Roll Call Take Two

actually i didnt drink at all thia morning
im just too embarrassed to say i fD up using that device.

i actually dont have a case manager. my insurance gave me one but it was by telephone only. phoning from maryland. i live in texas. so i dropped them.

right now im on:
80mg latuda
8mg trilafon
1mg klonopin

i gotta take 5 pills a day.
NOMORE NOMORE NOMORE i say.

im doing 1-3 right now pretty much. so im taking most of your advice and all. i love caffiene and im more of a wine-o.

i stayed up til 8pm last night then slept than woke up at 10pm. been up ever since.

i dont know if i can get a private provider cause my mom is about to cut me off her insuranec. i know i keep saying that and it hasnt happened but she has been threatening me and i dont want to start with someone and be cut off. so i cant do much but be here. thats why i followed your advice for disability!!! but i cant get medicare til NOV 2013. all i can goto is cmhc. any county. thats all i can i do i guess. idk what to even do for support because i cant drive far or even on my meds and my dad works 12-16 hours a day.

wth am i supposed to do? hm?

You need a case manager with the mhc, not the insurance company.

I didn't intend them to be advice. They're options. Not all of them are good. Caffeine and alcohol aren't good for you in my view. I'm certainly not advocating those.

My son has Medicare and I was able to find excellent private providers for him. I called a number of people before I found them. I got recommendations from a therapist I trusted and called around. Ultimately I found the pdoc he has now on a website for an organization which advocates psychotherapy for people with psychosis.

First question I asked was: Do you accept Medicare? If they said no, I asked if they could recommend another pdoc. If they said yes, I told them about the issues my son was having and asked if they could help. I emphasized that he hates medication and that I wanted him to have talk therapy.

Are you eligible for Medicaid?

Keep talking to people and looking around. I know it's frustrating. I did all this for my son. And frankly it took years before he was willing to accept my help.

I love this quote from Ron Bassmann:

I love the acknowledgement that the responsibility resided within himself, but also that he had help "from expected or unexpected sources." If you keep reaching out and taking responsibility for yourself, I think you'll find those sources of help. But in the meantime you need to care of yourself and keep yourself as stable as possible. Limit the caffeine. Lay off the wine. Eat right. Get some sleep. Exercise. See if you can reach out to someone who can get you the kind of help that's really helpful.

I know that's not a direct answer, but you can't engineer luck. You can just be ready to take advantage of it when it arrives.

ETA: A previous thread I made about Ron Bassmann with more advice from him: http://forums.psychcentral.com/showt...light=bassmann

i cant get one because they dont take my current insurance thats still there just in case. im paying for everything there with cash.

no i was denied medicaid because my ssi wasnt continuous becuase i made too much on ssdi. ssi gave me a lump sum for backpay but said i made too much on ssdi to keep getting it. then they sent me a medicaid deny letter.

theres no hope.

That's ridiculous. You need a case manager. What a crock!

Stupid. My son had Medicaid until his Medicare kicked in. It wasn't great, but it was something. And I bet he's getting more that you are. He was able to work for a couple of years before he got sick.

Can't agree with you on that point.

P.S. Don't drink. It solves nothing and creates a bunch of new problems.

aw thats sweet of you to say


i just went to my mailbox
it says even if my ssi payments stop i can maybe still recieve medicaid under a few special rules. i met one by being disabled before 22. but im not really recieving it anyway so idk? i guess ill talk to my dad.

seriously idk how this works.

its not continous and they sent me a medicaid deny letter so idk what now?
does anyONE LIVE IN TEXAS.
DANGIT

Is it? How?

This is one reason why you need a case manager. To help you jump through all these hoops and explain this stuff.

That would be one mighty useful person, especially if he/she got it right!

cANT ANYONE SEE WHAT IM SAYING
I CANT GET ONE
IDK WHERE ELSE TO GO.

Sorry Newtus. I guess I was still holding out some hope, but I'm helpless about contacts in your area.

its fine im helpless too

mind telling me how much he gets. this is ridiculous. i think mine IS over too much but idk...
im talking about ssdi is too much to get ssi.

