In rehabilitation I think they often want you to not have much contact, or relationships which will cloud the whole process of getting better.

If that's what it is, and it's for the best, you and we will simply have to wait it out.

Or we will set up a system of codes, and Dana can sit outside your window and you can close and open the blinds according to what you want to say.

Whut?[ahemem]I'm quite sure I don't know what you're talking about, sir.

:unsure:

I take it then that it's not TARDIS blue.

No, I'm not River. Sadly.

So it went kind of okay today.
I felt listened to. Nice chap. Looked a bit like Daniel Craig. And that came out of my mouth [cringe]. I hope it doesn't count against me.

Have another appointment on Tuesday, and have to bring proof of my finances.
That sounds positive. And he didn't flick through a diary or appointment book to allocate it either, which makes me trust him.

Answer to some questions.
Yes to leaving the unit/ meeting people, although not recommended until later in the stay.
Four rules in the unit: NO drinking, NO drugs, follow your timetable and respect other people on the programme. It runs from 09.00-17.30 Monday to Friday, but weekends and evenings are yours.

You get an allowance of £23.40 per week. Any other benefits are paid to the centre after your (home) housing costs and standard bills are paid. Haha, good luck, I can live quite happily on a disposable income of £23.40, but the rest of my benefits won't cover the place I'm leaving behind...
Still, they'll work that out.
They help with debt management too.

Yes to Internet access. No wifi but a computer room.

Admission date? No idea. It's not first come first served, it's allocated by this mostly, but also partly by need. I have a bad feeling about this because I mentioned my endoscopy appointment and he said I should call the hospital to explain I could not go home after the procedure as there was no-one there to take care of me.
He said the hospital should be able to come to some sort of arrangement.
And that appointment is in September.
He didn't say, "Oh we can sort that out when you check in"

I didn't ask about Christmas.
It seemed too presumptuous to assume I'd even be in there by then.

I told him about my isolation, being scared all the time, not able to take care of myself, not eating etc etc.
Did the best I could.

:) Good.

I hope the next appointment goes well and that you get in quickly.

This is required, but it is all that is required. Brava!

Well done honey! One step then the next :)

Oh well done, Sundae! I'm so proud of you x! September is only next week. One step at a time, as Dani says, and we're with you all the way!


Sent by thought transference

Agree, Sundae ... September is on Monday; never mind about Christmas. Do your best at each step, it's all you can do.

Good luck on tuesday, sending hugs and support. xxoo

Dear Sundae {{{{HUGS}}}}

Met with three people today. Nurse A at the clinic, who told me she has been reassigned to take on the workload of a colleague who has just had to leave on long term sickness. So back to square one in establishing a new relationship. Although to be fair we've really just been treading water for the last few weeks anyway.

Then to St Anne's on the other side of the city to meet with the person who handles the finances, and the rehab manager.
Both seemed to go reasonably.

My question s at the beginning of all this went from
when, originally, naively,
to am I eligible
to am I suitable
to will I get funding.

Today tipped the scales back towards when.
There are still questions re funding, but they seem satisfied I am a suitable candidate for admission.
I did ask when, again, of course.
But it was explained me more thoroughly this time and I understand the reasons it is difficult to predict now.
One thing the manager said which I feel is reasonable to repeat here is that one day you can have a waiting list of ten people (for a thirteen week course) and yet by the end of the week it's only two people.
I'm still not officially on the list though, as far as I can tell. More things yet to fall into place.
So it could be over thirteen weeks yet.

But I am feeling braver having spoken to the finance lady, and have contacted a debt charity recommended by Nurse A regarding my current financial situation. Being a charity they are not pushing a product or taking fees, which is the most you can hope for.
This evening I am feeling reasonably brave because the finance person said, "It really isn't the end of the world. Whatever situation you are in when [when!] you are admitted, trust me we'll have seen worse."

And the manager did say that she felt my goals and expectations of what the service can offer match what they are able to offer. So it's back to the waiting game, but in a more informed position than I was. I'm not saying I won't be back to panic stations and in the depths of despair tomorrow. But I have hope that even if things get really hard there will still appear to be things I can work at, a way out of this alive.

I mean there is, of course. I just want to remember that.

So glad to see this, Cherry. Keep coming back to this post in your dark moments - perhaps it will help you to hold on to your hope in the bad times. X

Even if the wheels do grind 'exceeding slow' you've got over two hurdles so things are moving in the right direction.

Do the courses start every thirteen weeks? Or are they personal to each individual, ie: are the patients at any given time at different stages of their treatment?

If the latter is the case perhaps you will be able to start sooner than you think.

Best wishes,

N

The courses start for each individual whenever they can accommodate you. In fact they use a "buddying" system for the first two days, where another patient? inmate? customer? helps show you the ropes. So there is always a mix of people at different stages of treatment.

That seems to be the case with most facilities I've read about, online and in fiction.

My particular challenge is that I have to wait for a detox followed by an inpatient stay. So a bed in a four person unit for a week, immediately leading to a private room for 13+ weeks. I'm by no means the only person who has required this, but it is definitely more tricky logistically. They feel I'm too vulnerable and lack a support network for me to leave and go back on a later date.

I don't know.
In some ways I'm feeling so much more positive because I'm in the system now. I haven't slipped between the cracks.
In some ways I feel less panicked and just more resigned, which I suppose is progress. Because the more I hear, the further treatment seems to be receding time-wise. And yet I know it's not actually a mirage.

Which I suppose is me saying SNAFU.

Shit, we know you were just blowing off steam. Someone reading it years later? If they don't get it, can't see that steam in context, fuck 'em. ;)

The important thing is, despite them jerking you around at the moment you're moving in the right direction. You'll be much more gooder after you get through this.