Week 1 Eating Disorder Recovery Update (Wendy)

It took a lot of deep soul searching before Sam and I agreed to work on an at home plan. Then it was an easy decision for me to make a commitment to take time away from work to support her (more on this in another post). Before week one started we set up some goals then Sam and I developed and agreed upon a meal plan. While doing the plan Sam brought to my attention a list of fear foods that I was unaware of. We will figure out a way to tackle those. My main goals this first week were to reduce Sam’s anxiety and bring back a variety of “normal” foods into her diet.

Also I did a lot of prep work by web browsing on autism, eating disorders including inpatient recovery programs and suitable activities to help us along the way. Sam was instrumental in helping put together the schedule as I am not a routine based person or a planner. I depended on her skills. I like to problem solve, do things on the fly, go with the flow. Our two personalities worked well together.

My goals for this week

1. Take over meal preparation and provide a consistent diet of “normal” foods. This involves 3 meals and 3 snacks a day but not overbearing volumes of food as we ease into recovery.

2. Search for online sites to help reduce anxiety.

3. Search for helpful eating disorder podcasts

4. Finish our schedule

5. Visit Toronto General Hospital's (UHN) inpatient treatment unit to evaluate it’s suitable for autistic Sam.

6. Add a Dietitian to our team

How it went We followed our plan pretty closely. There were some minor alterations as we went, and I was very pleased that Sam was flexible with the changes as they came up. I ate with Sam, for main meals and morning snacks. This is a change in routine for me and I can say that I felt very full everyday and can relate to that constant full feeling.

Our mornings of Yoga with Adriene and meditation with TheHonestGuys are very relaxing and are focused on connecting mind to body, body to soul. There are great resources online for us beginners. Then we listened to podcasts from Chats in the Living Room, an excellent resource for information on ED recovery. Different professionals from all aspects involved in Eating Disorder care and research. This usually leads to me visiting other sites, finding more podcasts and downloadable material that I can use for future weeks.

In the beginning of the week, I took the time after lunch to make black bean brownies and homemade perogies. Both freeze well and will provide a few lunches and snacks. On day 3, I was surprised and very proud of Sam when she came out of the bathroom carrying the scale and opened the door to toss it out. It reaffirmed to me that she is committed to recovery.

Our trip to UHN in Toronto to have a tour of the inpatient unit went pretty much as I expected it to. I did feel it was important for myself and Sam to be exposed to the environment. It did not alleviate my concerns, only added to them. My main concern is regarding Sam's high social anxiety and selective mutism. Sharing a room, eating with a group and having the sensation of being watched will heighten her anxiety which would make it more difficult for her to fully partake in treatment and could potentially increase depression (my opinion). Not far from the hospital we found a sushi restaurant (KAKA) food was excellent and the price, fantastic. The ride home, not so great as it took an hour longer due to traffic, construction, missed turns, and detours. Afterwards, I had to kill my traffic stress and I did this by detouring through Forks of the Credit. This road is one of our favorite “wee wee” roads (roads with lots of fun hills that give you the butterfly feeling in your tummy) and was well worth it.

We got a lead on a dietitian and have set up an appointment. Can't wait to add her to our team. The rest of the week was calm and focused until the last day. Our meal schedule included a fear food for breakfast. Could she do it? Yes she did! The morning snack and lunch were off a bit, but we got back on track. Once again a very proud moment for mom. Keep going Sam, we can do it!

Week 2 goals

1. Slightly increase food intake.

2. Explore cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E)

3. Work on Body Image

4. Tackle 1 fear food

5. Make a decision about inpatient treatment