diagnosis and beyond
Full of nervous energy I got on the internet. Thank God and Greyhound I found this site. I read until my eyes wouldn't focus anymore. I could not believe that everything my son had been going through was in these posts. For so long I just knew that there was something wrong besides him just being a bad kid. When I finally got to go see him it was such a relief. I had talked to him on the phone and he sounded just like my "old" son, the one who had been lost in this disease. What a weird kind of relief. When I talked to the doctors I was horrified to find out that while he was in the Wyoming State Hospital they had diagnosed him as bi-polar!! NO ONE TOLD ME All they said was he was depressed and needed Paxil! He spent about 9 days in hospital. Those were the longest nine days of my life, or so I thought. I spent hours looking up this dreaded disease and was ashamed of how I though about MI and the people it affected. It is so hard to understand something you don't know.
I have never been one to keep my mouth shut, and I was truly amazed at the number of people that I knew who had family members with sz. Once I started talking they would open up.......a kindred spirit I suppose. My goal was to talk to as many people as possible, to learn and to teach. Brother, is there a lot of ignorance flying around out there......and I was one of the most ignorant. But, I learn well. My biggest road block was the school. Lordy has that been a battle. The principle wanted a statement from the doctor saying that he was "ok" before he would let him back in school. The superintendent wanted to expel him, and the teachers were scared to death. I talked myself blue in the face trying to get them to do some research, but to no avail. I requested he be evaluated for an IEP so that he could get his education. That was in December of 2002. By law they are required to follow up on a request in a timely manner. HAH......Instead of evaluating him and coming up with a plan, they just continued to suspend him for his "behavior" problems........He is a senior in high school with 3 credits.........do we think we have a problem here? Once again ignorance ruled the world. I know I may sound bitter, but that is because I am. I have had more doors slammed in my face.........The principal even had the nerve to tell me that I needed to back off and quit standing up for him. He said that my son had to take responsibility for his own actions........granted this is true but there was NO WAY I was going to quit going to bat for him.