Friday, April 11, 2008

Justa continuing the CPEP Saga!

 100_0338_edited I've since lost about 20 lbs,but look at that face would you buy a used car from this guy? Do I have a face for radio or what?

I think we left off with my in the staging area

This is the waiting room where friends and relatives can wait right along with those of us waiting to be seen. This environment can, and quite often does become quite toxic quickly. The two times it did were when a 19 year old teenager that had been dropped off there buy the police and just left him.(he was one of the ones that never got checked out,the whole time he spent in the waiting room he had his cell phone,shoes and who knows what else with him.) As his frustrations increased he was getting more and more agitated and was talking to who ever would listen to him.

He seemed real good at picking out

the weak person in the room and using them as a sounding board.Eventually staff was alerted and he was taken into the inter sanctum.(He was very good at using the system to get what he wanted) He knew that he could jump in front of everybody if he just acted out and got noticed and made people uncomfortable. And guess what. it did work. We in the room were rather glad to be rid of him though. But it just shows how people that have dealt with the system their whole lives have learned how to circumvent the rules. His "twin sister" came in later in the day and pulled the same thing only she was much better at it. Suffice it to say. She got what she wanted also. A trip to the next step ahead of everyone else. Again the group in the room was elated when she departed. As there were two groups of parents with a couple of younger teenagers in their own crisis. They didn't need any "french speaking" lessons if you know what I mean?

So I'm going to try to pick up

the pace of the story a little quicker here. I might have to go into a third day to get to the end of the story though. Bear with me please.So you get frisked go back into the waiting room. You wait about 1 or 2 hours to see the Nurse. They take you back into a back room take your blood pressure check the vital statistics etc. Ask you some very basic questions of why your here then send you back out into the waiting room. Now at this time in the waiting room your starting to hear some war stories. Someone told us that he had been there overnight and had only gotten to stage two, which is see a counselor. So he had been there over 12 hrs just for the first two stages and was waiting for his visit with the Doctor so he could be released to go home.

Now remember little ole me in all this

At this time I'd already been in and out of the waiting room twice. Once for the frisking and the second time for the nurse interview and vitals testing.I've been at CPEP for 5 hours now. Sitting in this waiting room with out my cell phone, my shoes gone and hungry.(Who eats when your going to Crazyville)I'm starting to get a little agitated and as I looked around the room I saw the level of agitation in the room was growing. So at that time I decided to go into my "One flew Over the Cuckcoo's nest" Mcmurphy role.Fortunately for me I only did it in my head. Every thing I did from here on in was under the radar so to speak. I'm sorry but because of the length I'm going to have to end this tomorrow.Check back for the conclusion of the Saga of CPEP. I'm justa saying!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow ...i find it interesting how you are able to articulate your experience...does this help you cope??? i have as yet gotten any foriegn corespondence...looks like i will be fixing dinner....i am sure ...you know people in syracuse are idiots...the hole donte greene stuff is funny..." he is a sucky player..he doesn't care about syracuse...he is not ready for the nba..."who cares...this uncaring ,untalented , unready kid will be making about 2 mil a year....du....yo donte take the money...good luck to ya...i have worked since 1978 and he will beat me in earnings in half a year...thanks for the vine

Mark Krusen said...

How humbling an experience this is, how frightening it is to those who need no more stimulation in there lives at that moment. You obviously are strong willed to be able to act the McMurphy role internally to survive the challenges faced in this ordeal.
I am glad you have that inner strength, even when it feels like you don't. Love , Cin

Mark Krusen said...

Tom, My wife is being stubborn.It must be the Gaines in her I haven't been able to get out yet! :) She makes comments without using her own identity. So yes she is stealing mine. Maybe I'll have her arrested. No then I'd have to cook for myself.Yeah blogging about my Bi-Polar does help. It helps me and hopefully will someday help others too. I don't know if anyone is enjoying it or whatnot, because they haven't gotten out of the Lurking stage. Thanks for commenting again. I'm off to read your new post.