What I learned From Eight Weeks in a Hospital

Abby Jaquint
5 min readNov 29, 2019
Photo by Martha Dominguez de Gouveia on Unsplash

First, let me say that my stay is far from over.

And second, I’ll clarify that this isn’t an inpatient stay.

Eight weeks ago, I started PHP (partial hospitalization program) at a hospital not fifteen minutes from my house.

Since then, I’ve graduated from PHP and moved on to IOP (Intensive outpatient program) in a room down the hall from the first program.

I was in PHP for what seemed like forever.

I was there so long that by the time my last day rolled around, I was the last person in the room from my original group. I was staring at unfamiliar faces, hearing unfamiliar stories, and was ready to get the heck out of there.

Leaving PHP that day was nerve-wracking but exciting. I could finally say I’ve made progress.

I started IOP the Wednesday after my last day in PHP, and I was nervous as all get out. The people in IOP were the same people from my original PHP group, but it was a whole new ball game. It was a new room, a new set up, a new counselor, and more days of me having to explain to people how I felt and why I felt that way.

I still have a couple weeks left in IOP, but I can tell I’m going to be ready to face the real world again when my stay is over.

--

--

Abby Jaquint

Novelist. 24. I write about writing and productivity. Check me out on Amazon or Barnes and Noble!