[wisewoman]

I need help and I need it soon. First of all if anyone here is from the Portland Maine, Biddeford, Saco area please p.m. me. I need info. Secondly, my son has bipolar and ptsd. He struggles to stay on an even keel. He realized that he needed help and went to the Office for students with disabilities at his campus. He asked clearly for help with accomodations in one of his classes and also spoke about needing to move back on campus or something as he was spiriling and his living situation is pretty awful with drugged out bodies to climb over everywhere. This is a Dean's list kid, 20 years old noticing that he can't remember stuff for his statistics class. The Dean won't let him back on campus because of a manic episode a year ago, and the head of the office for students with disabilities has been a b*****ch. No accomodations have happened. He wrote consent for his pdoc to send info to this office and yesterday they tell me it was the wrong info and that they were very specific about what they wanted. I called the PDOC and they sent everything and were frustrated with the college. I called Voc rehab today and got a number to help me figure out what accomodations to be asking for. I spoke with our high school special Ed person and she told me to write the damned accomodation plan myself and have the pdoc sign it. So, I left a not so polite voice mail telling the woman from the office for students with disabilities that she has nothing to support my son who is in crisis, that I would be there monday and have a signed document from the pdoc with necessary accomodations. Meanwhile my son is close to homeless. I was thinking I could get $2,000 from the bank today but that won't happen at least till Tues and I am supposed to be up there monday helping him find a new place to live. With what money? I spoke with a mental health crisis place there and they were incredibly useless. I have been on the phone all day with potential living situations and have turned up slums we can afford, If I had the money I thought I could get today.

I need to know how bipolar affects memory and sequential thinking as well as the meds risperdol and lithium. I need to have justification on the accomodations request that states why he needs what accomodations. I want him to have these tests and quizes read to him and I want him to have the oppurtunity after he has quickly looked at the test/quiz, to refer to his book briefly to trigger his memory. I want him to be able to take longer for these tests and quizzes and have them given in the office for students with disabilities. Does anyone know how I can write that up to justify what I am asking for? FYI, I did speak with our voc rehab today and since he is still a resident in my state they will serve him. They are sending me the app.

Basically HELP. Also, he had a serious fight with girl friend who is at school in OHIO over the fact that he has been making out with a girl near his school. She is understandibly upset, he says he messed up his whole like because this is the only girl he has ever cared that much for. He said he was looking for comfort and affection and blew it big time. He cut his shouder and needed E.R. treatment. Okay today. I am thinking in the back of my mind that it would be easier for him to just die. He has fought so hard and I can't fix it for him.

[nothemama8]

WW call the American Disabilities Act , they might be able to help
Angie

Here is a list of some of the accomodations offered elsewhere which might help with the documentation you need to write:

http://www.bu.edu/cpr/reasaccom/educa-accom.html

Sweetie...could you explain this sentence, "I am thinking in the back of my mind that it would be easier for him to just die."?

I wish I could help more.

I'm so sorry you are going through so much!

emmy

[wisewoman]

Emmy, I just mean he is suffering and I am not sure it will get better. I don't want him to suffer.

Ya know, when you talk like that, it sounds a bit like the way people talk when refering to euthanizing their dog! I'm pretty sure you don't mean it that way!!

I know things are awful now, but it just seems that everything is happening at once for your family. If all else was stable, and this was the sole problem....it wouldn't seem as grim. You've just been under SO much pressure lately!

Is your son feeling in danger of hurting himself over these events? Has he ever in the past?

Keep posting sweets. We're here for you.

emmy

[wisewoman]

He has hurt self, never life threatening but impulsive manic behavior. Em, I just want to protect him and I can't. It hurts. I feel powerless and it stinks and I am tired of people who should know better thinking they need to have pissing contests with me. Isn't it about helping the student? I feel so lost and that I have suffered enough in my life and if I can't stop his suffering then what can I do? Interesting thing is that I am a firm believer in the special moments. The shared smile and the hug and the moment of joy. Yet I am wondering if he would be better off dead? No, my dear sweet precious gift should not die, he should be in my world. But the world is cruel and this disease is cruel and I just don't know how to help.

I can't imagine how hard it must be to love your child SO much and feel so powerless and far away.

But I think you are doing the most important thing. You are letting him know how very, very loved he is! By making all those calls, and running around like crazy over this - he knows how much you love him. And you are SO aware how important that is, right? So many of us on this forum, yourself included, didn't have parents like he has. He knows he is loved and he has a safe home, if needed. That's the firmest foundation a parent can offer. You're a GREAT mom!!

I may be sending you adoption papers shortly...if we could just fib a bit on my age?

Kisses, em