Update for week ending 5/3

Justin is doing okay. I am not very pleased because he seems to be just drugged up. He tells me that he is having more flashbacks and that they are lasting like 2 or more hours. He has NEVER been that bad. Maybe 15 - 20 minutes and only if I do not work on bringing him back to the present. He has been bitten by something in the hospital and it is bad. He is on a very heavy antibiotic for it but no one is saying what the results are of the biopsy.

This weekend he has been so sleepy the entire time. All he has done is dose off and right now is sleeping. He said that he has been suffering with major dry mouth and so I was able to get a list of the medications and found the one with that side effect. He hates this. He keeps complaining that he can't function. I went through the list and found that they are giving him an anti-seizure medication but the one thing it does is knock him out. They told me to take the Vicodin away from him and they are giving it to him on a regular basis. I know he is wanting to come home because I think he is over medicated. I am not listened to because I do not have a medical degree on the wall. They also give him all this medication that knocks him out but they wake him up and do not let him go back to sleep. They have gone from 4 medications when he checked in to more than 10.

I am very frustrated at this point. I do not think that this has helped much except to drug him heavily. He has asked numerous times to have me get on the phone when he has a flashback but they never do as he asks. They are not doing much in the way of neurology and seeing what more needs to be done for a diagnosis of the EEG. I have to shut my mouth because they will then start to say that I am part of the problem if I get too involved. In many ways, I am damned if I do and damned if I don't. He does not stand up for himself. Then again he is so drugged who would be able to. He can't remember and I am sure that is because of the drugs.

He is being told that they want to keep him, or have him go into a two month program. I do not think he will do either one. He has said many times this weekend that they are not doing anything to stop the flashbacks but let him have them and keep them going as long as possible. I am not sure what to think at this point. I am hoping that one day late this week that something will be said to me about his time. I know that his "case worker Sam" is rather peeved with me but I do not like being told twice to stay by the phone to be called and then end up wasting the day because he does not do what was said. He met me and I really did not give him much attention as I did not like his attitude.

This program that he is going through is something that all returning guys from combat should go through at the time that they come home not a year and a half later or longer. I guess I am just frustrated. No answers make me uneasy. I guess this week I need to get on the phone with some people and knock some heads together to get answers that are needed. We will see what happens. Sorry if I seem rather down but this is very hard to deal with.