[Magdalen] Update on Scott the Younger

[Scott Knitter]

Rather than update and rewrite the long thing I wrote on Friday that
bounced back, here's a copy...Scott

I'm giving thanks to God for miracles today. Here's why:

1. Not only did the booking of the Urgent Evaluation Clinic
appointment at Rush U Medical Center go smoothly this morning: they
had a cancellation and booked Scott in for TODAY at 1:30, less than 24
hours after we even decided to take him to ER at Rush yesterday. "All
we can do for you" at ER if you're not suicidal or homicidal, is refer
you to the Urgent Eval Clinic, and this turned out to be a very good
thing to be referred to. Apparently a normal wait for an Urgent Eval
can be six months.

2. I attended his evaluation along with him. It was the thoughtful,
intelligent, focused fresh look at Scott's situation that I've been
hoping and praying for. The attending psychiatrist was a delight and
even honed in on the style with which Scott answered one of her
questions (he's a "long answer" guy...I loved that she admitted she's
a "long answer girl"). It was the sort of slightly jump-around
questioning that disabuses the interviewee of any standard talks they
may have prepared. And new thinking about Scott's meds started
happening early on, including the idea that one of his current meds
was really prescribed to support another med that he isn't taking
anymore...the idea that this now unpaired drug might actually be
contributing to his trouble was a new lightbulb turned on. He's got a
new antidepressant prescription now at "an exquisitely low dosage"
(another of her phrases I loved), 37.5mg as opposed to a 200mg
maximum, with any disturbing side effects to be reported via voice
mail and with full permission to stop the drug at any time if there's
a bad side effect.

3. The emergency protocol is the resident's voice mail, which he
monitors Monday through Friday; there are also backup numbers to reach
any of the Outpatient Psychiatric doctors; and of course there's ER.
I'm going to check what all is available for weekend emergencies and
make sure we know that.

4. The resident and the attending psychiatrist are both excellent. I
think he'll be seeing the resident next week for the follow-up. Scott
is very pleased, as am I, and much more hopeful. He said it's helping
him already just to know he doesn't have another weeks-long wait

It was all worth the tedious drive through construction backups and
torrential rain and flooding (we returned the ZipCar half an hour
late...another blessing is that ZipCar forgave the lateness and didn't
charge me an extra $50 according to their rules), and it will be worth
what we're billed.

It's not the end of the road to Wellville, but it certainly feels like
the right path at long last.

-- 
Scott R. Knitter
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA