BPDFamily.com

greetings friends,

as of yesterday my d13 has been at the residential treatment center for exactly 3 months.  so we are on our 4th month.  we had our family therapist session yesterday...no new topics covered really.  i did absolutely and joyfully recognize a new sense of ownership for her behaviors, past and present. like:  admitting the reason why she did not get very many hugs from us was because she didn't want them...because she "hated" us.  not anymore!  

i asked her how we can best support you if you are having a difficult time?  she gave me a list of 4 things:  hug me even if is say I don't want a hug, listen to me express my feelings, speak to me in a calm voice, remind me of my tools like visualization.

 :)

i walked around all day yesterday with a huge smile on my face! :)

just thinking about it now I have a cheesy  :) !

lbjnltx

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BPD d13 in residential treatment center «

Month 1 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=120563) Month 2 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=177524) Month 3 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=125264) Month 4 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=127415)

Month 5 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=129653) Month 6 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=131681) Month 7 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=133797) Month 8 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=136413)

Month 9 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=138842) Month 10 (https://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=140551)

yea! 

What huge, marvelous progress, lbjnltx!  |iiii

I am so happy to hear your news.

Savor these moments and remember them.

Mega compliments to your daughter. She is doing awesome!

 

victoria

lbj - this is such great news. Makes all the sacrifice worth the pain. When is your visit?

Thanks for sharing your life with us.

qcr

thanks for sharing, you sure made my day!

LD

Good to hear, lbjnltx.   |iiii   I am so glad that things seem to be progressing so well for your DD.



,

peaceplease

dear friends,                     

thank  you for celebrating with me.  I know so many of  you are having an especially difficult time right now.  I have been in that state in the past far too many times to ever forget the pain, confusion, frustration and fear.

we leave on sept. the 15th and will see her the next am early.  we will have our days there filled w/family and group therapy events.  she has gotten caught up in her math and is working hard to finish up a few past assignments in her other 3 classes.  she is taking full responsibility for the possibility that she will not be allowed to leave the campus with us for some "free" time due to being behind in school work and is trying to reverse the damage she may have caused for herself and US!  she sees that her choices have affects on others.  |iiii

at our last family therapist session the individual therapist told us that BPDd-13 was allowed to "work" at the rv park across the road.  this is seen as a huge privilege that must be earned.  most of the time the girls take 5-6 months to earn that privilege...my d has earned it in 3 months!

my reply to d:  "you must have proven yourself to be very trustworthy to have earned that privilege so soon."  BPDd-13:  "yes. I worked hard."   :)       her sense of entitlement seems to have vanished due to the structure and steel beam boundaries of the residential treatment center.  I hope that all this will continue when she gets home.

BPDd-13 also told me that she is in charge of the care taking of all the small animals at the residential treatment center.  cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, and I think she said a goat.  she is allowed to ask another girl to help her if she wishes but usually just has them help her carry the feed.  she sounds so very happy with herself...i am humbled by how blessed we are.

lbjnltx

lbj - so thankful for all the good choices your D13 is making. she is so young and you have been such a great advocate - successfully - for her. There is also gratitude that you have the resources to make this happen for her.

qcr

Besides all the great work she is doing (and her wonderfully supportive family   ) this gives me such a sense that your daughter can and will make it - a love of animals and really taking care of them seriously is such a sign of a loving heart!

Have a great visit on the 15th, I'll be thinking of you,

LD 

just talked to my BPDd-13 for our weekly social call.

they have told  her she will be ready for a home visit soon!  :)

we agreed that it would be awesome if she could be home for her birthday  next month.

she did express her fear to fly.  she has only flown once and that was to get to the residential treatment center...it was a bit of a rough flight and she was definitely uneasy.  i just validated that it was indeed a rough flight and that most of the people on the plane probably felt a little stressed. I also pointed out that  she made it through and landed safely on the ground.  i'm sure she will have more to say about this as the time to come home gets nearer.

she told me that the Positive Peer Culture leader promised to put in some good words for  her to be able to go off campus during our family weekend if she would work hard in Positive Peer Culture group therapy.  she says "i am working really really hard".  i am so looking forward to spending some time with her.   :)

lbjnltx

we will have our family therapy session on thurs.  i pray that it will be another great one!

I sure hope you have a blessed visit...does it feel like the twilight zone? She probably takes after you in some ways..kind heart ... all we can do is keep on trying to find the real people they are behind the emotions. 

my saying has always been "i want my real daughter back"

dh saying:  "she is still in there somewhere"

family therapy session # 11

after starting the session today w/chit chat about a book she is reading "The Ultimate Gift" we talked about boundaries once more.

BPDd-13 announced that she working w/her project horse Little Doc yesterday and that she was very assertive w/him!  she is so proud of herself for being assertive.  she has been working on that for a few weeks.  she has been reluctant to be assertive and establish boundaries w/her horse for fear that he would reject her and not "love" her anymore.  when the therapist explained to her that healthy boundaries strengthen relationships and BPD understood her explanation BPDd-13 had another  :light: moment!  she said "OH!  I see now" "i get how my parents feel when I don't respect their boundaries"  "they set boundaries for my safety because they love me"  "that feels really good".  :) :)

the therapist said that the change in my daughter is amazing.  she is happy, glows, energetic and delightful...  my BPDd-13 said "it feels good to be happy" therapist replied "you didn't want to be happy before did you?"  BPDd-13 said "no. I want to be happy now though".

t asked for book recommendation on dbt for adolescents...said she has not been able to find any...?  I had ordered 2 last year for therapist at home to learn dbt for my d.  I emailed her the books available on amazon.com...there were at least 5 for dbt/adolescents...guess they were not looking in the right place... ?

this week and until we see her next thursday-sunday BPDd-13 is working on being in her Wise Mind and keeping her emotions in check.  she thinks she will be all caught up in her school work by the end of today and says she has been working really hard in Positive Peer Culture group therapy as well as getting along on the unit w/staff and other girls.  she and I are so excited to see each other.  she is happy, she is proud of herself, she is becoming my beloved daughter, my real daughter again.

i can only praise God for leading me to falcon ridge ranch, for providing the financial means to put and keep her there, for giving me the courage to follow through with this plan, for touching her and healing her, for opening her eyes to the truth, and for keeping me near to Him when I am discouraged, doubtful, or sad.

i hope that one day very very soon all of you will know this feeling.  I don't kid myself into believing she is perfect...she is still a teen after all and she still has disorders...that doesn't mean she can't be healthy though...it is just harder for her to manage her life...now she has the skills...now she knows they work because she is using them successfully...now she wants to live...now she wants to be happy...now she is educated above and beyond what most adults are in her awareness and mindfulness of self and others...she is great!

lbjnltx

DEar LBJ:  What wonderful news!  Your friends here are so happy for you and your DD and your entire family---I especially appreciate your logging your journey for us to follow.  You give me hope that this BPD thing is not a psychological "death sentence", and that with enough energy, prayer, luck and perseverance, there can indeed sometimes be a happy ending.  Or at least some brighter days ahead.  You are giving everybody hope that things might get better for our dear ones with BPD and their families.  You are an inspiration.  May God continue to guide you, your DD, her therapists, and her wonderful horse, who is surely a part of her progress!   Love,  Swampped  

lbj - I agree with swammped - your story gives us all hope that better things are always possible with our troubled kids. Gotta keep letting them know we love them and that we believe they can do what needs to be done to get a better life.

Thanks so much for sharing your story. qcr

getting ready to leave for visit w/BPDd-13 at the residential treatment center.   :)

take good care of yourselves dear friends...

will be back monday.

don't forget to pay it forward ... check the new members board when you have time and welcome the new parents who come here looking for help.



lbjnltx

greetings moms,

just wanted to pop in and say wow!  we are having such a great experience here with our daughter.  she is doing awesome...she's glowing with joy and confidence in herself.  the residential treatment center has allowed her to go off campus with us today for 5 hours and tomorrow for 7 hours.

we shopped, swam, ate and played an impromptu game of basketball at the city park!  so much fun!  BPDd-13 is open, honest, concerned for others (including us).

we have had family therapy, family equine therapy, parent group meeting, Positive Peer Culture parent meeting and tomorrow am we go to the graduation ceremony and performance.  4 girls are graduating the program.

the saddest thing is the lack of support of many of the moms here at the residential treatment center.  they have no one outside their core family who understands their lives, feelings, thoughts,...  I wish I could send them all the love and support that I have received from this site.. :'(




lbjnltx

How fun, loving and inspiring!   Enjoy the rest of the visit with equal joie de vive.

