Monday, September 7, 2009

So 6 months later in my life.....

Alright, I'm going to buckle down and get more consistent on this blog.

Summer vacation is over today and it's back to work tomorrow (I work in the school system). Ali has been back to classes at the local community college for 2 weeks already and has made the decision to go back to her original college next semester. Her dad isn't pleased because he feels that she has unresolved issues that made her turn to anorexia. I know what the college can offer her in the way of a teaching degree and I feel that this college has the best options. She'll come out with more degrees and be more marketable. In order to get back into this college, she has to meet with an admissions counselor so I guess I'll be taking a day off from work in the next couple of weeks to take her.

Sam left for London last week for a semester of studying abroad. I am forever grateful for Skype and a webcam! She was homesick to the point of crying on the phone one night at 3 am, but really seems to love it there. Today was the first day of classes and I can't wait to talk to her.

My summer vacation consisted of sleeping late and catching up on my reading. I was hospitalized in early June with severe anemia and needed 4 pints of blood. Needless to say, it took a while to stop feeling exhausted all the time.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Big Changes

Big changes have happened!!! A started attending classes at the local community college and a normal life began again - she started eating and talking and wondering why she stopped eating. At this point, she's gained about 25 pounds and is happy and her personality it back!!



BTW, just so A didn't get alllll the attention lol - S complained that her arm ached back in October about two weeks after A came home. She didn't notice how bad it hurt until she had a flu shot and her OTHER arm hurt worse. So I told her to go to the wellness center on campus if it continued to hurt in a couple of days. A few days later, she called me from the wellness center to tell me that she was heading by ambulance to the ER to rule out a blood clot. She said we didn't have to make the hour drive because she would be back on campus soon. Three hours later (no cell reception in the ER) she called to tell me that she did indeed have a blood clot. Off we drive to the hospital to watch her learn how to give herself heparin shots in the stomach for 5 days. She was on blood thinner for 3 months and genetic testing done in the ER and then repeated last month shows that she has prothrombian gene mutation. No birth control with estrogen ever, frequent walking around on long trips, and special consideration when she becomes pregnant in the future. What a bummer!!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Wow, what a difference 4 months make

I wish I could say that everything turned out fine.....I REALLY wish I could say that!!!!

A moved back home October 1st and dropped out of college. She had what amounted to an emotional breakdown and we had to allow her to move back home. She had dropped 30 pounds at that point. She was fortunate to find a job as a paraprofessional at the primary school and things seemed to be ok for a few weeks. She was going to get weighed at the doctor's office every two weeks. The week after Thanksgiving, she dropped another 5 pounds after holding steady for weeks. The doctor pushed for a "partial hospitalization" program, but our health insurance doesn't cover it (according to the program). A started counseling about the second week of December and the counselor happens to be the parent of a child that A taught in dance the year before. The counselor was so concerned with her appearance that she called the pediatrician and wanted her hospitalized. Since our insurance didn't cover the program, the doctor said that we could take her to the psych ward and be admitted to the eating disorders clinic by that way. After dropping another 3 pounds, A became hysterical with the doctor - mind you, it was the week before Christmas and she would have been hospitalized and away from home. The doctor agreed to let her come home if she had blood work done first and everything was ok - thankfully, it was.

More later, at this point, I'm spent.