Hello, everyone!

[Guest guest]

If any of you have been on this board more than 10 years, you might remember me

as " katismom " . I am reconnecting now because I have a friend with a child who

has anxiety (hasn't been diagnosed as OCD, but it sure smells like it to me!),

and I wanted to recommend some resources to her. I remember this board as the

thing that kept me sane in the midst of insanity...and I wanted to see if it was

still here and still as active and helpful as I remember. Seems that it is!

So, I may not hang out long here, but thought some of you might like to hear a

success story.

Kati had symptoms of OCD from the time she was 2 or 3 years old, but it was

first diagnosed when she had an extreme flare at age 13. At that time,she was

prescribed Luvox, and CBT with ERP. The meds took what seemed like forever to

really work. She was very sensitive to the medication and we had to increase

the dose 1/8th of a tablet at a time and wait a week before we could increase

again. I had a pill cutter and put it to good use! I remember thinking she

might never go to school again, and would never be the little girl I remember.

(Well, of course not...she was going through full blown puberty! Silly me!)

Anyway, she had a terrible 8th and 9th grade year, and in 10th grade she told me

she wasn't very smart and couldn't take the more challenging classes, so she

dropped back to the middle level classes.

She was active in gymnastics, cheerleading, and theater, though, and not as

depressed as before. By the end of tenth grade, she told me she was smarter

than she thought and signed up for the honors classes again. Her OCD was under

good control. She discontinued her meds and therapy.

She had a boyfriend (a great guy! Now her husband!) who was a couple of years

older than she, and he had enlisted in the Marines, so they had a plan: She

would graduate a year early, finish college in 3 years, and then he'd be out of

the Marines and they could get married. So, her junior year she took some extra

credits, graduated early, got accepted at a state college...and was off to

college while he was deployed in Iraq.

Deployment can be tough business, and he called us from Iraq to ask if they

could get married as soon as his deployment ended. How can you say no when you

can hear the shelling in the background of the phone conversation? So they got

married sooner than the original plan.

His second deployment was very difficult for her and she started having symptoms

of anorexia. Fortunately, she knew that this was just OCD rearing its ugly head

in a different form, and she got right back to her therapist for a " tune up " .

It was a difficult struggle (especially when her dh returned and they had all

the readjustment stuff going on too), but they got through it.

She worked at a bank and eventually got promoted to banker at age 20. (This is

the girl who couldn't go shopping because of her numbers obsessions). When her

dh got out of the Marines, they started their own property maintenance business

(yep, she has her very own snowplow and lawn mower!) They are quite successful

and have a couple of employees now, and they own a home. She and her dh love to

hike here in the White Mountains. At the moment they are on vacation in Spain,

visiting a friend of his who is in the Navy.

I'm so proud of my dd! She has really become strong in dealing with her OCD and

all the challenges life has given her. She hasn't done some of the things I

expected her to do, like finish college...but she is a happy, productive

adult--what more could I want?

Just thought you might like to know that the roller coaster ride of OCD can

eventually have a smooth finish. I know she still has OCD (and even exhibits

some minor symptoms)...and I know she will probably have times when it flares

(they are talking about having a baby, and I wonder if pregnancy or post-partum

will present challenges), but I know that she can recognize it and that she

knows what to do about it. It really can get better!