LD

So heartwarming and thank you for sharing. Imagining my girl happy right now seems a million miles away until you spent the time to write this up. Thank you so much x x x

lbj- so happy for all of you that D13 has blossomed so. Can tell it feels wonderful to be a 'mom' for a little while. Hope saying good-bye, see you later is not too hard.

qcr  

the rest of our trip was wonderful.  the graduation ceremony was 3 hours long and the girls all performed as a group w/a few having individual performances.  BPDd-13 was so very confident that she did not shy away from expressing herself in a positive way!  I shed many many tears listening to the staff member, graduate, and parents speak about each graduate.  they have all worked so hard to get to that day.

after the ceremony we went to springdale, utah and walked around the town a bit...got TOO hot for husband so we went down to st. george and bought a coat and some shoes for BPDd-13.  she and her dad had a blast trying on the highest heels she could find to see if she could still do the "touch and go" move they have for basketball...it was so cute.  we took BPDd-13 to get her bangs trimmed and went to a "create your own yogurt" place where BPDd-13 filled up!  then we went to the arcade and she and her dad did "dance dance revolution"  hilarious to watch him try to keep up w/her.  I couldn't participate as I am still suffering from a broken toe...ouch.

time to take her back. 

at the grad ceremony I asked her therapist if she could go to church w/us the next am...it was not a scheduled off campus day ...yet they said "OK".

pu BPDd-13 and went to breakfast (she was ready to go when we got to falcon ridge) and then headed to the little church in hurricane.  BPDd-13 was eyeballing the little kids sitting up at therapist he front of the church and I asked her if she would like to go sit w/them...she said "can I?" I suggested she ask the adult lady there w/the children...i could read  her lips from where I was and the lady replied OH YES...PLEASE.  when therapist he sermon began BPDd-13 went to the common area w/the kids...i was a bit concerned that she would somehow find trouble unsupervised...after the service I found her sitting against the wall watching the kids be pu by their parents...waiting patiently.

we had to get back to las vegas to catch our flight home so we had to take BPDd-13 back to falcon ridge right after church.  there were no lengthy tear filled goodbyes...BPDd-13 just wanted to go get a nap.  (probably didn't happen as the girls have to stay together at all times).  a hug and a kiss and an "i love you" w/the encouragement to keep working hard.

i worked through the emotions of having to leave her again and go home all on sat. night.  I did cry on the way to the airport...couldn't let go because ... I was driving while husband slept...cried when the plan took off...cried when the plane landed...cried when I took the transport to remote parking...cried on the drive home...just a few tears each time...thinking about getting further and further away from my daughter.  it is so much harder to leave her the healthier she gets!  it's all good though...one day she will be home and be healthy enough to be happy and enjoy her life...

lbjnltx

Sounds like good healing tears to me,   |iiii  certainly tears of love,

LD

lbjnltx - I call these 'God's tears' as they come straight from the heart. so happy for you that all went so well. Such hope. You see her again in December?

Lots of    

qcr

thanks ld, and qcarol for your encouraging words...so happy to have someone to help me celebrate these milestones on this very long road to healthy.

the next parent "weekend" is in december...20,21 I think.  it is such a short time...not sure why as this past "weekend" was thurs-sunday.  anyway...had social call w/BPDd-13 today and her therapist told her that if she continues to do well she will get to come home w/us on the 21st of december for a family visit.  wow!  if that happens we will continue at the pace of being 3 months ahead of the normal falcon ridge schedule. 

still trying to figure out how to work this next visit...we could drive but don't know what kind of road conditions we would run into...could fly...cost is a major factor...BPDd-13 hates long road trips...if we drive we could bring her little wiener dog to keep her company on the long drive...i don't know...much to consider! 

