Very interesting research

these guys are doing some interesting things: Retroviruses and Schizophrenia/Bi-polarism

btw, it's true with Szchizo-boy... he was born in late November.

Mostly Stable

It's now the middle of October and I think that Schizo-boy is finally stable on the meds that he is on. He is right on the edge of being just on the edge of being a zombie, but still with us!

*applause!*

The Pool Hall

This evening, Schizo-boy was denied his new meds (Geodone) until the order was pre-approved by the insurance company. So, he was pacing a little harder and several times made the comment that he wanted to do something.

'round 1930, I asked him if he wanted to go shoot some pool. He got excited and agreed.

We went to one of local pool halls where smoking is allowed and played pool for about an hour and split a pitcher of beer. Then he said he was ready to go home. So, I looked around the place and noticed that a large group of loud, boisterous black guys had just come in. *hehe*

So, we paid up and took off. On the way back to the house, my wife called and asked if we could stop for some Hershey Kisses. When we came back out of the store and about to exit the parking lot, a guy asked us to stop. I slowed down and the guy requested a ride back the way we came. *shrug* No biggie, I have a pick up. So, I let him crawl into the bed of the truck and we took him close to where he lived and dropped him off.

Schizo-boy was very agitated about that. *oops!*

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

*crossing fingers*

New Med - Geodon (Ziprasidone)

Doc called and prescribed Geodon (Ziprasidone) for Schizo-boy.

*crossing fingers!*

More Symptoms and Relief

Yesterday, things came to a head at the house. Over the last two weeks, schizo-boy has progressively gone through all of the stages of having a mental break:

1) Started being nervous and edgy.
2) Changed almost everything about his normal habits, waking up early, rattling on and on, actually saying what was on his mind, etc.
3) Started caring about his appearance/clothes.
4) His mom wakes up to find him just returning from a walk.
5) buying bottled water. (thinks that someone is poisoning the tap water.)
6) started washing - with soap, an entire can of soda before he opens it.
7) and then yesterday, his mom went and took a shower, when she got out, he had moved to the back yard and started a bonfire and had the chainsaw out, prepared to create more fuel.

So, my wife called schizo-boy's Psychiatrist and told him exactly what was going on. He immediately took him off of the meds and asked that he be called in two days.

Hopefully we'll be able to get him on the right meds for him before we go on holiday.

The Symptoms List

So, tomorrow is Schizo-boy's first follow-up visit with the Psycho-doc. We compiled a list of new stuff that has been happening since he started on this new medication:

• Restless sleeping. Up and down all night.
• Getting up early which is very uncharacteristic of him.
• Extremely restless throughout the day.
• Thinks people are staring at him when he's out in public.
• Thinks his hands were shaking when they weren't which was also causing people to stare.
• Overly talkative. He is normally very quiet.
• Talking becomes aggressive - like he's working himself into a fevered pitch.
• Wants to be with me constantly. He admitted that he feels SAFE when he is with me.
• Overly concerned about cleanliness and the possibility of bugs being in and around the house.

The Train Incident

Oh boy! Here's a funny one for you...

So, this week we are baby-sitting my wife's great niece who is a very precocious 5 year old. And not having much money to buy entertainment outright, she decided that bringing her niece down to my work for lunch via the local train system would be an adventure for them!

At the last moment, Schizo-boy decided to come along for the ride. It was the first time that ALL of them had ridden the trains!

They make it here to my work with no problems. We eat lunch together with no problems. Then we all walk back into the station for the return trip and schizo-boy announces that he would rather ride in the next car because the niece is interacting with him so much. (I think it was embarrassing him a little bit.)

So, the train arrives, my wife and her niece get into one car and schizo-boy gets in the next car. I turn around and leave the station to go back to my desk for the rest of my work day.

20 minutes later, my wife calls frantically asking me if I really HAD seen schizo-boy get onto the train when they left. I said that I thought that he had! Then I realized that he probably just got off at the wrong station. I mentioned that. We all tried calling his cellphone which had been left at home.

My wife waited around for another 10 minutes and then decided to leave the station at the house in the car to see if he had maybe started walking or something. She did not encounter him all the way to the house and so went screaming back to the station. He was waiting for her.

