Just out of the Hospital?

Here are some tips:

- Try to recreate the hospital environment at home so that you can ease back into life.  Hospitals can be traumatic, but they can also be comforting. There is a routine with set meal times and doctor rounds. Structure helps so much when you get out of the hospital.

- Forget the guilt. Just let it go. I mean this. You went to the hospital because you were sick. If anyone is telling you otherwise, tell them they have to mess with me! People who are seriously physically ill go to the hospital and their loved ones feel relief that the person is safe. A person goes to a psych ward and everyone gets freaky scared! You went to the hospital because you have a physical illness called bipolar disorder and it got a bit too strong for you to take care of it on your own.

Going to the hospital is a sign of strength. Good for you! Now it’s time to get a plan to manage this illness so that you don’t have to go back.

Julie

I wrote earlier that I had a horrific downswing yesterday – it was awful! I woke up fine this morning. This is just further proof that this illness can be so random and chemical.  If you or someone you care about has just come home from the hosptial- it’s important to remember that the body gets very, very worn out after bad episodes. Our bodies go through extreme physical shock during serious mood swings- especially with a full blown manic episode. It’s as though we have run a marathon- our bodies give out eventually.

I remember when my former partner Ivan was in the hospital. I went to see him every day- and he was just so tired a lot of the time. He was in restraints for over two months.  If the staff took off the restraints he got very agitated. His strength was unbelieveable. He’s such a mild manered guy. All of this was a terrible experience as no one really explained what was going on.

When he came home- he was just literally worn out. We all thought he should go back to work! Get his act together!I am appalled now that I thought that way. This is before I knew I had the illness

I visited my partner Ivan every day- and sometimes two times a day when he was in the hospital in 1994. He was in the psych ward for three months, so that was a lot of visits. He refused medications unless I was there- which meant my life was basically on hold when he was so ill.

Going to the psych ward every day was quite an experience. It was certainly an interesting perspective. Not many people get to see how the hospital works and learn so much about the people on the ward.

I missed Ivan terribly during those months, but I never regretted that he was in the hospital. It was the only safe place for him and it saved his life.

If you are just out of the hospital, there is a good chance you’re scared, maybe upset you were in restraints, mad at your family for putting you there or really worried about life outside of the hospital structure. People react to a hospital with such a variety of emotions!

I always ask people who have been in the hospital to turn to the people around them and ask what the hospital experience was like for them- for example, if you tried to kill yourself and had to stay on a ward until you were stable, how did your friends feel about the fact you were in the hospital – or your family? I bet they have a very different view. Knowing that they were thankful you were there may help you see your hospital stay differently.

julie

Bipolar and Recovering from a Hospital StayMood swings are pretty terrible mentally, but they also affect the body physically. I remember when my partner Ivan got out of the hospital after three months. He was just so tired. His body was tired and he needed a lot of time to recover. My mother was on a plane ride during that time and happened to talk to a doctor sitting next to her. She told him about Ivan and the doctor said, “It can take up to a year for someone to get back to where they were before they got so sick.” None of us wanted to believe this! But it was basically true. The good news is that Ivan completely got back to normal sooner than a year, but it was a tough year for sure! It has been thirteen years since then. That seems impossible! He still deals with a lot of mood swings, but overall he is doing very well.  He never got that sick again. I am thankful! Julie

I remember when my partner came out of the hospital after a three month manic/psychotic and then suicidal depression mood swing. I was worn out from the months he was there. It was a terrible time. I then had to face that fact that he was far from well when he got home. Sometimes I wonder how we got through it. This time in my life was the inspiration for the book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder.

I remember the fear, worry and guilt when I didn’t want to go to the hospital. I remember how unaware I was about bipolar disorder. It still astounds me that the staff at the hospital was very kind and yet gave me no tips on managing our lives when he got home. There are many ways to manage this time successfully. Loving explains a lot of these.

My partner is now fully recovered. He never had a major mood swing again- and it has been 12 years since his hospitalization. He regularly deals with depression, but he manages it. I am happy for him as he is one of the lucky ones – isn’t he! Recovery does happen for many, many people. Even after serious mood swings. There is hope.

Julie

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