Right now, he's getting $1115/month. It was $1076/month, but he got a little raise - I think at the beginning of this year.

i hear 6 diffrent voices.

and a lot of the time it's like sitting in a confrence room because it's so loud.

i can hear their diffrent accents and stuff

Newtus

I'm feeling lonely again today, like I want to talk to someone but I have nothing to say...

*Willow*

I think you just have to be your own case manager then. Ask lots of questions. Ask here and ask anywhere you can.

When I moved my son from the mhc, I knew the biggest thing we'd be missing would be the case manager. The mhc in our county has lousy social programs, so that wasn't going to be a loss. But, honestly, I was a little afraid to lose case management. It's worked out ok, though.

Have you been to - what do you call the welfare office there? Here it's SRS - Social and Rehabilitation Services. The place you apply for food stamps and stuff. Here you use the same application for food stamps and cash assistance as you do for Medicaid. (My son would probably qualify for food stamps btw. We just haven't applied. He seems okay without them for now.)

Maybe call that office. Ask about Medicaid.

Here, the local SRS office was really helpful. They had compiled a list of agencies that might be helpful. Like for housing or voc rehab. Also, some organization has compiled a similar list. I saw it at a therapist's office once. If you can find a list like that, look through it. There may be services available you're not aware of. That's one thing case managers can help with. They know what services are available in the area and how to hook up with them.

Here's info on Medicaid in Texas: http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/medicaid/med_info.html

Maybe it's a problem that you're on your mom's policy?

i get $1117/month

idk what to even to do or ask. i just found out about ssi and ssdi 3 months ago when i applied and i got immediately accepted for that amount. i thought it was for old people who retired. thats all i knew. so its still all very very very new to me.

yea they have that here and i think its the same concept with food stamps (SNAP -food stamps. is what they call it here) (but texas health and human resources or something altogether) to go with medicaid and etc voc rehab and all this and that.

i WAS JUST thinking about that....

if thats the case i might have to get off it...
but idk.. thats so scary because its a pretty good insurance.
id be downgrading basically
...but i might have to...

Newtus, I used to work for a private charity that case-managed people who for whatever reason couldn't get it under the national health care scheme. There is also a chance you could find an advocacy service, which is when a volunteer comes to your pdoc (etc.) appointments with you and helps you explain what you want/need and understand what the doc is telling you, plus if they're really good they'll be able to link you up with people who can explain your welfare entitlements. All of this was free or low cost (£4/visit).

I know the system is different over here, but is there any chance there's something in your area that provides similar?

Ring the Samaritans? They'll let you sit on the phone and be silent if you need it.
You're welcome to ring me, but I have nothing to say either. I'm very, very depressed right now.

Before you do that, try this. See if you can find a therapist and/or pdoc who takes both your mom's insurance and Medicare. Maybe even ask about Medicaid too since your mom is always threatening you, and it's over a year until your eligible for Medicare. Explain the situation briefly. You're right that you don't want to find a therapist you really like and then have to switch later because of insurance. But if they take both, they can just transition you if necessary.

First, though, try to identify some therapists or pdocs who seem good within driving distance. Do you have a reliable car? Be willing to drive a bit for the right person. My son's pdoc and therapist are 45 minutes from the house.

Don't get discouraged if you don't find someone right off, ok? You may have to talk to a number of people.

ill be very honest: i have no clue.

im very very very scared of people
it may not seem so
but i am terrified.

BUT
about that first paragraph my dad is going to actually do that. like help me with that. and explain to them that.

i havent told my my mom about this disability stuff.
she has tried to ruin many many things for me in my life.
its a very serious thing she does. she has caused people shes known to lose their jobs and ruin marriages. its very serious. i used to think she was a sociopath. now i just think shes borderline. not. kidding.
but its to the point where my dad agrees and even my pdoc that its best if i dont tell my mother about all this yet.

my mother has NOT been there for me as a child until i turned 20 years old and ....just ALL IN ALL shes not a good/healthy person.

btw shes not even the insurance holder. its my stepdad. i just dont talk to him much and more through her about stuff. but they work as a team...if you know what i mean so i dont keep in contact much with them.