Thread 49 - Covid GCSE Cohort - The nights are drawing in...

[OrangeSpicedBun]

Autumn 🍂 well and truly underway, has been chilly this week !

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and advice to be had.
Previous thread :

www.mumsnet.com/talk/parents_of_adult_children/4880640-thread-48-covid-gcse-cohort-summer-before-year-2-uni?latest=1

Oh I like it there @OrangeSpicedBun we have long weekends in the area sometimes (despite it only being an hour from home it feels properly "away") and love the walk/ferry to the castle. Lovely pictures.

That looks beautiful @OrangeSpicedBun - been near there but never to there (adds to list). Hope you had a lovely time!

Looks lovely @OrangeSpicedBun , its grey and miserable here!

DS heading back to Notts now, he's so bored at home!

Dd is far from bored, as she’s trying to earn enough money at her warehouse job to pay ds off for his share of the joint car, and fit in a lab report and revision. She has 5 exams next week and the week after. She’s going down to her boyfriend’s on Wed night for a few days as she says she works well there and then back to Notts on Monday after she’s submitted her lab report. Studying at home isn’t ideal as she’s not got room for a desk in her room and gets very distracted in the kitchen. But she really doesn’t want to be in her uni house on her own 🤔

Beautiful pictures @OrangeSpicedBun !

Same here @EerilyDecorated ...a trip away to the New Forest or IoW is delightfully near yet feels like a proper holiday.

@crazycrofter I think DS's housemates have gone back so he won't be alone. He says he's got a routine there and feels a bit at sea when he's home. I remember wanting to get back to uni early and then being fed up when I got there as no-one was around and nothing was happening. 😁

DS dropped back to Bristol - haven't made it home yet. Junctions 14-15 on M4 shut both ways has lead to a slightly longer trip and it's now starting to snow. I've decamped to a Costa and due to hit M25 at peak rush hour....

@Seeline We had quite a flurry of small snow here but it's stopped now, my nearest M4 junction is Maidenhead but closer to M40. Hopefully the snow will stop for you too.

DD was supposed to be going back at the weekend but is now waiting for a fracture clinic appointment. She has exams on Monday so will need to get her there somehow! She needs a scan but stil awaiting for an appointment for that as well.....

Yes, we go to the IOW most years too

Made it home eventually. Fair bit of
now but none settling thank goodness!

I love the IoW - haven't been since the DCs were quite small though.

Hope your DD isn't too badly injured @handmademitlove !

Good luck to all those with exams etc! And injuries!

Well done to the new drivers BTW and sorry about the injury @handmademitlove

I am feeling a bit bogged down with what they call life admin on MN. I have just finished my tax return so that’s one important bit out of the way, but DS’s PIP is up for renewal and that’s a big and depressing job and now DD is turning 18 we can recommence going for the assessment process for an ADHD/autism assessment. I am undecided whether to try via the GP and the right-to-choose process or go private. That will be depressing too, it always is having to describe all the difficulties etc. I’m kind of used to it for DS now, but having to do it for DD as well takes it up a level. Might be coming on here for moral support!

@OrangeSpicedBun Love the atmospheric photos. Can't beat a winter beach walk.

@handmademitlove Hope your DD is seen soon so treatment can be started.

@EerilyDecorated You know where to find us when you need to vent!

@handmademitlove I'm sorry to hear about your DDs fracture, hope she's still able to manage her exams.

@EerilyDecorated I feel tired just thinking about the admin involved in that list! Good luck with it and, while I am useless for advice on any of that, there are plenty of posters here that can help.

@EerilyDecorated I feel your pain re the 'life admin'! I often say that my children really need a full time PA 🙁 DD has a suspected Achilles tendon rupture so is currently in a massive boot and crutches. Exams are Monday / Tuesday so haven't quite worked out what we are going to do - she needs an ultrasound which may be this week or next....

Oh dear @handmademitlove that sounds painful and inconvenient...

@EerilyDecorated dd went via her GP but then heard about 4 months later that it had been sent back due to some missing evidence. She's now done right to choose with Psychiatry UK and has already heard from them with stuff to fill in. She's also still doing the HANDLE stuff and the lady thinks she needs to see a behavioural optometrist. I'm not sure what difference it's all made yet, but she's definitely trying hard to get some routine into her life and complete tasks rather than letting them build up.

Oh dear @handmademitlove. That sounds tricky. It's the vagaries of not knowing when the appointments are which is the tricky bit isn't it? Can your dd manage the exams & getting around by herself for them?

    I get it with the life management skills too. I spend a lot of time doing this with 4.  Dd2 was meant to have an appt regarding an operation on her hand (her right hand she broke several months ago) around xmas. No appt. has been forthcoming so I've just spoken to two different docs. secretaries this morning. No referral has been sent apparently - there's been a cock up. So one's been sent now & the secretary has said there should still be time for the summer operation. She needs to have this op. done in the summer as it's a 3 months recuperation period & lots of physio following. She can't miss that much of the Architecture course during term time & needs working hands to actually do the course.

It was bad enough doing Art A level with a non - functioning right hand in plaster. Especially when you're right handed 😂

Thanks all. Just to cap it all it looks as though DH will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. I haven't told anyone IRL and the DCs don't know either. He has just had an MRI and biopsy following raised PSA and has family history. I am feeling very wobbly.

A very unmumsnetty hug to you Eerily.

A few of us on here have experience of this. Almost a year to the day my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had an operation to remove the prostate last spring and he is fully recovered. It was a dreadful time and so, so worrying but it is very treatable and very slow growing.

Thank you. His dad has it but is on monitoring only due to advanced age / slow growth. His brother was diagnosed with it at about the same age as DH is now and was successfully treated. So DH started having PSA tests 18 months ago. It has crept up slowly so onto the next stages.

@EerilyDecorated I'm so sorry to hear that. Hopefully as the prostate Cancer been picked up early & you've had some prior warning treatment should be easier. Of course that doesn't finish to shock to you & your dh💐

@crazycrofter I think I will get her to try the Psychiatry UK route, they have warnings about long waits on their website but maybe won't be too bad. Whatever we do we have a bit of time because she is taking a gap year.