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Schick-Shadel Patient Journal
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 23rd, 2007|12:05 pm] |
My apologies for those of you who have been interested in hearing more about my stay at Schick-Shadel. I really intended to keep this journal, but living with the daily program at SS was too much to do and keep writing about it at the same time.
So the story is that I graduated with flying colors from SS. I was fine for a while and then I relapsed. BUT I went back and did what they call a "six pack" treatment, 3 aversion (faratic) treatments and 3 relaxation treatments. Graduated again, and I haven't had a drink since. Yay me!
Now it's months later and I'm still doing well. I attend meetings at Schick when I can and I love life.
I have a journal I'm maintaining at MySpace. More people need to know about Schick-Shadel, and it's a bit easier to network in many ways on their system.
So please, join me! See you there. :) |
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| Whoah. |
[Jul. 15th, 2006|09:56 pm] |
I'm on Day Six already. It's hard to believe! For those of you who are reading, I'm sorry that I haven't kept up with this journal. It's not because I haven't had anything to write, believe me. It's the exact opposite! There is SO much going on in my daily life here at Schick-Shadel, so much I'm learning, that I've felt overwhelmed whenever I think about trying to write it all down.
So far I've had three faradic therapy sessions and two rehab interviews. Describing them and their results will be a lengthy process, but I'll get to it sooner or later, even if I end up writing up my days after I've left the center. I've been keeping notes. |
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| (Day One, continued) |
[Jul. 11th, 2006|01:18 pm] |
(Day One, continued)
The reason that faradic treatment was decided in my case was because of my gastric bypass. My stomach is so small and it's so difficult to throw up, not to mention the damage that repeated vomiting would do to my altered stomach, that using emetine aversion therapy simply was not an option. Dr. Morton said my sessions, beginning with a "relaxation session," would begin that evening.
I met another of the nurses, JJ, who said that she often gets treats for patients... like chocolate and candy and such. She asked me what kinds of things I like. I paused, trying to think. "Well, I don't really like candy. Chocolate isn't really my thing." She gasped melodramatically, gaping in horror. "Oh, I know," I said excitedly. "I love fresh celery sticks! Yum!" She was dumbfounded. "You're kidding, right?"
Yes, I love celery. So sue me. :)
Then it was about time for a group session with a nutritionist, so Ann and I made our way down to the auditorium. The nutritionist, who has a quiet demeanor and who is undoubtedly good one-on-one with clients, was... well, unsuitable as a speaker for this group of people. Many of the current patients (who are required to attend the group sessions) are a loud and rowdy group who would rather be hanging out socially and shooting the breeze than be in an informational session. They had very little regard for the people around them who might really benefit from what the nutritionist had to say, and they spent a fair amount of time chatting and talking/texting on their cell phones instead of respectfully listening. Although I didn't learn much from the nutritionist because of my personal nutrition study in the past, the lack of regard was frustrating for me. This isn't a vacation, people, it's a rehab program. It was like being in a room of kindergarteners.
I did learn one thing, however. In the past two or three months I've had tingling in my fingers that's annoyed and concerned me. Now I know it was probably from the lack of thiamin, which is leeched from your system by alcohol.
Then it was time for dinner. I sat with a group of folks I didn't know, which was actually good because I learned some names and faces. I ate a horrible plate of what was supposed to be vegetable stir fry. It was easily one of the worst meals I've ever had. Even the soy sauce I had to ask for (none provided) didn't help it at all. It tasted like nothing at all, except for the rice, which tasted like paste. Ugh.
I kept waiting to be called for my relaxation session... nothing. Waited. Nothing.
I came up with a list of things my partner, Bob (not his real name), could bring me during visitation that would help with my stay. My own pillows, my favorite stuffed animal, a watch (there aren't enough clocks on the walls, including in the rooms), a lightweight and inexpensive wall clock for our room, a longer extension cord for my computer.
Still no call for my session, and it was time for the evening group. It was a combined graduate and current group, required of current patients.
There were a lot of people in the room, about ten graduates and about twenty current patients. The grads in one end of the room, all male and obviously well acquainted with each other, started talking about their experiences after completing the program and getting out into the world. Their time out ranged between two to seven years. They talked a lot about finding support groups once they were out, and most of them went to AA meetings. As their talk went on, it began to sound more and more like an AA meeting.
When one of them said, "Hi, my name is Joe-Bob, and I'm an alcoholic," and half the room answered, "Hi, Joe-Bob," I felt like throwing up my hands in frustration and boredom.
Schick-Shadel is not Alcoholics Anonymous. The program isn't based on the same tenets.
The aim at Schick-Shadel is to complete the program and return you to daily life as a non-alcoholic, a non-addict. You're treated with kindness and respect, taught that the disease of alcoholism is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of and that it can be successfully treated. You're constantly reminded that the hospital staff and program is there for your benefit, for your recovery, and that your success is the most important thing to them. It works so well that it wasn't long ago that former patients of the program purchased the hospital itself. Owner Glenn Patch says in his online testimonial: "I left a 28-day, 12-step program after eight days and entered Schick Shadel. I was impressed that the patients were not beaten down mentally and religion was not pushed down my throat. I completed the 10-day program and haven't had or wanted a drink. This is the only recovery center I know of that uses the aversion method. I know it works."
