Another Journey

With Ken's illness the focus of this blog changed abruptly. Originally, I wanted to document the unique experience of schizophrenia from an alternative health perspective. And finally the day came, with our daughter kindly consenting to stay with Ken, Isaac and I drove to a Southern California Outreach Clinic held by the Pfeiffer Treatment Center, at a Garden Grove hotel. I had filled out forms and done a phone intake prior to our appointment. The nurse in Chicago who is assigned to our case seems kind and compassionate. But at the hotel we saw a different nurse practitioner and I was not impressed with her. Perhaps because she was sick with a bad cold, her attitude was confrontational and challenging toward Isaac, over little details--about hearing voices (he says they stopped years ago, although who is he continually talking to and sometimes yelling at?) and about making a commitment to the program. I expected her to have a more skilled approach with a psychotic and possibly paranoid person. I intervened and told her if Pfeiffer can help him deal with being grilled like that, we will have met our goals. I told her he was only there because I wanted him to come, and that since he has given other treatments a good try I trusted he would do the same with this one. Next came the labwork, which included a comprehensive metabolic panel, chemistry, and minerals. They sent us home with a primer formula, added a much higher doses of omega 3 fatty acids than he was taking, and a borage oil supplement for GLA. For anxiety, they recommended 1,000 mg of GABA twice a day. For delusions and hallucinations I was told to order a formula containing equal parts niacinamide and vitamin C. This has not yet arrived, but Isaac is taking the other supplements just as I hoped he would.