Re: update years later - hope for the future

[Guest guest]

This is very encouraging to hear positive news especially for me being

new to this support group. We have felt hopeless this past year as

things seem to just get worse but hearing this makes me not want to give

up.

>

> Hey all:

>

> I was part of this group three years ago. My daughter had struggled

with anxiety and OCD in high school, and we had received very inadequate

treatment from our our local HMO. She insisted she wanted to do college

despite our misgivings but had to leave with a long list of incompletes

and feeling totally crushed. She came home and fell back into her very

bad sleep habits, no regular diurnal cycles and inability to wake up

when it was called for.

>

> Thanks to THIS LIST I found a very good local therapist who REALLY

GETS the issues with OCD. We twisted our insurance company's arm to get

her into a residential treatment place () where she stayed for

three months. She lived at home for 7 months while preparing to re-enter

college. she did community college, ramping up slowly adding a course

each semester. We also had her in her own apartment.

>

> She re-entered her school LAST academic year and taking a full load

got on the Dean's List. This year she is taking organic chemistry and

cell biology and as a Junior is on her way to achieving her dream of

doing scientific research and is considering going on for a PhD.

>

> She still has anxiety and OCD but is able to cope with it and contain

it. She is aware of her limitations and triggers and knows how to choose

her battles on what to confront (changing a lab section because she does

not like the teacher) and what not to (ex-housemates who are not paying

a past small bill.)

>

> Still working at it every day, and WE as parents are no longer waiting

for the other shoe to drop. We sweated and cried and raged for her that

first year of college, and we are feeling like we are back in real life

again. There was a period of two years where we thought we would never

see her get in life.

>

> Not tooting our horn here, but rather giving a message of hope! it

took the right combination of meds, good therapist (or at least one who

knows about OCD), and residential treatment, as well as our daughter's

strong desire to get well and our love and constant reevaluation of our

role to get her there. It was a true family effort.

>

> I also see that it just took her brain to do some development. She is

now 22 and she lost a couple of years of development (she acts more like

20 socially, and is a Junior compared to her peers who just graduated) -

but she is back on track and continuing to grow. I really think that the

research about frontal cortex development is valid here, and sometimes

with our kids - OCD or not - everyone just has to wait for the brain to

do some maturation.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

This is very encouraging to hear positive news especially for me being

new to this support group. We have felt hopeless this past year as

things seem to just get worse but hearing this makes me not want to give

up.

>

> Hey all:

>

> I was part of this group three years ago. My daughter had struggled

with anxiety and OCD in high school, and we had received very inadequate

treatment from our our local HMO. She insisted she wanted to do college

despite our misgivings but had to leave with a long list of incompletes

and feeling totally crushed. She came home and fell back into her very

bad sleep habits, no regular diurnal cycles and inability to wake up

when it was called for.

>

> Thanks to THIS LIST I found a very good local therapist who REALLY

GETS the issues with OCD. We twisted our insurance company's arm to get

her into a residential treatment place () where she stayed for

three months. She lived at home for 7 months while preparing to re-enter

college. she did community college, ramping up slowly adding a course

each semester. We also had her in her own apartment.

>

> She re-entered her school LAST academic year and taking a full load

got on the Dean's List. This year she is taking organic chemistry and

cell biology and as a Junior is on her way to achieving her dream of

doing scientific research and is considering going on for a PhD.

>

> She still has anxiety and OCD but is able to cope with it and contain

it. She is aware of her limitations and triggers and knows how to choose

her battles on what to confront (changing a lab section because she does

not like the teacher) and what not to (ex-housemates who are not paying

a past small bill.)

>

> Still working at it every day, and WE as parents are no longer waiting

for the other shoe to drop. We sweated and cried and raged for her that

first year of college, and we are feeling like we are back in real life

again. There was a period of two years where we thought we would never

see her get in life.

>

> Not tooting our horn here, but rather giving a message of hope! it

took the right combination of meds, good therapist (or at least one who

knows about OCD), and residential treatment, as well as our daughter's

strong desire to get well and our love and constant reevaluation of our

role to get her there. It was a true family effort.

