FSD

So FSD – Firsts Steps Derbyshire.  I’ve been going for about 2 months now.  Firsts Steps Derbyshire is Derbyshire’s only charity which helps and supports people with eating problems and eating disorders (EDs).  (Don’t worry, I’m ok / doing fine I think!)  I can’t remember if I’ve written about this before or not.  Over Christmas I saw an article in the Derbyshire Evening Telegraph about a lady’s story of having Anorexia, her recovery and now her pregnancy.  The article talked about how FSD has supported her through it all.  

I was looking for things to do during my 6 months off uni.  I’ve started helping out at “The Base” youth club run in Chaddesden by my church.  And I thought volunteering at FSD would be a good, different and interesting thing to do.  They run various things including a monthly coffee morning, and 2 weekly support groups one for 11 - 25’s and one for anyone (sufferers, parents, carers, friends etc).  I went to a coffee morning and met people and said who I was, my experience of having an eating disorder and that I was interested in volunteering.  I’ve been going to the anyone support group for nearly 2 months and I’ve been to 2 coffee mornings.  The staff and volunteers know I’m not a sufferer / service user and that I’m interested in volunteering.  I’ve filled in the volunteer application form and I’m waiting for an interview / chat with the volunteer coordinator.

I’m enjoying supporting this charity and attending the groups and hope to be an official volunteer soon.  It’s a very safe and friendly environment.  It’s so non-judgmental and everyone is made to feel welcome.  I love the secret Facebook group, lol.  People are so supportive of each other on it and people make new friends on the group, then meet in real life!  I’ve done this twice.  One girl I saw on the group then realised she goes to my church.  So I met her at church and we’ve been out for a drink.  And another friend I met on the group, realised she was a Christian from what she was writing, we talked on Facebook a bit then I met her before the support group one evening as she was too nervous to go to the group on her own.  So I met her for a drink then we went to the group together.

However having said all this being around people with EDs it does kind of drag up the past and there’s still part of me thinks they have an ED and they’re doing ok so why can’t I do it.  But a lady at church gave me a word / prophesied over me a couple of months ago that I am stringer than I think I am and God will protect me.  I can’t remember what else or the exact word without going to find my note book. 

And there are names and terms for things that I did and do and didn’t know what they were called.  Things like restricting, triggering, ED behaviours, bingeing, purging etc.  It has also greatly increased my understanding of ED’s and other mental health issues / problems. 

Maybe I should explain.  If you don’t already know I had an eating disorder from being about 14 – 20.  (I’m 30 this year).  I had anorexia / the mentality of a person with anorexia but because I wasn’t dangerously thin / dangerously low weight there was no help or support.  I went to the doctor’s a couple of times and just got brushed off and told to eat more healthily and was given advice on healthy eating.  I went twice to youth counselling / advice typed places.  Once to one in York, I can’t really remember what it was called or what happened, I remember them giving me a book to read but don’t remember anything else.  I remember a friend, a lad from school taking me.  I also went once to a similar place in Derby, and again I can’t actually remember what happened.  But I only went once so they can’t have been that helpful! 

My help and support came from my church friends in York and then Paul once I moved to Derby and we became friends.  My parents either didn’t know about or ignored my eating problems.  Even now I think they’re oblivious to the eating problems I had and how they partly caused them and the effect they had on me.  I’ve been well for pretty much 10 years, which is great.  Again you may know you may not, I had post natal depression after having Esther for about 15 months.  I didn’t want medication or secular counselling so I never went to the doctor’s about it.  But I ate through having PND.  I think if I was going to relapse / return to my ED I think it would have happened when I had PND. 

I also lost my baby weight sensibly and successfully after having both children.  I think I lost a stone after I had Joel and a stone and a half after I had Esther.  I know weight what I did before I was pregnant with Joel so I was happy with that until recently. 

I have written a lot about the big fall out I had with mother over Joel and his speech therapy.  Well when that happened it really dragged up the past for me.  It would have been the beginning of March, I think it coincided with when I started going to FSD.  It was really triggering for me and really tempted me to return to my ED and ED behaviours.  Mother really upset me and for me it dragged up the past of having an ED.  The ED that she totally oblivious or in denial that I ever had. 

