Saturday, September 24, 2011

Details - Where the Devil Lives

About a week ago, as we were tailing off the Prozac, my son became obsessed with bathing.  Or maybe just running the water in the bathtub.  While pacing and perseverating, he would march into the bathroom and turn on the water in the tub.  Sometimes, it appears he would forget it was on.  Once, when my wife was here alone and engrossed in some other work, the water ran for what appeared to be several hours until she realized what was going on.  It overflowed the tub and filled the bathroom.  The water seeped below the floor and into the bathroom below it on the lower level.  This resulted in about $2000 in damage which required structure drying and ceiling replacement in the lower level bathroom.

Since then we have been locking him out of his bathroom and either checking frequently to let him use it (under supervision) or asking that he call us. Of course, he has been unable to call for assistance since he only perseverates.  Twice now he was stuck in his room without bathroom access and "pooed".  It appears that he pooed into his hand and then placed the poo on his desk.  He continued to perseverate and pace afterwards leaving smears of poo all over his room and belongings.

The clean up was straightforward but deeply saddening - this is where we have come.

The Geodon has not reduced the perseveration nor the pacing.  Nor has it enabled him to speak except that one time two nights ago.

Yesterday I took him out for a short walk in the neighborhood.  He perseverated the entire time and did not speak otherwise.  What was upsetting to me is that as we walked, about six people stopped and said "Hi" to him.  These are people that I do not know yet they know him.  He was a sort of neighborhood celebrity, it appears - now reduced to the mindless and endless repetition of phrases a teaching aide told him 8 months ago in an effort to comfort him.

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