about that. the nurses at this hospital also weren't as attentive to my needs as the most recent hospital i attended. at the last hospital i attended, each room had a nurse call button you could press for a nurse to come see you. the other hospital didn't. if you needed to see a nurse, you had to walk down to the nurse's station.

i mentioned having difficulty hearing other group members. at the time that happened, i didn't know sign well enough to use a tactile interpreter otherwise i would have. incidentally at the time of my hospitalization that year, there was a deaf patient who did use an interpreter and i was *so* jealous of him because he could understand everything that was being said. it's ironic too because during that period of time, i was hospitalized due to severe depression after having lost my hearing. as you can imagine, group wasn't exactly the best environment for me to be in.
 
Oh wow your experiences were really all over the place. I'm sorry you got placed in that situation after being depressed about your hearing loss! But it does sound like there were very understanding. That must be so nice, to be around people that understand.

Sometimes the isolating aspect of mental illness can be half the battle.
 
Nika said:
Oh wow your experiences were really all over the place. I'm sorry you got placed in that situation after being depressed about your hearing loss! But it does sound like there were very understanding. That must be so nice, to be around people that understand.

Sometimes the isolating aspect of mental illness can be half the battle.
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that's true. it was nice being around people who understand. since i also experience auditory hallucinations when manic (or off of my meds), the nurses at the last hospital always made sure to ask me daily whether or not i was hearing any voices. they never made fun of me either because of it. they were extremely compassionate and understanding. the same was true for the ER staff who saw me before my admission to the hospital.
 
Hear Again said:
it's not an aching pain. it's more of a soreness and sharpness like someone is poking a sharp object into my eyes.
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perhaps..... you got your eyelash on your eye?? i get this all the time and it does hurt. it feels like a tiny asshole's jabbing my eye with a needle.
 
Jiro said:
perhaps..... you got your eyelash on your eye?? i get this all the time and it does hurt. it feels like a tiny asshole's jabbing my eye with a needle.
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that's exactly how it feels. i washed my eyes, so that's not the problem because they still hurt alot. i wish i knew what was causing this...
 
Hear Again said:
that's exactly how it feels. i washed my eyes, so that's not the problem because they still hurt alot. i wish i knew what was causing this...
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:hmm: pick up your phone and call your BF to get his ass over so he can look at your eyes. I do get a very very stubborn eyelash stuck on my eye once in a while.
 
Jiro said:
:hmm: pick up your phone and call your BF to get his ass over so he can look at your eyes. I do get a very very stubborn eyelash stuck on my eye once in a while.
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i just gave him a call. he's on his way over as i type this.
 
Nika said:
That sounds really nice. Man, I almost want to be hospitalized now. <laugh> It beats being stuck with my parents watching over me like hawks because they now deem me as lesser and incapable of anything because of my PTSD.
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i know what you mean. one of my sisters tends to be overprotective of me and has been ever since my bipolar diagnosis. just last night she asked me how i've been sleeping and requested that i create a sleep chart for her so she could see how i've been sleeping. she also asks me if i've eaten during the day and what i had to eat. i love her to death, but sometimes all of her questions irritate me. i really need to watch my moods whenever i talk to her because i've been known to snap at her for asking innocent questions. i should be happy that she shows such concern for me, but sometimes i feel so angry, depressed and irritable that it's difficult for me to appreciate.
 
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