during our family therapist session on thursday when we got there I asked BPDd-13 if she was still being "bothered" by the voices and seeing shadows...her response..."well, I think maybe I was just mishearing things and turning my head so it looked like things were moving"...don't know what to make of it...could be that the depression has lifted and elevated these symptoms...could be that the change (decrees in abilify) has alleviated these symptoms...could be that this is BPDd-13s way of getting out of a big whopper that she told...either way it was good to hear that she has a better grip on what is real.

lbjnltx

:-)

My blessings...

yesterday was our weekly family therapy on the phone

family therapy session #13

started the session by talking about our visit w/BPDd-13 and any concerns we had...basically none.  talked about our favorite part of the visit.  BPDd-13 was basketball in the park and going to church.  she asked therapist how she could go to church every sunday...they are going to work on that.

t said that BPDd-13 is still hearing the voices ... when it is quiet...not as often...no more shadows of late.   ?  here we go again.  therapist said pdoc wants to increase the abilify again...we just decreased it 2 months ago...don't see how that is going to address the issue as she was on the abilify (even stronger dose) when she first started seeing shadows and hearing the voices calling her name.  BPDd-13 says it is scary to her.  :'(

t asked BPDd-13 why she was so sad and quiet when she met w/the pdoc the day before.  she gives pdoc the impression that she is much more depressed than she actually is.  the nurse explained to pdoc that she had been laughing and joking just before he saw her...anyway...BPDd-13 said that she was upset by an inappropriate comment made by a male teacher in class...seeing the pdoc (a man) triggered her uncomfortable memory.  therapist had not been told of this incident even though BPDd-13 filed an official complaint w/a support staff member as soon as the class let out. 

GOOD FOR HER!  the way I see it...she recognized that the comment was inappropriate...before going to frr she would have probably enjoyed that! ,

she realized her feelings ment that her boundary had been violated...she was not afraid to stand up for herself...she acted appropriatly and filed the complaint instead of having any kind of a confrontation...GOOD GOOD GOOD !

we talked about school options when BPDd-13 comes home...she doesn't want to go to the very small private high school I found...but is willing and excited to change public schools...Good too!  therapist asked her not to throw out the option of a private education just yet...she said to BPDd-13:

"in your small town options are limited...the more option_____" and BPDd-13 finished her sentence "the more opportunities".  we are tabling the issue for now and letting BPDd-13 think about her options once more.

t also informed us that BPDd-13 will be able to have a 3 day entirely offcampus visit w/us next month in preparation for her home visit most likely at Christmas...that is a suprise to us!  hope we can work it out.  husband is concerned about taking so much time off from work and the expense of the trip, cars, hotels, food, ...  every time we go up I am afraid we will spend the $ needed to keep BPDd-13 at the residential treatment center until she is FINISHED!

we said our goodbye.

20 min. later the therapist called to tell me that she spoke w/senior staff and the male teacher is being reprimanded for his comment. I learned that the comment was not directed at my d or any of the other girls...it was just a general statement that was inappropriate in a classroom full of teen girls.

also, therapist told me that the authors of the book "i don't have to make everything all better" ...Gary and Joy Lundberg are scheduled to be the guest speakers at the family weekend in march.  this will be the official kick off for making their book one of the ones that is required reading for falcon ridge ranch.  this march family weekend will most likely (God willing) be the weekend that my d graduates from the program!  how fantastic! especially since I am working so hard to get this book out there for people to read and benefit from here at ftf.  if you haven't read it yet order it!  if you have...please answer the poll question on the book review board.  this book is the feature article on the home page.  I have asked skip to place it on the recommended reading list for ftf.

t and I agreed to schedule a conference call w/BPDd-13's pdoc when he next visits falcon ridge.  I have a difficult time communicting w/him over the phone.  that will give me some time to do some research on meds./addressing the "voices".  was reading some excerpts from a book "little girl lost" written by a BPD...she also heard voices...

when I came online, there was an email from the t.  here it is:


I just wanted to let you know that right after our phone call ****went out to equine therapy and told Carolle and Mike the phone call was the best phone call she had every had and your compliments about her progress made her year! They said they have never seen her so happy.


thanks for reading and taking this miraculous journey with me.



lbjnltx

lbj - it is just so excellent that your D is working so hard at this -that she really wants to be OK and can see a good life in front of her. The 'voices' stuff is concerning, and I personally don't like abilify, though it is used a lot. For some people it can be a very agitating med. Glad you have time to do some research before they make a change.