>

> I also see that it just took her brain to do some development. She is

now 22 and she lost a couple of years of development (she acts more like

20 socially, and is a Junior compared to her peers who just graduated) -

but she is back on track and continuing to grow. I really think that the

research about frontal cortex development is valid here, and sometimes

with our kids - OCD or not - everyone just has to wait for the brain to

do some maturation.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

When you feel like giving up, what you have to ask yourself is whether or not

giving up and putting up with all the things that are not right and watching

the suffering that goes on is harder than continuing to seek answers and to look

for (and possibly experience) the positives. I don't see one choice any harder

than the other. Both directions are tough, but one has a better outcome ...

Given that, what would you child want if they could ask for it?

Best wishes all,

Bonnie

> >

> > Hey all:

> >

> > I was part of this group three years ago. My daughter had struggled

> with anxiety and OCD in high school, and we had received very inadequate

> treatment from our our local HMO. She insisted she wanted to do college

> despite our misgivings but had to leave with a long list of incompletes

> and feeling totally crushed. She came home and fell back into her very

> bad sleep habits, no regular diurnal cycles and inability to wake up

> when it was called for.

> >

> > Thanks to THIS LIST I found a very good local therapist who REALLY

> GETS the issues with OCD. We twisted our insurance company's arm to get

> her into a residential treatment place () where she stayed for

> three months. She lived at home for 7 months while preparing to re-enter

> college. she did community college, ramping up slowly adding a course

> each semester. We also had her in her own apartment.

> >

> > She re-entered her school LAST academic year and taking a full load

> got on the Dean's List. This year she is taking organic chemistry and

> cell biology and as a Junior is on her way to achieving her dream of

> doing scientific research and is considering going on for a PhD.

> >

> > She still has anxiety and OCD but is able to cope with it and contain

> it. She is aware of her limitations and triggers and knows how to choose

> her battles on what to confront (changing a lab section because she does

> not like the teacher) and what not to (ex-housemates who are not paying

> a past small bill.)

> >

> > Still working at it every day, and WE as parents are no longer waiting

> for the other shoe to drop. We sweated and cried and raged for her that

> first year of college, and we are feeling like we are back in real life

> again. There was a period of two years where we thought we would never

> see her get in life.

> >

> > Not tooting our horn here, but rather giving a message of hope! it

> took the right combination of meds, good therapist (or at least one who

> knows about OCD), and residential treatment, as well as our daughter's

> strong desire to get well and our love and constant reevaluation of our

> role to get her there. It was a true family effort.

> >

> > I also see that it just took her brain to do some development. She is

> now 22 and she lost a couple of years of development (she acts more like

> 20 socially, and is a Junior compared to her peers who just graduated) -

> but she is back on track and continuing to grow. I really think that the

> research about frontal cortex development is valid here, and sometimes

> with our kids - OCD or not - everyone just has to wait for the brain to

> do some maturation.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

When you feel like giving up, what you have to ask yourself is whether or not

giving up and putting up with all the things that are not right and watching

the suffering that goes on is harder than continuing to seek answers and to look

for (and possibly experience) the positives. I don't see one choice any harder

than the other. Both directions are tough, but one has a better outcome ...

Given that, what would you child want if they could ask for it?

Best wishes all,

Bonnie

> >

> > Hey all:

> >

> > I was part of this group three years ago. My daughter had struggled

> with anxiety and OCD in high school, and we had received very inadequate

> treatment from our our local HMO. She insisted she wanted to do college

> despite our misgivings but had to leave with a long list of incompletes

> and feeling totally crushed. She came home and fell back into her very

> bad sleep habits, no regular diurnal cycles and inability to wake up

> when it was called for.

> >

> > Thanks to THIS LIST I found a very good local therapist who REALLY

> GETS the issues with OCD. We twisted our insurance company's arm to get

> her into a residential treatment place () where she stayed for

> three months. She lived at home for 7 months while preparing to re-enter

> college. she did community college, ramping up slowly adding a course

> each semester. We also had her in her own apartment.

> >

> > She re-entered her school LAST academic year and taking a full load

> got on the Dean's List. This year she is taking organic chemistry and

> cell biology and as a Junior is on her way to achieving her dream of

> doing scientific research and is considering going on for a PhD.

