Yes we are still here! But our journey means the blog is not something that now gets a lot of posts. I debated with making it an advocacy, education blog etc but that was never the point of this blog. There are better forums for the advocacy ED awareness but not here. This is our story, Sophie’s story and I do not want to detract from that. It is also our story told from my view in most cases rather than my daughter’s. Now she is 21 and well, the story is now ALL hers. I am merely a by-stander and whatever or wherever her future takes her, the story is her’s alone now.
As a quick update, she is now medication free. No more anti-depressant!!!! A huge move forward after being on it for 5.5years. Soph has been toying with the idea for several months, but cautious of her anxiety and depression bouts that possibly the medication might be helping. But considering the depths of the ’bouts’ I do wonder just how much the medication was really helping. Teenagers change so much in every way (psychologically, emotionally, physically) as they become adults, that what was started at 15 is very probably not overly useful at 21. Many anti-depressants can also stop working as effectively long-term.
So med free. I demanded she take the weaning off process SLOWLY. INCREDIBLY.SLOWLY. Got the ‘awww mum’ whole drama. But I didn’t want the cold turkey, medication backlash that happens. Coming off medication like these means months before she will be fully herself and functioning without drug related responses. Her brain and body will need to change and readjust to normal state for many processes. She is in effect a very different person from the child at 15. Not just because she is now adult, but also because of the long term medication. The anorexia alone has made her a different person. The medication has made it a bigger difference from then to now. Too many psychological, mental and emotional changes that is over and above normal growth and change.
She’s been med free for about a month. Too early yet to tell how she will go. Life needs to happen for her to see if she can manage herself. She is still home on uni break for a few more weeks, then back to reality. This time round she has been home for almost 4 months, so it will be a bigger drop back into uni life and her living reality. But she is brave and courageous for taking the step that needed to be taken. A new freedom and learning who she is now without any props is the only way to go!
