Well, really Aidan spent 10 days in acute care first, but he's been away from home for a month now. Somehow time is making abnormal seem horribly normal. Yesterday was Aidan's first pass to leave for a few hours. It seemed strange to have him with us again. My own son felt like a stranger. By the end of the day he almost looked like a stranger too.
Aidan needed a hair cut before he went inpatient. His blond curls had grown into an unmanageable frizz, so our first stop was for a haircut. The stylist took him from a fluffy 'fro to clean cut and polished. Then he needed shoes. He's 13 years old in a 12 men's. OUCH! By the time we got him to his favorite restaurant he seemed completely different. He's no longer hallucinating or delusional so Aidan was totally "with us". Aside from a few trips into Korbin's fantasy world, we had normal dinner conversation. It's been so long!
In the last month Aidan's medications have brought his symptoms under control. He's lost 16 lbs. thanks to the food restrictions at the hospital and is standing taller with his new found confidence. His clothes hang differently and his new, HUGE shoes look very adult. In the last month my wild boy who had lost the will to live has become a happy, healthier, more stable young man. I'm amazed by and proud of this strange new person. I can't wait to get to know him all over again.
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