It seems that while we were all walking into the station at my work, I had said, "There are two different lines northbound from this station. Make sure you get onto the North BLEEP line." and that name stuck in his head. He wound up riding the train past their stop all the way to the North BLEEP station! After he realized his mistake, he had to wait about 15 minutes for a train southbound to leave in order to return to the station he should have gotten off at.

*whew!!*

Winning the long game

Last Friday, July 16, 2010, Schizo-boy had his first appointment with the psychiatrist that he and his mom picked. According to his mom, the appointment went very well and in the end, the doctor prescribed the lowest dosage of Seroquel. He has to take it just before bedtime every day. He has a follow-up in two weeks.

So far, I would say that our old, pre-schizophrenia son is back! *applause!*

*contented sigh!*

Let the Reapin' Begin!

Schizo-boy got five years probation, has to take anger management classes, and now HAS to take the medicine for his Schizophrenia as mandated by a federal judge. *applause!* This means that I WIN! Well, sort of.

I say, that as soon as the court is no longer checking whether he is taking his schizophrenia meds... he'll just stop.

stoopid justice system.

*sigh*

Court appearance #1

At 0900 hrs today, Monday, June 21, 2010, we took schizo-boy down to the county courthouse for his first appearance.

As it turns out, he and a handful of other felons had their case pushed to July 12th. *rolling eyes* But, he and his mom got to talk with his public defender. The lawyer mentioned that the court might be very lenient if schizo-boy agreed to court-mandated medication for his schizophrenia.

I guess that time will tell on that.

Cool class!

http://www.leapinstitute.org/

and he's OUT

This morning around 10 am or so, schizo-boy's mother went and picked him up from the jail...

deed done dirty

Just returned from paying out on the second bond - $12500.00. The payment to the bondsman was $1300.00. This brings schizo-boy's total up to $3K.

Now we can expect him to get out late tonight, early tomorrow.

9 + 1 = 10

Yesterday afternoon, Schizo-boy's mom and I went driving around down town trying to get together what we would need to bond him out. His bond for the 9 counts was $16,842.xx. So, we attempted to use a property bond. No go!! As it turns out, they take the county's report of what your property is worth, which is usually low. Then they look at the amount of money you have left on your mortgage. If the county's number is not $16,842.xx higher than the remainder of your mortgage, you can not do a property bond.

What other options are available? You either cough up the $16k in cash... or use a bondsman. So, the bondsman reads over the charges and decides whether it is worth his/her risk to front the money. If s/he decides that it is, then you have to pay him/her about 10% of the total bond! So, we cleaned out the money that schizo-boy had in his joint account with his mother - a total of about $900 - and added some money to it to cough up $1684.2x for the bondsman. (As we know from previous posts, I am finished financially assisting schizo-boy. So, his next gov'ment checks will go straight into my checking account.)

The process works whereas the bondsman has to get off of his/her wide butt and physically go to the jail and actually pay the $16K. Then the jail has to process out schizo-boy. That whole thing takes 12 to 24 hours!

When we had not received a phone call from schizo-boy by 0900 hours this morning, I called the jail and asked, "OMG! WTF!?" THAT is when they told me that he was due in court in two hours for the tenth count, "Felony Forgery". So, what happens if they set a bond for that count as well? We have to repeat that process again. And what happens if they don't allow a bond to be set? Then schizo-boy is out $1,684.2x that he paid the bondsman.

Welcome to the hell jail.

Vodka & Redbull + Schizophrenia + Cops

On Friday night/Saturday morning, Schizo-boy found out that mixing Vodka and Redbull with his Schizophrenia just does not work out for him very well. He called one of his friends who came and picked him up. He was planning on staying with his friend over night, who lives in a city just north of ours.

They had a very big fight and schizo-boy decided to hit the street and walk. I am sure that he was VERY trashed which is why he got stopped by the local police in that city.

As it turns out, they were not the patient kind of cops. And schizo-boy was very belligerent due to alcohol mix and the fact that he is standing on the head of a pin with regards to his mental health right now.

The cops attempted to subdue him and he fought back. He even took pepper spray away from the cop! *evil laughter*

At any rate, his arraignment hearing is this morning at 1100 hours at the county detention center.

Yesterday, he called our house from jail four times. Each time, his voice and words became more and more hysterical. I think that we have arrived at another mental break.