She made me feel like crap and really down for about a month.  I was hurt, upset and unhappy.  I couldn’t control the situation, I couldn’t control my mother, so what do I do / think about doing?  Turning to the thing I control, what I eat or don’t eat.  I didn’t eat properly for a few weeks maybe, but I still had 2 meals, just skipped lunch mainly.  But it was a classic return to ED behaviours and being triggered by things, almost a textbook example. 

Anyway I was kind off brought out of that by going on my friend’s church’s youth weekend.  3 big meals prepared for me for 2 ½ days, I had to be fine with that and to set an example for the girls I knew were struggling.  Then I went straight into working at YPlay, a weekend at my parents, work again and Esther’s birthday and a weekend at Paul’s dad’s.  So not eating or skipping meals was just not an option, so I was snapped out of it by necessity.  In the last week I not skipped meals, I’m dieting sensibly trying to cut out the rubbish (cake, crisps, chocolate, sweets, chips, coke, ice cream and lucozade) and eat more fruit and veg etc.  Tried being the operative word, I’ve failed miserably and then feel rubbish ‘cause I think I’ve failed. 

Although I’ve been pretty much free of and ED for 10 years I’ve never quite got over the low self-esteem, low self-worth, lack of self-confidence, feeling not liked and unpopular etc.  I pretty much got over the feeling and thinking I look fat thing, I know I’m not fat and have been pretty good about this.  However I’ve not got over feeling / thinking that I’m ugly, not good enough, don’t wear the right clothes / nice clothes, don’t have the right friends / do not feel in the in crowd. 

My current problem is I’m bored!  I have too much time on my hands and not enough to do.  I have the argument with mother hanging over me and not really resolved.  And Joel’s development, speech therapy and education to do my best to help and support him and get him the best services and most appropriate help and support. 

When this thing with mother blew up I lost about 3 or 4lbs through either eating three healthy meals with no rubbish / junk or from eating 2 meals.  I was pleased with this.  But the last 3 weeks I’ve just eaten too much and too much rubbish / crap.  The problem is I have no will power / self-restraint.  If there’s chocolate / cake / sweets in the house I eat too much of them.  I can’t just have a bit each day.  Unless it’s cake that I’ve made then I will have a piece or two a day.  I hate to call it bingeing but it probably is. 

I have a (very) sweet tooth and crave sugar when I’ve not had much.  On a good day I’ll have coke zero / diet coke instead.  And partly I shop and eat ‘cause I have nothing better to do.  The best option is just not to have sweets / chocolate / cake in the house.  Which some of the time I’m good at, but the last 3 weeks I’ve been bad at!  So I eat too much rubbish, then feel fat and crap.  See I need better things to fill my days with uni / work etc. 

Anyway I started writing this last night and now I can’t remember what else I wanted to write and I need to go and make the children’s packed lunches.  

Essay catch up...

The last 2 weeks (3 weekends) have been a bit mad and busy.  Definitely not sustainable for any length of time! 

Youth weekend was really good.  Made me feel about 10 years younger than I am, lol!  Went climbing and loved it.  Got to the top of the easy wall and half way up the harder one, then gave up due to damage control.  I could have done the high ropes but didn’t again due to damage control.  Climbing didn’t do my trashed knee any good and much as I wanted to do the high ropes I knew it wouldn’t do my knee any good.  The 3 meetings were good.  Phil asked me to pray for girls who responded to the appeal for prayer after one of them, which was scary and totally out of my comfort zone.  3 teenage girls were struggling with eating related issues and just wanted to give them a hug and tell them I know how they’re struggling but recovery is possible.  But it’s not that easy in 2 days!  I chatted to them a bit and hopefully gave them some positive input. 

Work was the same old same old.  It was fine and fun when we were busy but boring when we were not so busy.  Car MOT cost £200 more than planned, so I won’t see any of my pay when I get it.  Holiday club at church was good.  Although it was the usual case of doing half a job at helping and half a job of parenting.  And YPlay came as well, so I was more or less working and not getting paid for it!  I got brownie points for making a tray of tea for the YPlay staff though, lol. 

