Post Traumatic Stress Disorder As It Pertains To Decorating
udontknowme
14 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (84)
roobear
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoclaire_de_luna
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
PTSD help please!
Comments (14)Joe: I understand what you're saying. You might be right. This past December 1, 2013, I was attacked by a customer's pit bull. Got 16 stitches. He knocked me down and I really thought I was going to die. Just as I had brought my arm to protect my throat from its bite, the owner grabbed his collar and pulled him away. I was able to scramble to my feet and get to my car for safety. I was all bloody, but still was able to drive myself to the hospital. I've had PTS ever since. I panic every time I see or hear a dog. One thing that helps is to be determined not to let this overcome me and prevent me from doing the things I know I have to do. I still have an incredible amount of PTSD, but somehow we all learn to cope. The body is a very resilient creation, isn't it? HerbDoctor...See MoreEating Disorders
Comments (37)Hi Cup, I too wish I had stumbled upon your question sooner. This is a long reply! My daughter is anorexic. She is 29 years old and told us of her condition a year and a half ago, just weeks before her wedding. I cannot tell you how shocked I was. And we are very close. She kept it from us, as well as her fiance, for well over a year before finally coming to grips with her problem. One poster here was so correct: Watch for excuses for not eating: "I already ate." "I will grab something out." It is heartbreaking to see your beloved child lie to you, but you have to realize, as another poster mentioned, that when someone is in the depths of an ED, "the voice" takes over. "The voice", AKA "Ed", as he is referred in the eating disorder world, is in control. He will convince your daughter that she will only be happy if she listens to him. Everyone else out there - parents, friends, boyfriends - are out to make her FAT. So here's my two cents, for what it's worth. 1. Good for you for getting help now. My daughter admits she had unnatural issues with food going back to high school. (obsessed about calories in everything). She is very petite so when she only ordered an appetizer for her dinner, we thought it was because she had a small appetite. In fact, ED was telling her she didn't deserve the dinner portion. She hid it from us, and really from herself, for so long. By the time she sought professional help, she really had been dealing with food issues for ten years. 2. See if there is an Eating Disorders Center in your area. My daughter started there. Five minutes into her interview, she was told "You are anorexic." All she had to do was describe what she ate, and why, and that was enough. The blood work just confirmed it. They can also point you in the right direction for care. It is so important that you seek professionals who specialize in eating disorders. Many physicians are still very much in the dark. 3. My daughter had found that a support team of three is essential: an MD to do lab work every few weeks, a nutritionist to keep her on a food plan, and a therapist to help her work through her issues with food. My daughter also went on medication for anxiety. This has helped her sleep, but does not make the ED go away. 4. Read "Life Without Ed" by Jenni Schaefer. It reveals just how victims of EDs think. It is a real eye-opener. Your daughter should read it too, as I am sure she will much to identify with. And it is remarkably uplifting. This is the only book my daughter's nutritionist suggest she read. Be careful as many books out there on EDs can be rather dismal and dark. 5. Does your daughter spend much time on the internet? See if you can check the history of websites visited over the past couple of weeks. There are many of what they call "Pro-Ana" sites out there, where young women support each other in their efforts to starve themselves. They praise each other for going all day on an apple, offer suggestions on how to sneak in exercise (i.e. "stand when you can, because standing burns more calories than sitting"), and how to purge after eating ("Throw up while taking a shower.") It's pretty shocking. 6. Here's the best website out there for parents of children with EDs: www.somethingfishy.org. There is a wealth of information and support there. 7. Also be prepared that without intervention, your daughter will most likely undergo some personality changes, which can be painful to witness. Without help, she will be happiest (so she thinks) in her own little world. She will find excuses for not hanging out with her friends. The loving cheerful daughter you always knew will often be irritable, inpatient, and sometimes downright rude. (after all, she's hungry) I know it is hard to believe this could happen, but truly the description of your daughter, and your relationship with her, could have been written by me two years ago. 8. Remain hopeful and trusting that your daughter wants help, but always keep an eye out for signs indicating otherwise. Daughters, being the people pleasers that they are, will often tell you what you want to hear. It makes you happy and of course, gets you off their back. When she begins to eat more, make sure that she is not heading for the bathroom a few minutes later. Or saying that she is going to go out for a "little walk". I hope I haven't come across as too blunt or too insensitive. I only wish I could turn back the clock to be where you are today. You are so fortunate to have your daughter at home still. If only we had a clue back then. But now it is my daughter deciding what level of care she needs and what she wants to share with us. Her progress, or lack of it, is her own business. And so what about my daughter? About a year ago, she took a leave of absence from work to enter a day treatment program for several weeks. (She refused residential care.) Unfortunately, as soon as she was on her own, she started falling back into old habits, and wound up taking another leave of absense to do the whole thing all over again (think rehab). Now she does seem determined more than ever to make a full recovery. She is fortunate to be surrounded by a loving supportive husband, close caring brother and friends, and of course, parents who love her to pieces. But sadly, we cannot make her better. She has to do it herself. I miss her terribly. It's like we lost a piece of her when this insidious thing took over. She is taking baby steps toward recovery, and I too am taking baby steps to recover the relationship I treasured for 27 years. Good luck to you, and please keep us posted. Deb...See MoreBayou Tails....A Horse Named Wizard
Comments (9)It wasn't putting him down that bothered me. It was how hard he struggled when we were trying to get him out. If I could do it over, I wouldn't have put him through it as long as we did. We thought we could get him out, but it was impossible because not only was he in deep, he had his butt to the door so he would have to turn around and there was no way he could have done that. The sadness I felt was not that we had to shoot him...mainly that we didn't realize what we were up against and do it quickly. I never want to see any animal suffer, so it would have been a kindness to him, to comfort him, give him water, and put him down immediately....See MorePost Your Christmas Trees Please!
Comments (150)A little late, but this is our last tree from our favorite tree farm before the cornfields take it over completely. The tree skirt is, quite literally, a skirt! My quilted maxi-wrap skirt from that fashion in the 1970s (think Emily on the old Bob Newhart show). I simplified the mantle in keeping with this year's color scheme of green and gold and natural. The handsome deer are from a bottom shelf at Walgreens! The bells on the right are from the renaissance fair last summer. The little trees have battery-operated lights, carrying the light over from the tree. (Oops the cords are visible today, someone must have been fiddling with them) The Tom Thomson above it all is there all year, but the snow field is especially fitting this time of year! Where are the stockings, you wonder? They hang on the kids' bedroom doors so Santa can fill them and slip them onto the beds, keeps them busy for a few more minutes on Christmas morning!...See Morepbrisjar
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agolyfia
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agobarbie08075
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agodesertsteph
14 years agolast modified: 9 years ago2ajsmama
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agotrk65
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agopugga
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agohhireno
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoUser
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoparma42
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoanele_gw
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agonicole__
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRobbi D.
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoroobear
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agobronwynsmom
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoyayagal
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agopolly929
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agosuero
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agobronwynsmom
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agolaxsupermom
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agocoloredthumb
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agowill_work_for_roses
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoalicia58801
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agorunninginplace
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoIdaClaire
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agorockmanor
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomom2reese
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agonewdawn1895
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoUser
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agorosie
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agogolddust
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agopupwhipped
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoUser
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agonewdawn1895
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agogldnfan
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agopupwhipped
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agojaybird
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agokathleenca
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomarciag
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agolily1960
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoawm03
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agodilly_dally
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomcmann
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoferret_smuggler
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agomaddie_in_ky
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agodeedee-2008
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agodesertsteph
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAmanda G.
3 years ago
Related Stories
LIFEThe Polite House: On Dogs at House Parties and Working With Relatives
Emily Post’s great-great-granddaughter gives advice on having dogs at parties and handling a family member’s offer to help with projects
Full StoryMOST POPULAR7 Ways Cats Help You Decorate
Furry felines add to our decor in so many ways. These just scratch the surface
Full StoryLIFEWhen Your Tastes Clash: How to Design and Decorate as a Couple
Want to keep the peace? Work with both of your styles when remodeling, decorating or building new, for a home that feels right to all
Full StoryDECLUTTERINGDecorate with Intention: Clutter Clearing 101
Fearlessly face disorganized areas to find the home of your dreams
Full StoryHOLIDAYSChristmas Tree Decorating the Painless Way
Holidays are for carols, not cussing. Make tree trimming less work and more fun with this guide at your side
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESFeel Free to Break Some Decorating Rules
Ditch the dogma about color, style and matching, and watch your rooms come alive
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESFrom Queasy Colors to Killer Tables: Your Worst Decorating Mistakes
Houzzers spill the beans about buying blunders, painting problems and DIY disasters
Full StoryFURNITUREDecorating 101: How to Shop for Furniture
Learn what furniture to get rid of, what to look for when buying, and how to avoid mistakes
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESDecorate With Intention: Simplicity for Life's Sake
10 (easy and cheap) ways to create space and time for the life you want
Full StoryENTERTAININGModern Manners: Smooth Moves for Kids' Visits
For hosting kids or visiting with Junior in tow, we give you a plan to keep stress levels low and fun levels high
Full Story
greenthumbfish