March 28, 2011

glimmer of hope







~~~~~~~~~~~

since I've been chronicled mostly the really difficult parts of psych, I thought I'd give you a brief tour of a few patients I saw today who made me smile
(HIPPA-protecting all their important info, of course):

*a mother of five kids with ADHD (ages 3-7) who was seriously the peppiest person I have ever met.
**
*a 45 yo man who had been diagnosed with severe bipolar 1 disorder at age 25 along with an even more serious stutter had figured out a perfect combo of meds, and that if he kept a pen or a cigarette in his mouth, his stutter virtually went away.
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*a 30-something Columbian man with mental retardation who was just lovely. Whenever he was asked a question he would say "awesome!" (as in, how are you doing today? "awesome!" how are your medications working out for you? "awesome!")
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*a 60ish russian jewish man with a lovely accent who said (another direct quote) "psychosis is just like one big umbrella to describe everyone; I just don't think that even a psychiatrist can determine what 'abnormal thoughts' really are"
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*a 40something man who is in remission for a very serious addiction to opiates and now runs a cute cafe down the street. (maybe because we've seen so many people struggle again and again to kick their opiate addictions, it is SO inspiring to see that it can be done)
**
*two brothers, one with bipolar disorder caused by a traumatic brain injury who found animals to be the most therapeutic thing for him; the other brother who decided he had to dedicate his life to giving back to what saved his brother, and is starting his first year of vet school.


this may have been the first day where I came home and didn't feel like I was suffocating...
yesss.


and for my roommate who really gets this guy,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I was hiding under your porch because I loooove you"
-Doug, the Dog from Up

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