AA is completely different. Alcoholism for AA is to be ashamed of it. You're a bad person if you've given in to the evils of alcohol. It's something you will never, ever get rid of in your life, and you have to admit it or you'll never be successful. The only thing that can really help you is religion.
So, to hear so much about AA coming up during the group session was really getting to me. At about that time, one of the current patients, Bruce (not his real name), spoke up. "I'm sorry, guys, I'm probably going to piss off a lot of people, but what you're talking about is way too far ahead of where we are. I've been here for three days and I need to hear from you about the Schick program and how it worked for you, not about how wonderful AA is. I've done AA for the last ten years and it's done nothing for me. That's why I'm here."
I wanted to cheer: thank you!
Others in the room had varied reactions, from agreement to defending the grads. And the grads were defensive, of course. After a few minutes, I couldn't take it any more. I spoke up for the first time. "I'm sorry, but I agree with Bruce. Schick-Shadel is not AA. It tells us that we'll leave here as non-alcoholics, non-addicts. And that's not what AA is about."
One of the grads said, "That's not what we've said, who said they were an alcoholic still?" And I said, "Well, yes, Joe-Bob introduced himself as one."
The room kind of went still. Then chaos broke out again and everybody went defensive again and completely missed Bruce's point yet again for the next fifteen minutes. Finally, someone else practically begged that we get back to the point and asked a question of the grads that was Schick-specific (thereby almost proving Bruce's point), and the conversation got back on track.
It never ceases to astound me that people don't seem to know the difference between what they're saying and what they intend to say.
Eventually, there was one woman grad on the other side of the room who said a lot of things that made sense. A lot of comments and shared bits that helped me, at least, understand more about what I might find helpful during and after the program.
At 8:30pm I was grateful to leave the room. I wish now that I'd introduced myself to that woman and asked her name. But I was eager to get upstairs to see if my partner Bob was there or had stopped by.
Unfortunately not. Oh well.
The snack cart made an appearance, and I was delighted to find peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and celery sticks! YAY! I grabbed food and retreated to my room, where I watched television and relaxed. Eventually I wrote last night's entry and went to bed.
End of Day One. :) |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 10th, 2006|11:39 pm] |
Welcome to the journal for "Just 10 Days." The title comes from a popular phrase associated with the Schick-Shadel Hospital, which states: Give us 10 days, and we'll give you back your life...
My aim in keeping this journal is twofold. Firstly, to keep track for myself of the happenings over the next ten days, and secondly, to assist others in learning about the Schick-Shadel program. Just so you know: the journal will be anonymous, so whenever names (other than hospital staff) are used they'll not real names.
So I might as well jump right in.
I checked into the facility this morning, very apprehensive about what was to come. No, I'll not downplay that. Truthfully, I was scared out of my wits. After being dropped off by my partner (who unfortunately had to leave for work), I waited until an admittance counsellor was available to see me. I watched as pajama and robe clad patients wandered through the lobby, often to go outside to smoke. One addiction or another, I suppose.
Eventually, with a heart beating far too fast I was lead into David Wick's office, where he took my personal and insurance information. I signed a lot of papers. He took me to my room, where I met my roommate Ann (not her real name). Quick introductions and then my nurse arrived, Betty Ann. She took me to another room and took my blood pressure (which was WAY too high at something like 200/143) and asked me questions... many of which were the same ones that David had asked. Explaining how my gastric bypass has effected my drinking twice in one morning was a bit tiring. Eventually she was done with me and took me back to my room, giving me a set of the hospital PJs and robe (as expected, seafoam-green scrubs and generic cotton patterned robe; good thing I'd brought some of my own).
It was time for lunch, so another nurse (whose name I still haven't caught) took me downstairs to the cafeteria. The cook had been notified and had, yay!, fish for me. (You could call me a pescatarian: a vegetarian who also eats seafood.) I made them into a fish sandwich and took it and a salad to a table where I sat alone and ate. I knew nobody else in there, of course, so it was somewhat uncomfortable. I ate quickly. Too quickly, because it made my gastric-bypassed 4 ounce stomach hurt.
I returned upstairs where Betty Ann took me to the next step of the process, a physical exam. I met a doctor, I think Morton was his name. A nice old fellow who, after chatting a bit, I discovered is a classic science fiction fan who has attended old Star Trek conventions in Spock ears, bless his heart. He examined me (I tried hard not to upchuck as he pushed and tapped on my stomach), we talked about gastric bypass (which he knows about, thank goodness), and my aversion treatment was decided: faradic.
Now, when roommate Ann had first told me about faradic aversion therapy, I was scared and surprised. It is, basically, shock therapy. As it turns out, however, the faradic is less harsh on your body than the other option, which is to use the drug emetine in conjunction with aversion therapy.
You might, at this point, want to know more about aversion therapy. You should read the Schick-Shadel page that can give you more and better information on it than I can.
I think that I will continue with telling you about my first day a bit later. Right now it's late and I am very tired. More to come! |
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