Story about a woman...

This story backs up exactly what we are doing to Schizo-boy:

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/addicted/articles/about-kristina-wandzilak.html

I have now been used enough.

The foot is down. I am done enabling Schizo-boy. Period.

For those that have kept up, you know what I'm talking about. For those that have not, here's a quick recap:

1. Damages an apartment.


2. Steals money out of our checking account.


3. Cost us money for lawyer, motel, gas, time to support him while in jail in Florida.


4. Steals our lawnmower gas for the car he drives.


5. Steals our saws/equipment to pawn for drug money.


6. Numerous rides/cabs in the middle of the night due to drug and alcohol abuse.


7. Tells lie after lie after lie.


8. and now, he is just assuming that we'll just pony-up more time and money for all of the mistakes he has once again made in the last three months.

I am now done enabling this 29 year old child. That means that I will not hunt down a lawyer to cover his latest debacle. Nor will I NOT sell the car that he was driving. Nor will I pick him up from any where, at any time of the day or night. The only things that I will do for him is provide him with a roof over his head and food to be eaten only at the house. I will write letters to him while he is in prison for the latest felony. Lastly, I will provide him with access to my bicycle - a single speed beach cruiser. If he pawns it, then so be it. If someone steals it from him, then so be it. If he refuses it, then so be it. I don't care.

The only way this will change in the foreseeable future is if he admits his problem(s) with drugs, alcohol, and schizophrenia and actively seeks help for those without my help.

It is so.

Oh Hell

Over the last month, Schizo-boy has been spiralling further and further down the rabbit hole. The last three weeks, I have had to either pick him up from VERY bad areas of town or else cough up cab money when he was forced to take a cab. At one point, he got a black eye in a bar fight. Also, the low class scum that he has obviously been getting drugs from attempted to just take his car. (as in permanently! WTF!)

Last Friday, April 23, 2010, we got a letter in the mail from a city just north of ours stating that there was a warrant out for his arrest for Forgery - First Class. This is a felony with up to 10 years in prison!

So, our plan is to sell his car and then use the money for his lawyer. His mom took the car away from him over the weekend anyway, so it's not like he's going to be allowed to EVER drive it again.

Yesterday, Schizo-boy's mom had a stress test for her poor heart over all of this!

I just sent an email to legal at nami.org to request a list of attorneys in our area that specialize in criminal law that involves a Schizophrenic.

Have I pointed out Nami before?

Quicker updates as they happen...

Fighting the Good Fight

Schizo-boy is fighting the good fight about hiding the voices. His voice still has the hysterical quality to it, but he is still able to function more or less normal.

We can only hope that he has escaped the stress of the holidays for the year.

The Christmas Present Theory

Okay, so just before Christmas, Schizo-boy suddenly came up with presents for everyone. He gave a bottle of Moet Whatever to his mom for her birthday, a couple of endtables for her Christmas, and a couch to his middle brother.

As a matter of fact, I went with him to his "buddy's" house. (Mike we're talking about here.) I helped him load up the couch from the guy's apartment. In fact, Mike pulled up in a nice sedan... which it turns out is the car that Schizo-boy has been renting this entire time! *rolling eyes*

So, here is my newest theory. Schizo-boy is renter of the car. Mike pays the rent on the car for the last 5 months. But in order to continue to give Schizo-boy the incentive to continue to rent this car, Mike is giving him presents. Drugs, bottle of champagne, furniture, clothes, etc.

Just a theory.

oh boy!

My wife just called and said that the drive is full of cop cars and detective cars. So, here's the skinny:

Schizo-boy rented a car for his little "buddy" Mike like 5 MONTHS ago! All of this time, Mike has been running drugs and weapons using this rented car!!!! The cops found the car, which contained over a pound of marijuana and three guns. They traced the car and came to our house because it was rented in schizo-boy's name. He confessed and even told them where Mike lives now. They took off to apprehend Mike. Schizo-boy is now losing his phone and his car! One fell swoop.

His mom just sent an email saying that she looked up phone numbers from his cell and some of them have been to banks, like Wachovia and Chase. *sigh* (That may answer how he was able to rent a car in his name... he's got a credit card, which is something that he is not allowed to have.)

