Talk about your troubles

[buglover]

Newf!!

My trouble for today is I have to cancel my gym membership. For myself and my son it is costing $60 a month and we do not go very often. I went through the whole webpage and could not find a number to contact someone other than the branch number. I finally found a form to fill out and mail in to cancel. I began reading reviews online of other members in different states and I need to send the letters certified mail in order for them to be opened and considered for cancellation. Nowhere on the site did it state to do this. Tricky little boogers. I also read one review that it took them 4 months to stop the automatic charge for the membership and only after the member found a phone number to the corporate headquarters did anyone promise to stop the charging and ensure the membership was cancelled. Can you say AOL flashbacks anyone?? Cross your fingers for me. I'm sending the cancellation letters certified mail today.

[MRD]

My friend that had to commit her daughter last month (the psychiatric hospital kept her 12 days in May), has had to recommit her this week. And this time it's so much worse. They have her in the "maximum security" lockdown unit in the psych ward. I feel so badly for this family and this girl. She's only 18,just graduated from highschool and this should be the happiest time of her life and right now, she's in hell. She is hallucinating, paranoid, just having really horrible problems and once she got out last time, her family tried and tried to get followup care and couldn't. The mental health system in this state is apparantly just non-existant. They were forced to take her to the ER yesterday as they called EVERYWHERE trying to get her seen as she was having another breakdown and no one would see her. They had to transfer her last night from the ER to the pyschiatric hospital 30 miles away in what amounts to a police car, where the windows don't roll down and the doors can't be opened from the inside and the driver is protected by a metal grill.
I felt just awful for all of them. Her mom, my friend, is just beside herself over all this.
It has to be just heartbreaking to see your child breakdown like this and to see your child put into a "secure" vehicle for the trip to the mental hospital. I was crying on the phone with my friend it's just so very sad.

So please if you can, think of them and pray for this whole family at this time.
Thanks.

[ScoutMom]

MRD - I'm so sorry your friend and her family are going through this. I don't think there's anything that makes a parents feel more helpless than when your child is sick and you can't do much of anything to help them. I'll keep this family in my prayers.

[MRD]

MRD - I'm so sorry your friend and her family are going through this. I don't think there's anything that makes a parents feel more helpless than when your child is sick and you can't do much of anything to help them. I'll keep this family in my prayers.

That's exactly what she and I were talking about today. She feels she's let her child down, she's scared for her child and she feels as if there is absolutely nothing she can do and I tried to reassure her that as parents it's natural to want to be able to take the pain away and when they are 2 and 3 and 5, we can usually do that. We can fix just about anything for them, but when it gets out of our scope of experience to help them, then the next best thing is to get someone who is trained in this to help them. She agrees of course, but it doesn't make it any easier on her to bear the thought of her child going through this the rest of her life. That she more than likely will always be plagued with a mental illness and will have to take medication and deal with it forever. She said it would be easier if it was more of a physical thing, but she says her heart breaks that it's mental and the doctor's have said that it will probably never go completely away. It can be treated and she can live a fairly normal life, but right now her life is anything BUT normal, so I can understand the mom's fears.

Anyway, sorry to ramble on. It just totally breaks my heart to see this sweet, beautiful, smart child suffering so much and the entire family along with her.

[prhoshay]

I need to blow off a little. My son seems determined to hitch his wagon to a diagnosed bipolar young lady; she even brought him a pamphlet that explained bipolar disorder. He said that, to a certain extent, he thinks he likes the drama that comes with her. WHAT??? I've tried discussing this with him, but he is 23, and I may as well be talking to a brick wall. I try not to talk about it or her too much (I"ve never even met her in person before) for fear of propelling him even more in that direction. I fear for a pregnancy, big time. I fear for his safety, should things get out of control. The last thing I asked him was if he wanted to get away from her, how easy did he think that would be. He doesn't think it would be a problem. Mom's not happy.

[just1paul]

Sorry but all I can say is wow. If she is on meds (is there such a thing for bi polar?) let's hope she keeps taking them. He thinks he LIKES THE DRAMA?? OY Vey! I feel for you.

[MRD]

Bi-polar disorder can be controlled well with meds. I personally think that it was very big of her to tell him about it and give him something to read about it instead of trying to hide the problem.
I personally know several people with bi-polar and they are great people. It's a disease just like diabetes, etc., but it's a chemical imbalance of the brain and it can be controlled and dealt with very effectively.

As someone who has had a chronic history of depression for over 25 years, I have to say that I am very thankful my husband is as wonderful and understanding and supportive as he has been. I would hate to think that I was considered undesirable over something I had no control over being. So with meds, my depression is under control, but it would have been devastating for me to have him have said that he wouldn't go out with me or marry me or his parents didn't want him dating me because I have a medical condition.
Bi-polar also can be severe or mild, but there are great meds and like I said the people I know with it do very well controlling it.

[prhoshay]

Oh yeah, there are meds for it. There's one they advertise on television regularly, but I can't think of the name of it. Ah yesssss.......Abilify, or something like that. And you just may not know if folks are off their meds until it's too late. I am one of the most anti-drama people you ever want to meet....so he gets this lunacy of loving drama from his dad's side of the family, I'm sure.

Every parent wants what's best for their child, and I just don't happen to think this is what is best for him...but I'm pretty much staying out of it. He does know how I feel, but it's not up to me. It has nothing to do with whether or not she is a good person, but it does help explain some of the ridiculous behaviors that I have noticed coming from her direction.

[MRD]

Well if she's not controlling it and doesn't take her meds, I could see your concern. But overall, if someone is willing to acknowledge that they have a problem and work on it, then they usually have great success.

I hope things work out for your son's sake and your peace of mind.

But there can be a lot of "drama" associated with bi-polar when it's not treated. I just hope for the girls sake, she takes care of it because life can just be too hard if it's not being treated.

[brunette trixie]

mrd - I'm so sorry for your friend and her family. What a terrifying and depressing time they must be having.