And I also want to give you a giant size    |iiii . You are a very wise woman and we are all blessed to be able to share this journey with you. Thank you for sharing in such detail.

|iiii  

It is really great to hear about your daughter's progress in treatment. 

Hope you continue to be blessed with the positivity. Have a great weekend x x x

Falcon Ridge is a first rate facility.  I am so glad that it is working out for your DD.

yes gamegirl...i believe that it is.  I have never once feared for her safety.  with such a complex disorder as BPD with odd and mdd piled on top I had some fears about whether or not they would know how to help her.  we have all worked together, shared information and ideas to achieve that goal.  I know that her therapist has put extra effort into my BPDd-13. husband and I decided that if the plane went down we would will our daughter to her t!   lol

thanks for traveling with me on this incredible journey.

lbjnltx

You are a very brave woman, and listening to you gives me insight into the parents I work with and helps me to be more sensitive to their concerns and questions. 

lbjnltx,

that's a great story and I am very happy for your family.  Your daughter is learning some great things that we all should should be so lucky to learn at an early age.   |iiii

FAMILY T SESSION #14

had our session yesterday as therapist is going to be in vegas for a seminar w/dr. amen of the amen clinics.  she is still pushing for a spect scan or at least an mri for BPDd-13 because the better she gets to know my d and our family the less sense all this disordered stuff makes and especially the auditory hallucinations.  we are scheduled to have a phone conference w/her therapist and pdoc today to address the auditory hallucinations...again. therapist suggested a brain tumor  or brain trauma, or perhaps that smoking marijuana could have caused the auditory hallucinations...idk!  then again BPDd-13 tells the therapist that she has heard the voices as long as she can remember...?  I do remember her telling me that she thought our house was haunted because she was "hearing things"  this was when she was about 11 yrs. old...the same year of the whole 4th grade debacle.  the marijuana incidents(2) were just this past year...i'm not sure.  anyway I told the therapist I absolutely do not want any more dx added to my BPDd-13's record of care/diagnostics...esp. schizo affective or schizophrenia...   :'(

the therapist session:

really great. BPDd-13 so happy that she earned "necklace privilege"...that's it...getting to wear a necklace...no entitlement there!

she was really aware of how hard she had to work to get that privilege.  the therapist lead her down the path of thinking about how hard we have worked to achieved our goals of having a ranch, of having healthy boundaries, healthy marriage, having healthy lives, etc...BPDd-13 said she sees that and "i want to be a part of the ranch and my family.  it is an awesome place to live". "my family really cares about me and they are trying to help me become a better person and stop doing the things I did before I came here".  "i feel like I care for them and I can feel that they care for me too".

we talked about our trip in october and that dad couldn't come.  she was excited that I suggested my mom come w/me and would "love to see my grammy".

BPDd-13 has also been stepping up as a leader for mini study groups in Positive Peer Culture while she reads the book and has been a co leader for the main Positive Peer Culture group.  she has improved her cooperation level with the staff and tells herself "do it for my friends."  she says "i feel great.  I have accomplished much.  I have my emotions under control, I have build friendships and relationships with staff and peers.  I have also developed leadership skills and have personal happiness.  I am ready for a home visit."

t reminded her that we must first have the 3 day off campus visit in utah before she can come home for a home visit.  BPDd-13 "oh yeah"  "that will be fun too."

BPDd-13 is working on looking at past friendships and how to best deal with those when she comes home.  I emailed her therapist today a response to that dilemma...asked her if it would be a good idea for BPDd-13 to look at each friendship individually and ask herself some discerning questions before making individualized choices about her friends.  we will see what develops from there.  the issue was "tabled" during the family therapist session as husband and I let therapist handle the discussion.  therapist introduced the idea to BPDd-13 that we may be afraid of letting "old friends" back into her life.  BPDd-13's final statement on the subject was "when I am more prepared and have more tools and am more consistent and am at home I want to give them a chance."  wow!

i'm sure I will have more to add to the journey after talking to therapist and pdoc today.

thanks for reading

lbjnltx

lbj - I can see the wonderful impact your intelligent involvement in your D's therapy has. You are able to add so much more than is the usual parent involvement - IMHO. Every life you touch comes away so much better for it. Thanks for sharing.

