Chronicle of A Failed Suicide Attempt

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I hsve been studying NDEs for decsdes and even know a few people who have had them.

They are life changing and make the person not fear death but also believe that their experience was real and that they HAVE to live.

I hope this happened and has positive affect on this young teen.
 

BloodiedButUnbowed

Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the replies. I took a day off from the hospital yesterday. My understanding is that he is continuing to recover. He's still on Versed though they are lowering the dose. He becomes very agitated at night and they say Versed helps to keep him calm. At the same time it slows down his neurological recovery. They are waiting for the heavy sedatives to clear his system before they give him a full neuro exam and provide us with their prognosis/diagnosis/recommendations.

Yesterday he recognized specific family members and identified them by name - a big milestone. His girlfriend visited and while she was there he asked for a kiss. First my wife went to kiss him and he said "no," then my mother in law went to kiss him and he said "not you!" Then his girlfriend went to kiss him and he said "yes."

He remains on dialysis for the indefinite future. My wife and her ex-husband toured the physical rehab floor of the hospital where YS is currently a patient in the pediatric ICU, and they came away feeling like it's not the right place for him. In particular the doctor who leads the program was concerned about YS' neurological state and cautioned that although his brain MRI was normal, he could still have suffered hypoxic damage. While this is all true and he indeed may face some learning and cognitive challenges even if temporary, It's clear from what we are seeing at his bedside daily that he is capable of cooperating with and participating in physical therapy, so I don't know what her point is. To be fair she had not met him when they went to talk with her, but it left a bad taste and I think his parents are leaning toward a transfer when he is ready.

Nobody is talking about the psychiatric care yet, I keep reminding my wife that is a necessity and even if it is back burner for now, it still must be discussed and planned for.

We emailed his school to let them know what's happening and also requested an IEP. Between the dialysis, his mangled leg and possible cognitive issues he will definitely need one.

I will be seeing him tonight and will post again either later today or tomorrow.
 

JRC

Active Member
Culturanta you are a rock. Please continue to come here and let out how you're feeling and what you're thinking. ((hugs)) We're here for you.

I think trusting your gut is important. If possible, you (or they) should revisit that tour again. She may see a lot of parents in denial about outcomes. She may have been doing a kindness by trying to set expectations. She may know more that you can imagine. So, trusting the gut is a good thing. But ask her why she said what she did given that she hadn't met him. Push on that.

And more hugs.
 

Littleboylost

Long road but the path ahead holds hope.
I really hope his NDE inspires him to change for the better. I was part of a failed suicide attempt in junior high and it was incredibly hard. A close friend overdosed on tylenol. She only told me about it because she wanted to say goodbye. I was able to get help to her even though her mom blew it off when I called and told her that her daughter had taken an overdose to kill herself. My friend took 15 years to say anything nice to me again.

She is now a doctor working with teens who are suicidal. We met when our oldest kids were in junior high. She thanked me for saving her and apologized for being so mean to me after I saved her. She said she became a doctor because an angel told her to. She had an NDE and an angel came and told her she had work to do. She was supposed to be a doctor and help teens who want to hurt or kill themselves.

She never took school seriously. She hid her intelligence very well up until then. After that she stunned people by getting a 4.0 in high school and going to medication school. She is a psychiatrist and a very good one, doing what the angel told her to do.

I am so sorry your son had to go through this. I hope something positive comes out of it. My friend changed her entire attitude toward school after this, and became a very respected doctor. Hopefully your son will find something happy to help direct his life after this.
Tears and no words what an amazing share!
:musicdance:
 

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
Hi culturanta.

You sound tired.

I read the doctor,s comment and recoiled. I am recalling here a psychiatrist telling me several years ago about my mentally ill son: he will never get better. He will live in a single room occupancy hotel on skid room.

But you have never spoken with him, I replied. Everything you know of him is filtered through a mother's fear.

To this he replied: when is it a good thing to not accept reality?

I can see no way to justify either of these physician's comments.

Of course, nobody is promising a rose garden. Or asking for one.

Just the possibility that what will be real life, to emerge. In your case this may be a strategy by the MD to manage expectations. But why? Is this their role? Or a failure of empathy. Honestly. I do not get it.

I was reading last night on neuroplasticity, retraining the brain to recover lost capacity. Norman doidge.
The thing is nobody knows anything. Life is emergent. Brain science is in infancy.

Why would these people need to believe they KNOW. Or more to the point. Act the part. I know the answer.

I am thinking of y s. And you too. And the family.
 
