I realised recently that it has been a long while since I last posted on this blog, despite the promise to myself that I would update it regularly. How annoying.
The last few months have been absolutely crazy, filled with many ups and many downs. After my last post, I went on my search for treatment so that I would be able to return to university in April, however, it didn't really go to plan and finding treatment is NOT as easy as I thought it would be. I have been finding out the hard way that within the NHS, and due to my location in the UK, although I have an official diagnosis of AN, and although my BMI is still a lot lower than it should be, I don't qualify for funded treatment. This is due to my BMI not being below 15 (a healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9). A BMI of 15 or below is very dangerous and life threatening, so only qualifying for treatment at that stage seems ridiculous. I could go on and rant about how upsetting and frustrating the whole process of finding someone to take me seriously within the NHS has been, however, I'm sure you can work it out. Being rejected from anything in life is upsetting, but when you're being rejected from getting MEDICAL help, it's the most infuriating thing ever.
After very quickly realising that I was not going to receive treatment on the NHS, my family and I started to look privately within the UK, but to my absolute horror, although they would 'take me in' for treatment, it was going to cost between 16k-40k to receive this treatment, and this just isn't visible. At this point, I felt completely stuck and really overlooked by the health care system in the UK.
Thankfully, through my dad's work, he knew a private psychiatrist who used to be the clinical director of the priory hospitals, and he offered to speak with me to assess me so that he could give his advice on what to do. A week after being offered this time to talk to him, I went to see him. I'm not going to sit here and say that re-telling my ED story was easy, but something about the way he responded to me put me at such ease, he actually LISTENED and was honest with me about my options. He suggested that I look at ED treatment abroad, and specifically in Cape Town as they have a very good reputation for supporting people with ED's and it will also work out about 10k cheaper than receiving treatment in the UK.
So that kind of leads up to now. I'm just about to start a 20-week course of CBT with a local charity so hopefully, that will be of some use while waiting to go to Cape Town in January.
Regarding university, I have been trying to work out what my best options were, and have come to the conclusion that I do not want to waste the grades I have already received at university, so hopefully, in April 2018, I will return to my studies and finish my degree!
I will be setting up a new just giving page and shall post the link once it is set up.
Have a pretty day,
Daisy May xo
The last few months have been absolutely crazy, filled with many ups and many downs. After my last post, I went on my search for treatment so that I would be able to return to university in April, however, it didn't really go to plan and finding treatment is NOT as easy as I thought it would be. I have been finding out the hard way that within the NHS, and due to my location in the UK, although I have an official diagnosis of AN, and although my BMI is still a lot lower than it should be, I don't qualify for funded treatment. This is due to my BMI not being below 15 (a healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9). A BMI of 15 or below is very dangerous and life threatening, so only qualifying for treatment at that stage seems ridiculous. I could go on and rant about how upsetting and frustrating the whole process of finding someone to take me seriously within the NHS has been, however, I'm sure you can work it out. Being rejected from anything in life is upsetting, but when you're being rejected from getting MEDICAL help, it's the most infuriating thing ever.
After very quickly realising that I was not going to receive treatment on the NHS, my family and I started to look privately within the UK, but to my absolute horror, although they would 'take me in' for treatment, it was going to cost between 16k-40k to receive this treatment, and this just isn't visible. At this point, I felt completely stuck and really overlooked by the health care system in the UK.
Thankfully, through my dad's work, he knew a private psychiatrist who used to be the clinical director of the priory hospitals, and he offered to speak with me to assess me so that he could give his advice on what to do. A week after being offered this time to talk to him, I went to see him. I'm not going to sit here and say that re-telling my ED story was easy, but something about the way he responded to me put me at such ease, he actually LISTENED and was honest with me about my options. He suggested that I look at ED treatment abroad, and specifically in Cape Town as they have a very good reputation for supporting people with ED's and it will also work out about 10k cheaper than receiving treatment in the UK.
So that kind of leads up to now. I'm just about to start a 20-week course of CBT with a local charity so hopefully, that will be of some use while waiting to go to Cape Town in January.
Regarding university, I have been trying to work out what my best options were, and have come to the conclusion that I do not want to waste the grades I have already received at university, so hopefully, in April 2018, I will return to my studies and finish my degree!
I will be setting up a new just giving page and shall post the link once it is set up.
Have a pretty day,
Daisy May xo
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