qcr

dear qcarol,

you are far to kind.



lbjnltx

The conference call w/t and pdoc at the residential treatment center:

we had a discussion about why the abilify should be increased...pdoc wants to address the auditory hallucinations w/meds.  I reminded him that the abilify (higher dose) had not addressed this issue in the past and that the symptoms have decreased significantly since the dosage was decreased...doesn't make logical sense...i am not a pdoc but I do have common sense and that is the only basis for my reasoning.

he suggested we try other meds...seroquel (no!), resperadahl (no...been there done that), zyprexa...maybe.  then therapist jumps in and suggests that we stop the abilify all together to get a "base line" on my d.  pdoc didn't like it...wanted to know what plan b would be if this backfired significantly.  I asked the therapist to work w/my d from a spiritual point of view to address the auditory hallucinations...BPDd-13 doesn't see shadows anymore.  therapist agrees that would be a good plan.  BPDd-13 believed (at one point) that it was something she invited upon herself...i suggested that w/leadership and faith she could possibly uninvite it...we will see. 

so the pdoc says that BPDd-13 needs to come into the room and be part of the conversation.  they call me back 10 min. later and tell me that they spoke w/my BPDd-13 and she told them that she is "feeling angry" and would like to stay on or increase the abilify..."would rather be tired and deal w/the voices than be angry".  so the abilify will be increased...

this is all news to me.  I just got a glowing report the day before from her therapist and the Positive Peer Culture leader on how happy and well BPDd-13 is and is doing... ?

i told therapist and pdoc that I want an evaluation done to find out what is going on in her head...i need them to ask  her the specific questions to determine what is causing the voices...why these "announcements" about feelings are not being caught in therapy...what direction to take in her treatment to address any other disordered thoughts that we may not yet be aware of.  it reminds me of the situation when you ask someone "why didn't you tell me?" and they reply "you didn't ask."

from my perspective the abilify never addressed BPDd-13's anger...then again I guess it could have been worse without the abilify...?

does anyone believe their BPD has a mood disorder?  my d can go from angel to evil in the blink of an eye and back again just as quickly...i don't see that as a mood...opinions?

this will be my last post on this thread.  today we start month 5 at the residential treatment center.  getting through one step at a time.

thanks for reading

lbjnltx

Hey don't lbjnltx,  Don't panic.   Things have been going better than anyone expected.   But healing is not a linear process and things pop up, get better, get worse.   There is so much terrific progress that even with this confusion I think things are doing pretty great.   

I'm wondering why pdoc doesn't want to stop the ability to get a baseline?  What better time to do it than when she is in a residential situation and closely monitored.   Once medicines are relied upon, its hard to know what the baselines are.   Maybe you can ask the pdoc what his fear is regarding this?

Although now that your dd has requested to stay on it, I imagine that is pretty impossible.   Still she may not want to "be tired" for too terribly long. 

thanks for the encouraging words ld!

i wouldn't say I am in a panic...i just see this as ridiculous...3 adults, a pdoc, a therapist and a parent work through the decision in a logical and reasonable way ... reach a conclusion that makes sense ... then a disordered 13 year old comes in and makes a statement without any "evidence" to back it up and the whole plan changes...   it goes against my common sense!  anything that goes against my common sense causes me uneasiness.

the pdoc definitely has an ego in play.  he was very terse w/the therapist when she suggested the meds be cut out to get the baseline.  part of the problem w/that is the length of time she has left at the residential treatment center...would there be time to regain any lost ground (if there was any)?  I assured them that BPDd-13 would be there at least until the 1st of the year.

i talked to the Positive Peer Culture leader and asked him if BPDd-13 seemed angry.  he said no...i would describe it as a little frustration w/other girls in the group and a new intensity for her new found passion...leadership and the Positive Peer Culture process.  he told me he would work w/my BPDd-13 to help her to understand that her self proclaimed anger was a secondary emotion and try to help her identify her feelings and how to best address them.

time will tell.

lbjnltx

You've shown uncommon common sense through all this lbj     I know I would trust your instincts above else.  Maybe this is something to discuss with dd's therapist or even the director.

lbj,

Thank you for sharing your journey of the residential treatment center and your dd.  It appears that so much progress has been made.  God Bless you for all that you do.  It is so inspiring to read these posts. 