York was alright.  Mother was a bit off with me not as chatty as normal.  My friend’s wedding was a good day.  Although it was one expensive wedding!  They had the reception at Castle Howard which is like having your wedding reception at Chatsworth! 

Dave and Cat Paul’s (brother and sister in law) came on the bank holiday Monday.  We went to Sawley Marina for lunch.  We ended up at Freddy’s instead of going for a walk though as it was so wet.  And we went to Liz and Baz’s (Our old Pastor’s) for tea, which was good to see them and catch up.  Tuesday was house group at Milly’s and she made curry which is always very nice! 

We ended up going to Thomas Land for Esther’s birthday despite it costing £88 for 4 of us!!  We decided to ask for money from the Uncles (John, Mark and Dave) and some from my parents which covered out trip.  The Uncles never buy sensible presents anyway so we told them what we wanted!  We had a good day though.  Apart from Esther got scared on one ride and refused to go on 2 others after that, woops! 

Bournemouth was alright / good.  Paul’s dad appreciated the effort we’d gone to, to go down. We didn’t do much, hung out with Paul’s Dad, Step Mum, half-brother and two half-sisters.   Paul did a bit of running people around and making himself useful!! He took his sister to a volley ball match, his step granddad home and helped his dad set up for the exhibition.  And also going in errands with his dad just to keep him company.  We saw his Gran, aunt and uncle (who live together).  But we didn’t see the rest of the family.  Paul’s mum had told us not to go to his Nanny and Granddad’s cos his Nanny is ill.  And there’s another Aunty and cousins but we couldn’t get round everyone in 2 ½ days.  We went to the model railway exhibition that his dad was involved in on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.  We also looked after Karenza (half-sister, same age as Esther) for most of Sunday.  We had a text from Paul’s dad when we got home saying he really appreciated us making the effort to go down. 

Paul got a ticket for speeding on Sunday morning which really annoyed me.  I’m not annoyed that he got caught, he was speeding he deserved to get caught.  I’m annoyed that he speeds in the first place and doesn’t respect the law and that it’s effectively £200 that we haven’t got down the drain.  It’s 3 points on his licence and a £60 fine or do a £105 speed awareness safety course plus transport ‘cos it’ll be in Dorset. 

Anyway, craziness is over, back to boring normality.  I would prefer a balance of the two as I’ll be bored again soon.  When life is toddler groups, coffee / lunch with friends, washing and cleaning it gets boring very quickly.  I’m not saying my friends are boring.  I appreciate the love support and friendship from my friends, I just like to have something else besides it like work or uni.  

Bored.

Much respect for my friends who are full time stay at home mum's and home educators.  I'm just not cut out for either.

Four weeks after I handed my last essay in and I'm bored.  Well actually I was bored a week or two after.  After the novelty of lots of free time had worn off.  My kitchen and bathroom are super clean.  I even cleaned the inside of the windows (a rare occasion).  This morning I have to wait in for someone to come and fix the boiler, we are missing out church toddler groups.  One of the  few things I have to do in the week that's doesn't involve having coffee or lunch out.  So toddler groups, going out for coffee or lunch and house work, there must be more to life than this!  I need a job to save me from boredom.  not fussed about the money, just something to do and some good work experience.

Mother's not phoned in the last week.  Not sure what to do on that front.  I guess see how Joel's four sessions go with the speech therapist.  Two before the holidays and two after.  I'm contemplating going to the GP and saying Joel's had grommets and his hearing is now normal.  He's had his tongue cut as he had tongue tie.  His speech is still not developing as we would like and speech therapy work with him is very slow progress.  Can they suggest anything else / refer us to a paediatrician  or doctor who assess special needs generally.  Or see if the GP just says it's education / school's responsibility.

Right, I guess I'll go and find something to do.

Storm over.

Well the storm seems to have finally blown over.  Mother just phoned being all normal, although not quite as chatty as usual.  She thanked me for my Mother's day card then my dad moaned at me for not phoning her yesterday.  They were asking about uni and what we did yesterday and that was about it.  Mother said hello to the children.  Not as chatty as usual as she didn't ask what I'd been up to, how the children are or how Paul is.  Not that our conversations are predictable or anything.  What annoys me is in asking about uni I told them yet again that I've finished until September cos they second half of first year is placement and I'm doing mt placement next year.  I've told them this several times, they don't remember things I tell them and they never actually seem interested.  I told them I passed everything but they didn't ask about my grades.

