Tuesday 12 June 2012

The joys of inpatient

The new system for taking my  meds correctly isn't working.
I took double methadone and double zyprexa yesterday and have just popped 2 zyprexa today
I spent a lot of yesterday sleeping and therefore not eating and also wasn't up in the night binging and purging
Now do you see why I take them?
I'm seeing Mary tomorrow, will I tell her?
Probably not
These pills are the only escape I get from my eating disorder, the only thing that calms my racing mind
I know, maybe if I took them properly that would help
I know I should, I'm only hurting myself
Like a true addict, I look forward to taking them, I'm in great form the day I collect them
I remember in treatment someone called me 'a dustbin junkie' because I would take anything
Sadly they were right
This behaviour is keeping me stuck
Everyday is the same, lather rinse, repeat.......

Anyway I'm not in as bad form as you would think. Having spoken to old treatment friends at the weekend I've been thinking a lot about treatment. Would I be willing to go back? There are only 3 inpatient facilities in this country and I've been to 2 of them. The first time was a disaster, when it came out that I was a drug addict they refused to treat me and I left after only 3 days. The next place was much better, I've been there 3 times but never finished the programme successfully because they discharge you if you don't continue to gain weight.
There is one thing stopping me from going back to treatment and I touched on it in a couple of other posts.
It was my second time in this programme and I was on bedrest. We were weighed 3 times a week and if you fail to gain weight twice in a row you are put on bedrest. This is as it sounds, in your pyjamas, in your bed all day. You are only allowed to leave for groups. So I was on bedrest but I was not very good at staying in bed and would be up every hour for a smoke. This particular day my mother had been to visit and the nurses had not come near me all day, not to check on me or say hello to my mother. She thought this was a bit strange but thought nothing more of it. My mother then left and I was getting cabin feverish because it was a Saturday and we had no groups and I had been in bed all day.
I went out to the little kitchen to make myself a cup of tea when I was cornered by one of the nurses.
She gave out to me and told me in no uncertain terms that I was breaking rules. Her tone was very unkind and I could feel  tears stinging my eyes. I walked away without saying a word and went for a smoke.
On my way back to my room I stopped at the nurses station, 2 nurses had their backs to me and hadn't seen me. I heard one say to the other 'I think I'm after upsetting Ruby, she's crying'. The other nurse turned to her and said in a very sarcastic voice 'Oh my God, you are such a bitch' as if to say big fucking deal.
At this point they turned around and saw me. Her face said it all, she knew she'd messed up.
I ran to my room and started to cry. The nurse followed me and said 'Ruby I wasn't calling you a bitch'
I said 'I know what I heard, you were taking the piss' She asked me if she could speak to me in the office so I followed her in. In fairness to her she could see how upset I was and was apologetic.
I was still upset and crying and I rang my mother who was on a train home. She immediately rang the nurse manager who said the nurse had done nothing wrong. The whole thing just escalated and I was so upset and ended up self harming that night. I still don't know if I over reacted or not but I couldn't help the way I reacted. What do you think, was she in the wrong?
In the days after things were tense. The nurse that ran our programme backed me and said the nurse was definitely in the wrong but other nurses were on her side and I don't know if I was imagining it but they seemed to treat me differently after that. In the end I  wanted to get out of there and orchestrated my discharge. I must stress that this incident was a one off and only involved a couple of nurses, most of the others were very kind. I've always played down how much this affected me but the truth is I was so hurt.
They were supposed to be helping me get well and instead they were taking the piss put of me.
I'd love to know what you think, were they in the wrong? Did I over react? Tell me honestly.

So this is one of the reasons stopping me going back to treatment, it's not the only one mind
I'd love to know what you think.

Thanks for reading this and as always much love to you xxx


























10 comments:

  1. She was a colossal fucking douchecanoe and I want to kick her so hard her fake eyelashes fly off and get stuck in the ceiling. I hope you laid a complaint!

    *hugs*

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  2. love from me too. also i feel sry for that nurse, how low must you feel and think of yourself to treat a patient like that?

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    1. sry that sounded a bit weak, i just think she is a very very sad creature to attack a patient, a sick person who is there to be helped, in such a mean way.

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  3. You didn't over-react at all. She should have been sacked for talking about a patient like that. Especially when you were already really upset.
    I hope you're okay.

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  4. I would have cried too. That nurse was mean to say that. I am glad the one nurse was nice and felt bad for telling you, you had to stay in bed no matter what. The other lady sounds like she doesn't care about patients. I would so not want to back to that place.

    Just because someone isn't gaining weight doesn't mean you should kick them out. They could be learning and getting better mind wise and then the body may follow. Sounds like they didn't give people a fair chance.

    Wow I wish I could sleep all day. Those pills must be something serious. My tummy is growling right now but it will have to get over it with all the shit I ate the past couple of days.

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  5. I think you were very vulnerable and she was a person who was supposed to look after you and make you feel safe, and she was in no right to say those things. She probably didn't mean to be so mean, sometimes people don't understand how comments can really hurt. I've gotten the "oh my god, it was a joke, you should be able to take this" thrown in my face so many, many times, and although these people may not have meant to upset me, I was hurt and upset because I'm insecure of myself, and their comments really stung. You get where I'm going with this? The nurse should have kept her mouth shut, and I honestly think your reaction was justified. I would have reacted the same way, if not even worse. Take care love xx

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  6. Hey, how have I only just seen this? I am so sorry for not commenting earlier..
    To be quite honest Ruby you were in your every right to be upset, I would have been too had I been in your position. The nurses were professionals responsible for caring for your wellbeing and what they did was very insensitive and unprofessional. They should have had more respect for you and should have treated you in a more professional manner rather than talk about you behind your back. I get upset if anyone talks about me, and I can totally understand why you wanted to get out of there so bad after that. I would have burst in to tears too, maybe worse. I am sorry they led you to self harm. People dont realise how insensitive remarks can affect people. She should not have said those things and she should have been put on a disciplinary. Its her job to make you feel well not totally fuck you up and upset you even more. Stuff like this makes me so angry, people can be so inconsiderate and rude. She should have known better!

    Sorry for the late comment :\ didnt see this until now :(
    Hope you are ok hun,
    Much love and hugs xxx

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  7. I think she was inconsiderate, like the above say, you're vulnerable and in need of care and understanding, and I would have been just as upset as you were. Where did you go for treatment btw, I'm a.ann.thomas@gmail.com if you ever want to rant or chat or whatever xxxxx What are the criteria to go inpatient for you? I'm having a ton of trouble at the moment, the nhs are being so very reluctant to give me residential, I have a war raging between my lovely gp and the funding committee. I don't know who I want to win. xxxxx

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  8. When I think the nurse, I get that their job must be really stressful and hard mentally. I mean, we're explosives but to start crying out to a college in a place like that in that tone? Just not professional at all. You just reacted, I wouldn't say over reacted since one point of the treatment is to show your emotions and stay true to them in order to gain some ways to work with them. So you were crying, I would have too, big deal.

    If you're thinking treatment I would first try to find out what has been said for the last unit you haven't been in. Then think it carefully, but the only one who can make that decision is you.
    <3 Much love <3

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Thank you for leaving some love x