The Mindstorm

Category: residential

  • Don’t Worry, He’s Only Manic

    I hate getting “the call” from Tim’s RTC.  “The call” is someone calling to say he’s been agitated / in a fight / hostile / depressed / raging / some other behavior that is unsafe or worrisome.  I got “the call” yesterday about noon, telling me Tim had a yelling match with a classmate, the…

  • WTF, or Transitory Irritation

    So, Tim’s caseworker emails that she wants to have a family session by phone to talk about what happened the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  I know, I’m repeating myself, but that’s where today’s freak out (on my part) starts. I set up a time with her for tomorrow, and off-handledly mentioned in my email that they…

  • Managing

    Timothy has had rages since he was two years old. I remember the first time I realized he was raging out of frustration or anxiety – he was a tiny little thing, with a head full of brown curls. He didn’t have very much language yet; maybe a word here or there, and he was…

  • Merry Christmas!

    Tim goes back to ODTC later this morning. We had a pleasant few days together as a family, even with a foot of snow on the 26th. We went to the movies Christmas Day – never done that before – and the kids really enjoyed that. Or oldest son made a real effort to be…

  • Relief

    When we talked to Tim on the phone last Thursday, he seemed to be a bit homesick. “When are you coming?” he asked. This is a big change from when he was inpatient. He used to love to play the punishment game with us every time he was in the hospital. The first 2-4 days,…

  • Cycling

    Talked to Tim on the phone last night. “My voices are back,” he said. As he’s gotten older, he has started to get the ability to separate his own thoughts from the three voices he shares his head with, at least for a time. After secretly congratulating myself for warning his case manager that this…

  • First Visit

    So – Tim’s been in RTC for two weeks now. We saw him twice over the holiday weekend, for about an hour on Friday, and about 15 minutes yesterday. Friday was a good visit – he told us about his “friends,” was happy to say he got the posters I sent him for his room…

  • One Week

    A week has gone by since we checked Tim into ODTC for residential treatment. We’ve talked to him on the phone three times, and all three times were pretty much the same: he’s fine, so far everything is good, when are we coming to visit. I think he’s realized that, unlike when he was hospitalized,…

  • All Checked In

    After two years of ICG applications, denials, appeals, IEP meetings, inpatient hospitalizations, broken doors, bruises, rages, locks, letters to elected officials, and vigilance, Tim was admitted to and settled at ODTC yesterday. They were very thourough at intake – took him for a tour, show him his room, then asked us a ton of questions…