Got the first official word on the length of my stay here at Bedlam by
the Schuylkill. The attending shrink told me that he and the unit
director were discussing that question, and she said a ballpark figure
would be a few months.
That sounds like at least three months.
In other news, the nutritionist is concerned about my prealbumin level,
which has dropped since my arrival and is now at 19.4. She wants to keep
it above 18.
As I understand it, the concern is that I'm burning protein from the
muscles as well as fat, which is a hazard of low-calorie diets and is
not a good thing. The prescription is 42 g of "whey protein isolate
(milk)" daily. This will add 150 calories to my diet daily, and so will
probably slow the weight loss somewhat. (I'd rather have the extra
calories as food, but that's not going to happen.)
The protein powder tastes a lot like powdered non-fat milk. I don't like
powdered non-fat milk. Powdered non-fat milk is on my Top 5 list of
foods I refuse to consume.
(Before you ask: okra, peas, brussels sprouts, liver, in no particular
order.)
Oddly, Dr. No kept pu****ng me to try mixing the protein powder with
Crystal Light. I don't understand why anyone would want to ruin
perfectly good Crystal Light. The only thing I can stomach mixing it
with is decaf coffee. (Decaf because patients on the ward are not
allowed to order regular coffee from the kitchen. They're allowed all
the Coke they want, however. A nurse told me that someone could bring me
instant coffee and I'd be allowed to drink it. They'd even boil the
water in the microwave for me. Go figure.)
I had a treatment team meeting today. This is like group therapy, only
there's a group of therapists and one patient, instead of the other way
around. It always feels like I'm being called into the principal's
office. It doesn't help that I go blank at times when asked questions.
The good news is that a patient who has been driving everyone, staff and
patients alike, to distraction has been discharged. Mike talked.
To everyone.
All the time.
About the same short list of subjects.
And he didn't take no for an answer.
He got on my nerves so badly at lunch one day that I pelted him with a
cu***ber slice. One patient told staff that he was going to leave AMA if
something wasn't done about Mike. Another patient dumped ice water on
him today.
So he's gone, and the unit is much more peaceful for it.
--
D.F. Manno | dfmanno@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"They bury your dreams and dig up the worthless/Goodnight/God bless/And
kiss goodbye to the earth/The other side of summer"
|
