Schizophrenia: The Perspective of a Father & Brother-in-Law

How often have we spoken or thought those words? Just when you think things may go as you anticipate a monkey wrench gets thrown into the machinery. Here's what I mean: The other day we found out the brother-in-law had an MRI on his lower back at the VA hospital, some of the images didn't look good to the medical team examining them, one of the docs wants to do a bone marrow test to determine if he does or does not have a blood disease or cancer such as leukemia. When we heard about this we were disturbed to say the least. Finally some concrete things are happening, we just hope it isn't too late to keep him with us. It sure has been a pressure situation on all of us except the sister-in-law who doesn't, excuse my language, give a shit. She is in her own world and appears to have shut us out and is only in contact when it suits her. I wonder how she would react if her brother left us? Hmmm. Something to ponder. As for the son he is looking for another job currently, he wants to work in tech support. I hope he makes it. Ciao.

If any of you out there are fathers, you ask yourself that question frequently. I have been lately because my son has been spending a lot of time away from home lately at a friend's apartment. He says they have been writing songs or at least trying to, yesterday I got a call from Social Security Disability inquiring about his claim for benefits and was on the phone at least twenty minutes or so. It could be he feels so bored at home that he is more comfortable away. Who knows? I don't know what is in his head. He wants to work again and wants me to take him to a prospective employer on my next day off and I said I would. My wife and I are wondering if he just wants the money associated with working but doesn't want to work for it. She still doesn't believe he is ill enough to draw disability. I think I am going to have real problems with that thinking. Makes you go hmmm. Oh, well, till next time, ciao.

Well, someone finally realized the brother-in-law needed help with his health, his doctor at the VA admitted him this week and has scheduled an MRI and will try to get him to quit smoking by using nicotine patches, we feel this is the greatest of his problems. He can't get out of bed to move around without assistance, it looks like he is going to be in the hospital for a while. We are all hoping he will improve. As for the son he has been spending a lot of time at a friend's apartment instead of looking for another job, we are frustrated with his seemingly lack of incentive to improve himself. We feel if he is successful in drawing disability he will never work at all. As of this moment we are in a holding pattern. Sayonara.

That's what I have and I am going to take advantage of them and recharge my batteries by doing some different things around the house like yardwork, that's always a good way to blow off steam. As for the coming week, Monday I report for jury duty at the local courthouse, that should be interesting, a chance to get away from work and home and see how a different part of the world lives. As for the situation around the house it is the same, the brother-in-law we had to take to the local VA hospital emergency room and all they did was some blood work and a urinalysis for his sodium count was so low allegedly he could go into a coma and even die. Talk about pressure, that is about as bad as it gets, we are so frustrated at the VA's supposedly lax attitude toward helping him that we are about to get our local US representative in Congress involved and the fur will fly then, because when the Congress gets involved things happen and rather quickly most of the time.
As for the son he is still trying to figure out what to do, I think he takes it day to day as I have been doing. Till next time. -30-

That's what I have decided to do, live each day one at a time, sometimes it isn't good to plan ahead unless what you have going on is a regular occurence. Of course, you can't make plans when you deal with two schizophrenics for at any time they could do anything and you wouldn't see it coming. Here's a good example:
The brother-in-law can be sleeping one moment and in the next he could be going to the bathroom, lighting up one of the three packs of cigarettes he smokes daily or drinking the pitchers of tea he makes frequently. It's no wonder he can't sleep for all the caffeine he consumes, I can't drink his tea for he makes it so strong it stains plastic tumblers and glasses. He makes it the way his mother taught him but the one difference is he uses more tea bags than she did and not enough water. The way I make it is with a coffee maker and the proper amount of bags. What a difference. Lately his health has been really going downhill, it wouldn't surprise me if he ends up in assisted living, it's getting so he can barely care for himself anymore. He can barely walk and his speech is slurred. We still feel he hasn't found the right medical team to care for him at the VA. As for the son he is still determined to find another job preferably full-time and more money on the hour too. There's always hope, as for the wife, nothing new to report. Later. -30-

Hi, everyone, I'm back after a hectic week. Last weekend we donated the duck we had been caring for to a wildlife refuge, he is doing well, my wife got very emotional for she had become attached to him but agrees he is in a better place. My son lost his not quite part-time job and is trying to decide what to do next. The brother-in-law's health is failing and we don't know what to do other that monitor it the best we can. As for myself I had an MRI the other day due to pain in my left shoulder and arm, I got a referral from my doctor for some counseling and I am deciding whether to follow through, I probably will. I tell you life with two sick people really wears on you and having a wife who is moody as well doesn't help either. The best way to deal with it is one day at a time and have faith in the Almighty. More next time. -30-

Living with two schizophrenics presents a challenge each day, especially when you live with two that are forty years apart in age. One has appeared to give up on his health possibly because he is just tired of the struggle and figures he has little time left on earth while the other, my son is trying to find his health and get a life for himself. And, you might say, where does this place me? Square in the middle being pulled by all sides including a wife who has issues affecting her that somehow reach me as well. Recently we acquired a new furry friend, a cat who looks like one of our others and he is just a delight, we call him Little Bear , he just looks like Harry, our long hair, only younger and strangely enough, acts like him in so many ways, it's kind of surreal.
And of course, we still have the duck who makes a habit of attacking everyone in sight by biting, we have found him a home, just a matter of time until he makes it there, and I will be very pleased for he is causing me a lot of stress, just recently my anti-depressant was increased and it is already showing results and it has only been about a week, goes to show you how the mental state of mind can be affected by positive thinking. Now I have to work on the wife, she is showing signs of breaking down though she will not seek help, I'm just about ready to give up on her. Oh, well, more next time, goodbye.

Hello fellow bloggers, here we are the first day of the second month of 2008, January seemed a blur to me, How was yours? All in all January wasn't too bad really, I left third shift after six months, returning to first, I'm still adjusting to the change, it's been three weeks. I began work January 14th at a new post as a security officer and as I said the other day it was the week from hell. How would you feel if after just one week the boss told you you were no good? Wouldn't it make you question your ability as a person and your own self-esteem?
I did and don't remember the last time it happened. Whatever happened to encouragement in the workplace, appreciation for doing your job, and simple thanks? It went out the window, the name of the game now is downsizing, outsourcing, and doing more for less. It's enough to break a person down, stress can literally lead
to illness, even death possibly. Yours truly has hypertension and we know what that can lead to untreated. Maybe I would be better off in the afterlife, at least there would be no pain or suffering anymore, but I'm not lucky or unlucky or foolish enough for that to happen. It makes me wonder what schizophrenics go through daily, it has to be hard just to cope with stresses healthy folks would consider normal, a certain amount of stress is good for you, it can make you stronger, can motivate you to success, look at the great world leaders of the past and present: Look what they went through: Wars, depression, famines, drought, internal and external crises, all of these made them stronger. I live with two schizophrenics and every day is hell on earth, both are unpredictable, I am married to a woman who is at times unstable, she doesn't want my son with us but realizes she can do nothing about it(caught between a rock and hard place) and of course yours truly is squarely in the middle being squeezed like a vise, maybe I should have been a magician, hmmm. My son is finally going for a psych evaulation on Feb.7, then we should know what may be really wrong or right with him, he is having this to determine eligibility for Social Security disability, we only hope for the best, as for the brother-in-law, his situation hasn't changed, we have pretty much given up hope , and finally as for my wife, she is close to losing it, the other day she had a fit and went on a tirade and threatened to walk out, that threw up a red flag. Figure it out. Bye. -30-