I started to write this email, but never finished and never sent it. I was sending it to my little sister’s good friend, and her older brother: Hey, [name redacted] and [name redacted], Thank you, [name redacted], for sending this email. I really appreciate it. I don’t know how much of the story you two […]
I called the Halifax Hospital Psychiatric Unit to talk to mom again. Some random man answered the phone but didn’t tell me who he was. I waited, listening to the sound of people shuffling around the room, for three full minutes and then mom got on the phone. After I said, “Hi, mom,” and she […]
My good friend emailed me in response to something he saw me write about how the “hold music” was nicer at where she is now. He asked me: What do the doctors say? Can you eventually visit? I sent him a very long reply: Ah. I hadn’t told you about the previous place. When she […]
I just called my mom. I thought maybe if I talked to her in the middle of the day instead of at night she might be more alert / rational. A man answered the phone in the common room at the Halifax Hospital Psychiatric Center, and said, “Hello?” I said, “I’m calling to talk to […]
Nurse Brian called from the Halifax Hospital Psychiatric Unit because mom was apparently acting really crazy. He said they had to move her to another unit because she was making all the other patients anxious — grabbing at them, going into their rooms, etc. He wanted to get my permission to give mom Haldol “as […]
I tried to call the Halifax Hospital Psychiatric Unit to talk to mom, but was told she was asleep. Nurse Pat said she’d make sure to call me if mom woke up at all in the night.
Dr. Caliendo called me at 5:15 AM PST and we had a thirty-five minute conversation. I gave him permission to administer Zyprexa to try to stabilize mom. I tried to give him a history of mom’s medical and psychological issues, but he made it clear that he was spending much too long on the phone […]
At about nine o’clock tonight someone from the Halifax Hospital Psychiatric Unit left me a voice mail asking me to call as soon as possible. (I didn’t get to listen to the message until about 9:30 PM PST.) I was told that mom was being very anxious and the nurse wanted my permission to give […]
Here are my notes from January 28th, 2012: 10:30 am – 11:30 am: made several attempts to talk to mom; she was asleep and / or unable to come to the phone; very sad 12:45 pm: [name redacted] called; said mom asked for books and that he visited her on Friday, January 27th and that […]
I had to go to San Francisco on a business trip. I called mom from the Oakland Airport while waiting for my flight home. (I called mom any time I ever got on a plane, because she was always so afraid of flying.) We only talked for about three minutes and she was very agitated […]