Conversation with my daughter.
Aug 30, 2014 18:01:58 GMT
aprilshowers, wibbley, and 7 more like this
Post by lilyofthevalley on Aug 30, 2014 18:01:58 GMT
Quite often when I arrange to visit my daughter (who lives an hour's drive away) she invites me to come over for a simple lunch. However this time she asked if we could go to the nearby Toby Carvery. We haven't been there for a long time. While we were eating I was surreptitiously trying to remove a pill to take but she spotted me and demanded to know what it was for. I explained that I had been prescribed medication for high blood pressure. She wanted to know all about it and wanted to be reassured that I was not likely to be dropping down dead imminently. She asked if I would have to take them the rest of my life and I said that, if I lost weight, my blood pressure might go down. I said that I was increasing my exercise and was watching my diet. She then exclaimed 'But you're lovely as you are!' I was rather touched. When the waitress came round to enquire if we would like a pudding DD responded in a loud voice 'No, my mum won't be having a pudding. She's on a diet!' All the nearby diners looked on in interest and the woman at the next door table with her family collapsed in laughter. Discretion was never DD's forte!
After our meal as we were going out I remarked to DD that she had never left the table during the course of the meal. She used to be dreadful, up and down like a yo yo. She would say she was going to the toilet or needed a cigarette. She admitted that in fact she used to make herself sick when she was suffering from Bulimia. All those sudden exits were for her to retch. Like many people with eating disorders she used to be in denial (she suffered from Anorexia too) and was adept at covering up what she was doing. She became pitifully thin but still thought herself to be too fat. She was wasting away and I thought she would die. I went to visit her GP to pass on my concerns but she would not engage with medical treatment. She started to recover after I took her on holiday with me to Cornwall to attend my mother's 90th birthday party. She is a normal weight now, healthy and pretty, and able to talk about her former eating disorders.
She is a wonderful companion. We have such interesting discussions about all sorts of things. She is also hilarious and makes me laugh. We talked about the Rotheram child abuse scandal. She recalled how she used to run away from her residential school and make herself vulnerable.
She works as a carer at a nursing home. She often tells me about her residents who suffer from Dementia. She is particularly fond of the worst behaved residents! I think she empathises with them. However occasionally there are residents who are aggressive and dangerous. She has often spoken about one old lady who was particularly notorious for assaulting staff. She had fractured the nose of one young carer. This old lady has now been diagnosed with a large brain tumour. It makes you think about the need to be non judgemental as often we do not have the full picture or a complete understanding of why people behave as they do.
When I leave she is always so affectionate. We have a very close relationship and I love her so much.
Lily x
After our meal as we were going out I remarked to DD that she had never left the table during the course of the meal. She used to be dreadful, up and down like a yo yo. She would say she was going to the toilet or needed a cigarette. She admitted that in fact she used to make herself sick when she was suffering from Bulimia. All those sudden exits were for her to retch. Like many people with eating disorders she used to be in denial (she suffered from Anorexia too) and was adept at covering up what she was doing. She became pitifully thin but still thought herself to be too fat. She was wasting away and I thought she would die. I went to visit her GP to pass on my concerns but she would not engage with medical treatment. She started to recover after I took her on holiday with me to Cornwall to attend my mother's 90th birthday party. She is a normal weight now, healthy and pretty, and able to talk about her former eating disorders.
She is a wonderful companion. We have such interesting discussions about all sorts of things. She is also hilarious and makes me laugh. We talked about the Rotheram child abuse scandal. She recalled how she used to run away from her residential school and make herself vulnerable.
She works as a carer at a nursing home. She often tells me about her residents who suffer from Dementia. She is particularly fond of the worst behaved residents! I think she empathises with them. However occasionally there are residents who are aggressive and dangerous. She has often spoken about one old lady who was particularly notorious for assaulting staff. She had fractured the nose of one young carer. This old lady has now been diagnosed with a large brain tumour. It makes you think about the need to be non judgemental as often we do not have the full picture or a complete understanding of why people behave as they do.
When I leave she is always so affectionate. We have a very close relationship and I love her so much.
Lily x