So, my grades:

Attitudes and Values Group Presentation - A

Attitudes and Values Essay - B-

Human Growth and Development Group Presentation - B

Social Policy Essay - B-

Inter-professional Practice Essay - C+

I'm chuffed 'cos I thought I'd got like a D- in the Attitudes and Values essay and I got a B-.  

I've not written about church yesterday yet, but I will at some point.  I need to put the children to bed now.  

3 Days

So I've not been up to much, I've been bored and lazy.  If I stopped being lazy then I might not be so bored, but hey ho!  Thursday, I had coffee with one of the mum's from school.  Then didn't do a lot after that.  Messed around on Facebook mainly.  Friday, Esther was at her childminder's.  A uni friend popped round for a bit then I finished a job application and took it back to the school.  I also cleaned the inside of most of the window's which is a rare occasion!!  Friday early evening is a youth club outreach.  It was good, although I always feel I'm not good enough at talking to the young people and am not friendly enough.  I'd rather hide in the kitchen and run the tuck shop!  This morning I wasted watching rubbish on iplayer, still it was entertaining rubbish!  Met a student from church for coffee this afternoon which was good.  I won't go into details, I don't think she'd want me to.

But on the whole I've been messing around on facebook or watching iplayer when I should be doing house jobs.  Just makes me feel useless and lazy.  But they're boring and I have no motivation to do them.  That's normal and life though I guess.

I feel like this whole thing with mother is hanging over me all the time though.  Makes me feel rubbish.  Mum emailed me on Monday, I replied on Wednesday and I've not heard from her since.  I just hate the way she makes out that I've hurt and upset her when all I've done is stand up for myself and stand up for Joel.  I refuse to apologise when I've not done anything wrong.  Anyway I'll stop.  I'm sure I'm starting to sound like a stuck record.  Can you tell it's really bugging me!

Reassessment.

So Joel has his speech therapy assessment this morning.  The therapist said Joel's not made the progress she would like in the last year but he has made progress.  They're taking a slightly different tact, changing the scheme of work slightly and adding some new games.  The speech therapist is coming in herself and doing four sessions with Joel.  The teaching assistant said this is almost unheard of, and she can't remember the last time the speech therapist did this.  The teaching assistant will continue to do short 10 minute daily speech therapy sessions with him.  There's no point paying for private speech therapy when it won't be any more beneficial or any different.

As I said in my reply to mother.  His teacher and teaching assistant are happy with his progress.  He has made progress in his toileting (which is now sorted and normal), his reading, writing and word learning.

I think my current goal and aim is just to hope they're talking to me.  And to get through the Easter weekend staying there but avoiding conflict.  We're going to a wedding on Easter Saturday and mum and Dad are supposed to be looking after the children.  We'll go Friday sometime and leave Sunday sometime.  Might try and make it a short weekend.

Right, it's lunch time and I have jobs to do.  I had better get off here.

My reply

My reply to Mother's email on Monday.  

Hi Mum.  I had no intentions of hurting or upsetting you.  My emails were merely an honest, blunt reply to your queries.  You periodically ask the same questions and make the same suggestions and you receive the same answers.  You wrote me a letter saying the same things you said to me on the phone on Christmas day and you received the same answers I have given you in the past.  You just don’t seem to take on board or remember this information. 

Joel had his speech therapy assessment today.  The speech therapist says he has not made the progress she would have liked.  But he has made progress and this is positive.  The speech therapist is planning on doing 4 sessions with Joel over the next month or two.  I can’t remember without looking when they are scheduled for.  Joel’s teaching assistant will continue with the daily speech therapy with a new scheme of work and some different games to play. 

You have to also look at other areas of his development though.  He has mastered toileting.  His reading, word recognition and writing are the lower end of average for his class but he is not really behind, just a little.  He’s by no means bottom of the class.  This has been said by his teacher and teaching assistant on several occasions.

There is no benefit at the minute of additional private speech therapy.  They would only do the same things that happen in school all ready.  Joel is too young and doesn’t have the concentration for hour long sessions. 

Take care.