Monday, December 4, 2023

Interesting discovery cleaning

 I came across an interesting item from a very long time ago. I always thought I was on the psychiatric ward for two months but actually it was only two weeks and two days. Surprising really it seemed like such a long time. Edward had written it down in his agenda for that year. Mind you I have no memory of going there or arriving there or being there initially but it also says something for what I do remember, one would think I could remember those two months as that is what is missing in that particular time period. My little one was seven months old as I decided to have a half year birthday celebration for her and that is pretty much my first memory of her other than when I was working. I do remember somewhat vaguely the couple of months of working which I went back to when she was 2.5 months old. Occasionally I do try to remember but it is an absolute blank other than my days in the hospital when I was aware of where I was. I was asking every day to go home which I remember very well. We lived in the country and I drove back and forth to work every day in the city. We didn't go anywhere particularly except my parents or Edward's mother's house or Church on Sunday.

But I am missing a period of her life when she was an infant which is always sad I think.

Back to cleaning, top floor done and now the main floor. Basement is tomorrow. 

Good news I emailed Spinal Injury Ontario to see if they had a client who can use Edward's Standing Chair. This is a marvelous chair for anyone who needs assistance standing and the back support is excellent. Anyway I had an email back saying that they have someone. I am very happy that someone else will get to enjoy this chair as well. 

Psychiatry is a very important part of medicine. I never knew very much about it before I had the breakdown but dealing with a person requires a lot of experience I think. Certainly the person that looked after me had a lot of experience (he was older and someone that my godmother knew well so there was an advantage there in my care for sure). She knew me and what I could do and that helped him to select a treatment option that gave me the ability to go home and look after my baby and get physical and mental strength back. The nervous disorder (whatever it is I do not think it was ever categorized beyond that) does occasionally come to mind but once the weakness and fainting disappeared which was most annoying actually life became easier and easier for me. But the care that I received worked for sure as I have enjoyed many many years (78 years old now) and I can still clearly remember some of the things he said to me. My godmother used to say I was just stubborn and that was what pushed me mostly. The psychiatrist always preceded anything that was important by making sure that I had his full attention and would phrase it in such a way that it became a permanent memory that got jogged for various reasons through my life so that I could always fall back on what he had said. He was a great physician for sure. Taking the course on managing group therapy at St Pauls brought back to me some of the things he had said for sure and I better understood where I had been which was good. But I  have pretty much worked for all of my life (started working when I was twelve for my father in his company) and except for being ill I have mostly been employed until I retired. But the one name studies that George DeKay got me started on with Pincombe have pretty much taken up my retirement years.

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