Days 47- 56 Psychiatry- 2 East

On Nov. 1, Patti and I went to visit Lee on 2 East. We found he had a large bandage over his left forearm but he refused to discuss the matter. Patti asked a nurse at the desk what had happened and was told that Lee had slit his wrist during one of his escape attempts. A later examination of Nurses Notes for the days immediately following his transfer to the Ward revealed this to be a bald faced lie. No such wounds were noted by staff on 7C when they restrained him and put him in a straight jacket for transfer. No such wounds were found when he was removed from it on 2E The first mention of wounds is made in 2E Nursing notes after dinner at 1700 hrs. We were not informed of the incident when it occurred and when we did ask we were lied to by a staff member. This was a great start to a relationship that should have been one of trust, and understanding, and good intent.

On Nov. 1, during our visit to see Lee we were informed that he was 18th on the Wait List for a bed at Normandy Hospital which was the best accommodation available for severely ill AIDS Patients. On Nov. 2, we were told that as a direct result of more than 25 phone calls made by Lee to Dr. De Wet’s office demanding he get Lee out of 2E, he had suddenly managed to jump to #1 on the Wait List. Given: a suicide attempt a couple of days previously; two attempts to escape on Nov. 2; and two more attempts while on an “Accompanied” Day Pass on the 3rd; we began to have serious doubts as to the advisability of a quick release from 2E before his mental condition had been assessed and somehow brought under control. We visited Lee on Nov. 5th and he simply was not in control of himself or of his emotions. He was dirty and unshaven, his psoriasis was grossly rampant, and his scalp was loaded with plaques at which he constantly picked. His pajamas were soiled by what looked like fecal material. He refused to discuss his suicide attempt and his mood shifted from laughter to tears to anger on short notice depending on the topic and how compliant we were with his wishes. He was very upset we would not take him home immediately.

We had very strong reservations about his placement at Normandy after this visit. Patti phoned the Ward on Nov. 6 and asked how Lee had been after we had left the night before, and expressed our concern about his coming discharge. To quote Nursing Notes for that date: “ M phoned to inquire as to how pt was after visit last night. Requiring positive reinforcement that Normandy is an appropriate facility for Lee to be going & he will receive excellent care there". We asked for the truth and got “positive reinforcement”