The silver lining turns out to be that the VA recommendation meeting was today with Sue, the VA Nurse Practitioner. We both went into the meeting with great anxiety as we had heard through David, Jeff's social services caseworker, that Sue was not inclined to pursue in patient treatment. When she met with Jeff once before, he was not in crisis mode and seemed to be alright. Little did she realize what a roller coaster we live on in our daily lives. So having had the meltdown Saturday and still dealing with the emotional devastation in aftermath, this being Tuesday, really helped as she listened to the realities we are dealing with and how our support status, church and family, is shrinking and I, who have to be the last resort in dealing with the fall out of the melt downs am nearly to the end of my strength.
When she told us that she was recommending 2 outpatient programs, one of 8 weeks and the one to follow a 12 week course AND that it would not begin until September 7th, I finally spoke up in a shaky voice and trembling body, to once again express how we have been requesting in patient treatment for months now and it was not just Jeff who needs care. I point blank asked her, "How are you going to help US?!!!"
She at that point turned to her computer, making an abrupt turn in her thinking, and said she is going to put in an application for two in patient programs, one in Seattle and one in Palo Alto, California to see what the waiting period is for those programs. She is filling out the applications herself. It was such a huge relief knowing that she heard and she was really doing something that we've been begging for since February.
It still may be weeks before Jeff gets into intensive treatment and seems such a shame as they kept telling us the waiting period is up to 5 months; whereas if they had done this in February we would have been far down the road rather than just beginning. But that is the reality of this system where one just has to keep bumping into the wall and trying to figure out where the door really is. I feel like we finally found the door today. Now I pray that it really and truly opens as we truly believe in the expertise and the compassionate care given our veterans who are struggling with Combat PTSD and related issues.
Thank God for the silver lining of that terrible meltdown this past Saturday. It allowed Jeff and I to really express ourselves at a very critical time in this process.