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Littleboylost

Long road but the path ahead holds hope.
I can see no way to justify either of these physician's comments

Doctors are people and people are flawed. When we are vulnerable we see this and feel the impact of it more clearly and that can be good and bad. I hope Culture that your wife and YSs father keep swerving until they find the right fight for this sensitivity time of recovery.
I have seen impossible cases have miraculuous recovery and simple cases not so so well. We have no absolute understanding of what the mind and body are capable of. Some tests and evidence can guide us. I expect the doctor may not have wanted to give false hope. Perhaps communication is not his forte. If the gut says no, listen to the gut.

hy would these people need to believe they KNOW. Or more to the point. Act the part. I know the answer.

So well said. Facing the same challenges as we speak. We can not know what future outcomes hold we can only push for what is right and best and hope for the best with no expectations. Easier said than done.
 

BloodiedButUnbowed

Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone. I visited yesterday and became very emotional afterward.

He is making good progress. He is scheduled to be transferred out of the ICU, possibly as soon as today. He will remain in the hospital on the pediatric wing until at least he is weaned off all the narcotics, primarily Versed and Fentanyl. They are titrating him down by half the dose each day. It will take eight more days for him to fully wean. This gave us an idea of just how much of this medication he has needed. He is on methadone maintenance because he became addicted to the Fentanyl. He went through all of the symptoms associated with withdrawal from opiates. It was bizarre to see and I truly hope that years down the line he does not develop an addiction of choice due to this experience.

His parents are thinking he will start his physical rehab at his current hospital and then transfer. The issue is his medical needs. He requires dialysis in addition to physical and occupational therapy. There is also a question about whether he needs cardiac medication for atrial flutter. Apparently some rehabs are leery of accepting pediatric patients with medical needs of this nature. He is a week or so away from a full time rehab at the minimum. Psychiatric care is not on the radar yet which I think is a mistake. But both his parents want him to receive it so that is a good sign that this will not be swept under the rug as I feared. I suppose we do need to make sure he is capable cognitively of participating in psychotherapy.

I may be wrong but I feel like yesterday we got a good sense of where he is at the present time, before time and therapy help him make more progress. He is slower and more confused due to the sedatives, but a clearer picture is emerging.

He recognized me, we talked, he was even his usual funny self in many ways, cracking jokes. He can identify shapes, and he can read. But despite all of this good news, he is definitely different. He has sustained a brain injury, it is very obvious. His eyes don't focus, he is very slow in his movements, he struggles to hold a spoon and feed himself. As a special education teacher, I recognize what I am seeing as a moderate to severe cognitive impairment. This is beyond memory issues or impulse control alone. He will improve, he will get therapy, but there IS definitely impairment and some of that impairment may be permanent.

His voice is very quiet and he seems to have almost gone back in time to a much younger version of himself. He is frightened and vulnerable. He asked us if his leg was going to be cut off. I suspect he may remember the doctors discussing this. We assured him it would not but he needed physical therapy and some surgeries. We explained the dialysis machine. He is very confused still. He understood that it is for cleaning his blood until he can pee on his own better.

He seems to be aware that he cannot do things that used to come naturally to him. He was frustrated when he could not handle his spoon properly and dropped some food on himself. He doesn't understand what a miracle it is that he can feed himself independently at all this soon.

Some of this may be the sedatives but they have already been reduced so much, I honestly believe we are seeing his new baseline. I am so grateful he is alive. I am very aware of how lucky he is, and how lucky we are as his family. But he is not the same. He has damaged himself very seriously, and for that I am very saddened.

My wife is very insistent that once the sedatives fully wear off he will return to his previous level of functioning almost instantly. I know better but I am staying out of her process. It will be very difficult for her.
 
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RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
Cultura:

Glad to hear that he is doing better than expected and I'm certain he will have some struggles. Your wife is so very lucky to have such a loving, intelligent and kind person at her side.

Prayers to your son and family for continued healing.
 

Copabanana

Well-Known Member
Cult.

I know this is your profession. But you too have been tossed around by the eye of the hurricane which is still level 2;

Of course maybe that is to what that MD referred. What you see. But I like his mom prefer to hold onto the idea that he is drugged, traumatized, tired and his capacities unused And regressed. O am praying here.

I am filled with sadness for y c. I guess it is the story of life that we know not what we do,,,,,until we are the effects.

I feel heartbroken for his mother, that she will suffer this. My son had a brain injury at 22 and when he was 19 we learned he had chronic hep b since birth. Sometimes i feel I am suspended in a nightmare and yet fear waking up. I keep yearning for the dream.

What a blessing you are you.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I am very happy he is so much better. Hopefully with time he will get close to his level of function. Brain injuries take time to heal. I dont think he will miraculously be his old self even off the medications, but do believe that with time and rehab its possible.

Prayers for all of you.
 

HMBgal

Well-Known Member
I'm a Special Education teacher, too, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)'s are so hard. And as a Special Education teacher, I tend to be a little pessimistic at times because of the day in and day out stuff we see. A year from now will be a different story for this boy for sure. He's lucky he has all of you and such good medical care. That being said, there is probably a grieiving process happening right now. I can feel it in your typed words. A day at a time.
 