*double sigh*

The Paranoia Deepens

Yesterday I came home and my wife told me that Schizo-boy had come out of his room and asked if he could get a new phone number for his cell. His mom asked him why he would need that? He said that he was getting phone calls from people he didn't know...

The Theory

Okay, so over the last decade or so, I have had enough interactions with drug addicts that their progress through their addiction is becoming predictable.

First come the quick outings easily explainable away.
Second comes the longer outings. Gone for most of the day and returning broke.
Third, same as two, but user is willing to borrow more and more money to get the next fix.
Fourth, personality is rapidly changing! The user is becoming distant from friends and family. They will be short-tempored, irritable, and very jumpy. Unable to sit for long.
Fifth, finally, their desperation for their drug of choice will drive them to do whatever it takes for the next hit. This includes stealing, robbing, mugging, and selling themselves.

With regards to how these steps apply to what is in my life; Schizo-boy is very obvious when he is stepping through these - or at least to me. In the past he has stolen money, robbed, purse-snatched, and now finally, I believe that he has resorted to the final degradation of selling himself sexually for drugs.

I do not think that he is gay, so to speak. He is only doing it fulfil his needs for drugs. But, while doing this, he is also damaging his own self-esteem. This further erodes his hold on his sanity.

It is a sad thing to witness. And I have yet to figure out a method to break someone out of these steps.

Some day I will.

ah hell, here we go again!

Sure, the holidays are stressful for some people. And for schizo-boy, this seems to be triply so. His brothers are very hard on him because they don't quite understand the ramifications of their actions despite out desperate attempt to educate them.

So, on the Wednesday before Christmas, we had Christmas at our house for the guys and their family. As conversations progress, I kept a wary eye on how Schizo-boy was doing. And then I saw the change in his eyes and knew that he would come up with an excuse to leave. Sure enough, I was not wrong.

From that moment on, he has become more remote from us. Spending more and more time away from the house. When he does interact with us, I can detect a bit of hysteria in his voice.

One note of interest happened about a week ago. His mom had just unpackaged a large group of picture frames and had them stacked on the kitchen table. He walked by and she pointed them out. He made the comment, with that wild glint in his eyes, that she should fill up the wall in the hall so it could be even scarier! She immediately looked at me with the horror of what we now know is the inevitable outcome.

This last week, a fellow showed up and talked with my wife while Schizo-boy quickly showered. They left in the guy's car. We did not see the boy until late that night. He claimed that he and the other fellow had spent the day at a well known strip club in town. *huh!?!* Anyway! It's very obvious that he has gone back to partaking in harder drugs. One thing about this is that he can't afford them! So, what in the hell is doing to obtain the drugs? (More on this in the next entry.)

This is a very big sign that he is battling the fear and paranoia. He is right on the cusp of having another mental break. So, his mom and I will now spend the next days/weeks preparing ourself for his crash.

oh, one last thing, two days ago, he got up and left the house rather early for him and we didn't see him all day. In the evening, we got snow and ice here. So, I SMS'd him and suggested that he stay where ever he might be for the night. Then yesterday, he finally showed up and he had on completely different clothes. None of them were his. When we asked where he was, he made something up on the spot.

Then he tried to say that he had to leave again and his mom demanded that the car stay parked due to the ice on the roads. He moped out of the living room. About thirty minutes later, I heard the back door quietly open and close. Then, a while later I realized that I never heard it open again! So, I went out and looked around and he was no longer home. (The car was here though.) I came back in and looked at the thermometer. It was 15 degrees outside!

I attempted to SMS him to prompt him to at least let us know that someone had picked him up and he wasn't just out walking around. No reply. So, around 11 pm, I got bundled up and went driving around for a bit just to make sure I didn't see him walking. No sign of him.

I did come across a family that was walking. They had a CHILD! I stopped and asked the guy why he and his family were walking in the 15 degree weather with a child. He replied that they had missed the last public transportation bus and could not afford a taxi to get home. I made them pile into my truck and I took them home. They had already walked over a mile from the train and their apartment was two MORE miles from where I picked them up!

Before I went to bed, I made sure schizo-boy's bedroom door was wide open.

This morning, his door was closed. So, whatever it was that he did, he's home now.

As we go through it, I will keep this blog up to date.

*sigh*