> >

> > She still has anxiety and OCD but is able to cope with it and contain

> it. She is aware of her limitations and triggers and knows how to choose

> her battles on what to confront (changing a lab section because she does

> not like the teacher) and what not to (ex-housemates who are not paying

> a past small bill.)

> >

> > Still working at it every day, and WE as parents are no longer waiting

> for the other shoe to drop. We sweated and cried and raged for her that

> first year of college, and we are feeling like we are back in real life

> again. There was a period of two years where we thought we would never

> see her get in life.

> >

> > Not tooting our horn here, but rather giving a message of hope! it

> took the right combination of meds, good therapist (or at least one who

> knows about OCD), and residential treatment, as well as our daughter's

> strong desire to get well and our love and constant reevaluation of our

> role to get her there. It was a true family effort.

> >

> > I also see that it just took her brain to do some development. She is

> now 22 and she lost a couple of years of development (she acts more like

> 20 socially, and is a Junior compared to her peers who just graduated) -

> but she is back on track and continuing to grow. I really think that the

> research about frontal cortex development is valid here, and sometimes

> with our kids - OCD or not - everyone just has to wait for the brain to

> do some maturation.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I can't tell you how helpful it is to hear success stories! When you are in the

middle of the " storm " you wonder what future could be like.

Thank you for sharing!

>

> Hey all:

>

> I was part of this group three years ago. My daughter had struggled with

anxiety and OCD in high school, and we had received very inadequate treatment

from our our local HMO. She insisted she wanted to do college despite our

misgivings but had to leave with a long list of incompletes and feeling totally

crushed. She came home and fell back into her very bad sleep habits, no regular

diurnal cycles and inability to wake up when it was called for.

>

> Thanks to THIS LIST I found a very good local therapist who REALLY GETS the

issues with OCD. We twisted our insurance company's arm to get her into a

residential treatment place () where she stayed for three months. She

lived at home for 7 months while preparing to re-enter college. she did

community college, ramping up slowly adding a course each semester. We also had

her in her own apartment.

>

> She re-entered her school LAST academic year and taking a full load got on the

Dean's List. This year she is taking organic chemistry and cell biology and as a

Junior is on her way to achieving her dream of doing scientific research and is

considering going on for a PhD.

>

> She still has anxiety and OCD but is able to cope with it and contain it. She

is aware of her limitations and triggers and knows how to choose her battles on

what to confront (changing a lab section because she does not like the teacher)

and what not to (ex-housemates who are not paying a past small bill.)

>

> Still working at it every day, and WE as parents are no longer waiting for the

other shoe to drop. We sweated and cried and raged for her that first year of

college, and we are feeling like we are back in real life again. There was a

period of two years where we thought we would never see her get in life.

>

> Not tooting our horn here, but rather giving a message of hope! it took the

right combination of meds, good therapist (or at least one who knows about OCD),

and residential treatment, as well as our daughter's strong desire to get well

and our love and constant reevaluation of our role to get her there. It was a

true family effort.

>

> I also see that it just took her brain to do some development. She is now 22

and she lost a couple of years of development (she acts more like 20 socially,

and is a Junior compared to her peers who just graduated) - but she is back on

track and continuing to grow. I really think that the research about frontal

cortex development is valid here, and sometimes with our kids - OCD or not -

everyone just has to wait for the brain to do some maturation.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi , thanks for sharing this with us, really is hope! I printed this out

and gave it to to read (who was in the middle of a computer game, will

check with him later) because she reminded me of him - age 22, wanting to get

into cancer research, just got his BS in Biology this summer, so had those

organic chemistry courses, etc. Now time for job hunting, ugh!

He also started with our local community college, then transferred to a

university.

So good to hear how well your daughter is doing, she's made great progress in

this battle!

single mom, 3 sons

, 22, with OCD, Aspergers, dysgraphia

> She re-entered her school LAST academic year and taking a full load got on the

Dean's List. This year she is taking organic chemistry and cell biology and as a

Junior is on her way to achieving her dream of doing scientific research and is

considering going on for a PhD.

>

> She still has anxiety and OCD but is able to cope with it and contain it. She

is aware of her limitations and triggers and knows how to choose her battles on

what to confront (changing a lab section because she does not like the teacher)

and what not to (ex-housemates who are not paying a past small bill.)

>

>