Culture,
So good to hear YS is continuing to improve.

The hospital social worker should be able to give his parents a list of the rehab facilities covered by his insurance. I went and toured the facilities prior to deciding which was the best fit for our situation.
You are correct that some facilities are leery of medically fragile clients. If a rehab facility is not available that can provide for his medical care along with his Occupational Therapist (OT) and PT needs, an acute care hospital might be suggested. Again, I would suggest touring the facilities to get a feel for them before deciding on the best one for YS.

Hugs and continued Blessings
 

BloodiedButUnbowed

Well-Known Member
Thanks everybody for the replies. His eyes looked better yesterday, but he was very emotional and made little sense sometimes. He is still on Fentanyl and Versed. He spoke of seeing lemurs swimming in a pool (?), thought that the IV wires and assorted tubing were "guns" and thought his hospital bed was its own room surrounded by walls. These things to me sound like drug-induced hallucinations.

He said some other things that made more sense. He spoke of his brother "fighting" - something he talked about with me before this all occurred. He remembered that his girlfriend's birthday is this weekend - his dad arranged with the nurses to set up a small celebration for her in his room. And he became so upset thinking about how much school he's missed, and how difficult he found it prior to this attempt, that he wept openly.

We know very little of day to day life with DS and YS in their father's home, but DS has always been violent and has beaten his father as well as YS. I hope for YS' sake that as part of his recovery there is some kind of resolution and safety plan enforced so he can be safe from DS.

He is still in the pediatric ICU because the non-critical peds wing doesn't have a room with a hookup for his dialysis machine. For now he receives daily dialysis. When such a room opens up he will be transferred.

This is all good news. We are so fortunate.

My wife is beginning to buckle under the stress. Unfortunately she has one primary emotion during all times - anger. In the past I almost left her on several occasions because of her unwillingness to manage her anger. She has been in therapy and took up meditation recently which helped a lot, and things have been much improved this year especially, but since this occurred she has dropped both and her abusive behavior has returned.

She is lashing out at me very aggressively and I had to set boundaries with her, to which she reacted very badly.

I am hoping some space will help. I am not going to the hospital today and don't plan to go Saturday either. There are chores that need to be done that require much time (emissions test etc). I will do those things and leave my wife to her struggles, keeping myself safe from her outbursts as I do so.

If she refuses to seek help and change her ways there is nothing I can do. She doesn't see how damaging it is to her children, even more than to me.
 

pigless in VA

Well-Known Member
DS has always been violent and has beaten his father as well as YS. I hope for YS' sake that as part of his recovery there is some kind of resolution and safety plan enforced so he can be safe from DS.

I think that is a necessity. I know the times in my life when I felt the most vulnerable physically, that is when I felt suicidal. I think YS needs to live away from DS. Easier said than done, I know.

I'm sorry your wife has resorted to anger. I think many people do, my SO included. In my opinion, it is "easier" for some people to feel anger than the softer, more vulnerable emotions. When angry, they feel in control and powerful. But anger is a ruse, because it can derail relationships.

Good for you for setting boundaries and giving yourself space from her; you are wise. Can you arrange lunch with a friend, too? Take care of yourself.
 

recoveringenabler

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I'm glad to hear all of the improvements YS is making, it is truly a miracle. Like others here, I think about you often and continue to send you and your family love and prayers for a family healing.

I agree with Pigless about your wife's anger. I was just reading an article about how often anxiety/fear is underneath anger. Perhaps the intensity of the situation will force professional help for the entire family .....hopefully it will be the wake up call that is needed to seek help for everyone.

Take care of yourself Cultaranta, this has been a dramatic and very intense time for all of you......you are not the person in control of the choices and that sense of powerlessness is very difficult.....keep your boundaries secure and find ways to nourish and care for yourself. Sending you comforting hugs......
 

BloodiedButUnbowed

Well-Known Member
Thank you RE. It would be miraculous if this tragedy united YS, DS and their parents. Unfortunately their family system is so badly broken that realistically, though I pray I am wrong, I don't think it's a likely outcome.

There's much I don't share here. Suffice it to say that as far as families go, there is dysfunctional, then there is Dysfunctional then there is DYSFUNCTIONAL!!!!!

The family I married into is in a class all its own beyond all of these. I think even with this awful event, the denial, the mental illness in multiple family members, and the blaming and the anger runs too deep and over too many years for even this near-completed suicide to make much difference.

For one thing, I seem to be the only person in the family who can clearly see that DS and YS need to be separated. Both my wife and her ex have always been in denial about the depth of DS' pathology. I think they would protect DS, even now, above YS' needs.

YS asked me once to run away with him and raise him myself. At this point, I may actually consider it!
 
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