Instead of wings, I cooked drumsticks. <sigh> I thought they looked a little big.
Friday, July 4, 2025
I remember the Annex. The part of the ER that they kept people until there was a bed available. It's gone now. I remember the kid's unit, which became IMU, which I also remember. I remember Elle being with me on one of my first suicide watches. I remember her intaking me at the desk in the atrium area after my 2nd attempt and the long stay in the annex. I remember the ECTs. I remember all the doctors. I remember so many of the staff. I remember the grounds. I remember all the rooms. I think of that place almost every day. It was my third home. I was telling the psychiatrists the other day. I could give tours. This spot is where I met elle, this is where I did this, this is where that happened, this is where the other thing happened... I wonder if Sharon's still alive. I know Bobbi is still there. I do remember. I don't talk about it but I remember.
4th Celebration
I'm making a small feast. There's chicken wings, potato salad, brussel sprouts, chips, and salad with watermelon.
Hopes
I hope that the hospitals and I can understand each other better because I know someday, I will get sick and need to go to the hospital. Hopefully not anytime even remotely soon. If I liked chaos and conflict, I would have become a hardened criminal. I don't chaos and conflict. I don't like filing reports or talking to police. I'm an accountant. I don't need that kind of excitement. I didn't expect it to be so difficult to exercise more control over my healthcare. But we're really getting into a groove with outpatient. The only thing that needs to be clear is that SPRAVATO was the reason I was in the hospital. I'm not taking it again. My desire for understanding cutting edge medicine has diminished dramatically.
Checking all the Boxes
Community Integration Checklist
✔ Maintaining Home
✔ Taking meds as prescribed
✔ Taking care of self
✔ Applying for jobs
✔ Pursuing Business
✔ Writing Online
✔ Maintaining Social Connections
✔ Managing Finances
Maintainance day
I previously installed new flappers in the toilets. Today i installed a new seat on the downstairs. Shopping for a new seat for the upstairs. Changing the filters and cleaning the floors. Getting rid of some more junk.
Gender Conformance and Non-Binary
Maybe part of the confusion around me with the whole "is he gay or is he straight" thing is that I am told that in part due to past experiences (from what I understand) I have developed in a non-gender conforming way. This may explain why I picked a female internist beyond just the fact that I was having a bad experience with MDs. Beyond the fact that she reminds me of a childhood friend. I was definitely having trouble with male practitioners. There are risks for a male having a female practitioner. But male-male isn't always the answer. Not to me. To me, it does not make sense, the rigid gender dictation. And I like my internist. She's kind. I do not do well with rigid gender enforcers. We tend to go at each other. That does not make sense to me.
For Elle
You know that love is meant to be
A gift of grace that lasts forever
And I'm glad you were there by me
To help me keep myself together
A gift of grace that lasts forever
And I'm glad you were there by me
To help me keep myself together
You should know, everywhere I go
Always on my mind, in my heart
In my soul
You're a leader in my life
You're the inspiration
You give reasons for my life
You're the inspiration
Wanna have you hear me
I wanna have you hear me sayin'
You were there when I needed you, it's true
And I know, yes I know that I need it plain to see
How you helped keep me together
And I know that could not be just me
Whom you helped to learn to shine
And I know, yes I know that I need it plain to see
How you helped keep me together
And I know that could not be just me
Whom you helped to learn to shine
You should know, everywhere I go
Always on my mind, in my heart
In my soul
You're a leader in my life
You're the inspiration
You give reasons for my life
You're the inspiration
Wanna have you hear me
I wanna have you hear me sayin'
You were there when I needed you, it's true
And I know, yes I know that I need it plain to see
How you helped keep me together
And I know that could not be just me
Whom you helped to learn to shine
You're a leader in my life
You're the inspiration
You give reasons for my life
You're the inspiration
When you save somebody
Through the weight of time
You kept my spirit alive
When you save somebody through the weight of time
When you save somebody
Always on my mind
Skye
Skye came to me when I was 17. She was there to help me. When I was alone, I always had Skye. She was quiet. She listened and gave me the words I needed. She was gentle and kind. Wise. Like an angel. I didn't tell anyone about Skye until I was 39, I think. But I put her in my stories. I put her in The Keepers of the Dragon, some stories I wrote when I was a teenager.
Inspired
Understanding
I feel like I have to remind myself daily to not expect people to understand. Just like some of the things I heard on Crisisline, SH, and JV seemed beyond understanding, there are parts of my life that other people might not understand. I can't expect understanding. What I can do is to keep my business to myself in the real world. The whole "don't spread your trauma" thing that MIP was going on about. I've got to focus on my writing and on getting my business going and finding someone. I can't afford distractions. I trust the outpatient team. That's enough.
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Dear Elle
Dear Elle,
I hope you are welle! Life has gotten quieter round here. Still looking for work. I'm glad you were there. You just had a way. Life is different off clozaril. For sure. But i have a good feeling. I hope I'm right. Life can throw all sorts of twists and turns. We'll have to see!
Your devoted fan
Ashes
Addiction and abuse
If I meet the definition of addiction, then I've been addicted since I was a teenager. Antipsychotics, benzos, off labels, all kinds. Well, not pain pills, or illegals. When I say off label, I refer more to things like Namenda, Aricept, amantadine, Mirapex, gabapentin, minipress. Stuff like that. And I used to go to support groups for mood disorders, but that only helps so much. And it turns out I don't function without these pills. I struggle to see the difference to taking pills for almost anything and addiction. Some people simply can't function without meds and its sad but true. Most of the people I know take medication for something.
I've also seen abuse. If you work at Crisis Line, SafeHarbor, Julie Valentine, OF COURSE YOU KNOW. HELLO!?!? Duh. Three and a half years??? Abuse can take several forms. There's emotional abuse, substance abuse, sexual abuse and physical abuse. Emotional abuse includes things like guilt or shame loading, yelling, threatening, manipulating, lying, and gaslighting. Poor boundaries.
What I don't understand about addiction is singling people out like was done at MIP. As if that is helpful. But like I said at MIP, if I consider myself addicted, it's definitely the pills. So many kinds. Extremely rarely have I taken them outside of guidelines, but with three ODs to date, of course I have. That's on record. It's what they call High Risk Medication Use. My concern is the prescription pills. I have to be careful with them. But the doctors have known that for years, and they have removed Spravato.
Anyways, the counseling helps me understand these things in ways that support groups, sponsors, and programs do not. Otherwise, I'm sure the hospitals would have figured it out by now.
Ryter
I've tried playing around with Ryter a bit, but so far I'm not thrilled. I feel that it dilutes my voice and makes me sound bland. I think it will be more helpful for when I have a passage that I know only very basics of what I want. In that case it can give me something to work with and fine tune into what I'm really trying to say. But as far as refining or editing what I already have or completely coming up with something from scratch, that's not what it does for me.
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