Last Saturday night I went to pick up a male freind to bring him back to my place. I had a few beers in my system. I was pulled over by a cop and arrested for DUI. It was a chilly night down here in Florida and i only had on a dress. I took my shoes off before the sobriety tests but still failed. So I was taken to the jail in my dress and my shoes were left in the car.
I am not proud of what I did and should have known better.The put me in a cell to let me sober up and then processed me that next morning. All the while in the jail cell, I was thinking this was it, my life is over because my job you have to a license for and it was suspended immediately at the time of the breathalyzer. Thoughts of suicide were running through my head and when I was processed I admitted that to the nurse and she had a psychologist come down to talk to
me.so all the sudden now I had a constant baby sitter and when it was time for me to be released a patrol office came in to talk with me and she took me to a mental health institution under the Baker Act. Since It was so cold out the put me in what they called paper pajamas and gave me some flip flops. By then the soles of my poor feet were black. Well when we got to the institution and they found out I had no insurance but was a veteran they put me into a day room and had me stay in there when trying to arrange with the VA to have me admitted there. But they made me strip down to docoment any scars and such I might have and processed me just in case VA agreed to leave me there and pay them. Twelve hours later an ambulance came to transport me. They made lay on the gurney for the ride over. Got into the er. the took my inventory of my possessions which were my bra which I had to take off at the first place because it had a wire and my dress and put me in pajamas and slippersocks. Took a turn of blood and Urine samples.The took me to the psych ward by this time it was about one oclock. Up there they had me do the same things that the first place did(The women checking me gave my toenail polish nice compliments. and showed me to my
room.By this time it was two thirty or so. Of course could not sleep. That first night they had someone setting right in my rooms doorway watching me to make sure I did not do anything stupid. Well sunday morning comes and the weekend psychiatrist came and talked to me told him about all that was going on. my sleeplessness, Increased drinking from barely any drinking to a twelve pack or more a day, my coming out to my family about being transgendered. He started me on antidepressants right away then informed me that I won't really get to talk to anyone until tuesday due to it being a holiday weekend and that they will probably ask me to sign a voluntary form that morning due to the baker act was due to expire tuesday. So sunday and monday I just walked around in a stupor watched football and read books. When tuesday morning came I met my care team which included a attending psychiatrist, another psychiatrist and social worker. They focused mainly on my drinking and the suicidal tendencies. In the next couple of days they had me meet other people one is a guy for a inhouse alcohol treatment program who I have been approved for a just have to wait for a spot to open up. Wedsday a psychologist came to talk to me but we did not have time to meet so she said we would talk the next day. On thursday my care team and I discussed me being released due to the fact I have to take care of things pertaining to my dui they wanted to keep me until I went to the adatp program. OK ENOUGH OF THE BAD, Here is the good.....After they left I talked to the psychologist for an hour and a half. What we talked about was me being a ->-bleeped-<-. We talked about my past and she was very good about it. Even called me Kelly. She noticed that everytime I have had the opportunity to be Kelly I did something to mess it up including the DUI. She said she believes I am transgendered but I am too concerned about what other people think still. She then went on to tell me that she believes that the DUI is a good stepping stone to me coming out as Kelly. I no longer am at the job where I was afraid to come out to them, I am going to be rebuilding my life so I might as well do it as Kelly including while at the treatment program. In her notes to my primary care provider and my outpatient psychiatrist she told them that I am transgendered and that they should work with me in getting the care I need. So I see them coming up in the next couple of weeks and we will see where it goes from there.