I am looking forward to reading month 5.


peaceplease

Dear Lbj:  As others have said, your account of your dd's journey and that of your family is inspirational and instructive.  You have so much insight into all of this!  Thank you so much for sharing this with us.  I too look forward to month 5.  As for your feeling that some of this is the psydoc's ego strikes me as right on.  In another life I was a physician, caring for children, and it was only with a fair amount of experience and maturity that I learned that most important lesson:  listen to the mother!  I found if I listened to mother, and observed the child, the answer was most often in front of my nose.  But that is so threatening!  I think of your psydoc, participating in this conference call, being questioned by a very well-informed parent and a young therapist, and can imagine how much on the defensive he/she felt!  And digging in his/her heels was probably almost a reflexive action.  One could hope that after thinking about it, and perhaps listening to your dd's T, he/she (sorry, can't remember) would reconsider.  It was a very hard lesson for me to learn in my younger, insecure days---and occasionally, even at the end of a long career, the tone of voice, the day I was having, my fatigue level, whatever, nearly brought the defensiveness to the surface.  Especially with the parents of my special needs patients--- always they knew so much more about their child's condition than I ever would, despite all my training and study.  Getting over that ego was critical in learning to do my job.   Now I know, it is his/her job, to deal with complex children and their parents who have almost certainly come to him/her after many other strategies have failed.  But I wonder if you do speak with T tomorrow, and see if anything has changed, might you find that there is more flexibility about stopping the Abilify for a trial.  Your logic in all of this is excellent, and my bet would be that citing your dd's  plans for herself was simply looking for support wherever he/she could get it.  On behalf of myself and my colleagues, and all the times we have been too anxious to be right, I apologize.  Know that you are doing a wonderful thing, not only for your dd and your family, but also for those of us who follow your account and who struggle with the pwBPD in our lives.  You will be in my prayers.    Swampped

dear friends,

thank you all so much for your votes of confidence in me...at times like these it helps to know that other people believe you are capable even though you are having some doubts.

i emailed the therapist and let her know I was "uneasy" about the turnout of the conference call w/her and the pdoc.  she emailed me back late today and stated she "needs to talk about the conference call" with me...she is going to call me tomorrow.

i also let her know that our 3 day off campus visit is only going to be for 2 days. the cost of flights pushed the trip up 2 days and the case manager only wants BPDd-13 to miss one day of school.  my mom is going because we can't afford for husband to fly up AND miss work for 2 days...also that BPDd-13 requested 3 things...trip to the best friends animal sanctuary, a trip to an amusement park, and PLEASE bring my dog...well...usairways has a policy that no dogs fly in the cargo bay to vegas or phoenix...i could buy him a 200.00 ticket but his carrier won't fit under the seat..so no dog...the amusement park is too far away for such a short trip...so no amusement park...we can go to best friends...this is all going to challenge my BPDd-13's newly acquired skills... ;p   the therapist asked me not to discuss the trip w/my BPDd-13 during our social call tomorrow...i guess she wants to be there to witness BPDd-13's reactions and help if needed. 

today I feel like I am hanging on with nubby nails  

i did get a "surprise"...the residential treatment center scholarship-ed the fees for the pdoc...that is nice...i think I might actually have resented sending him a check. 

if there was one thing I could change about the residential treatment center...i would change pdocs.

lbjnltx

It is kind of hard when the 'real' world changes our plans - like work and airline rules. Though this is a big disappointment, maybe this is a good time and place for d13 to learn to handle the inevitably unexpected nature of things. Hope you can put it all out of your mind for the social call with her.

Hang in there - thinking of you all.

qcr

lbj,

Sorry about the disappointment that your dd will have.  Maybe, she can make a list of other wishes and you can compromise with doable ones. 

Will be praying for a good outcome. 

I know that we were not very fond of our pdoc at the facility that I worked at.  He definitely had a "God " complex.  We loved the one for adults, but the adolescent pdoc was not so popular with the employees. 

You are in my thoughts and prayers. 

peaceplease