When shall we three meet again? The not quite NT, not quite weightloss thread ......

[moosemama]

We were full up ladies, so we finally have our very own weightloss-ish thread!

Ah, I've said it before, I like your dh.

Enjoy your pizza x

Don't tell 'im, but I quite like him too - sometimes!

How did dd get on her hike yesterday and ds with his math's grade skipping?

Dd was exhausted, and I completely forgot to ask ds. crap. Dropped a ball. It was all go and he was out for hours cycling with cubs, and then we went straight into baking when he got back.

Bum.

Hopefully if he had nothing to say it was ok?

Poor dd. Do you have quiet weekend planned so she can recover?

What, birthday weekend?

I was up at 6.30 icing cupcakes for her to take to school. I suspect sugar will carry her through.

Of course!

Happy birthday Madwoman's dd. 9 years young!

You're as bad as me, icing cakes at inhumane hours of the day/night.

Hope she has a lovely day.

Hope dd had a lovely weekend.

I spent the whole weekend with my foot raised after the pain ramped up a notch. It didn't help. I now have a really big hard lump on the front of my ankle where the joint hinges open and closed and I can't put my foot to the floor without yelping even after I've had cocodamol.

Not sure what to do really. Don't feel like there's any point in going to see yet another doctor. Honestly between the NHS and the LEA I feel so invisible and unimportant I may as well just stay in bed for the rest of my life.

Doesn't help that it's literally throwing it down outside. Absolutely torrential - and all I can wear is crocs! Ordered myself a pair of the non-holey gardening variety yesterday, but that's not going to save my socks and bandage from getting wet today.

BUT, my new huge cuddly cardigan arrived on Saturday and it's lovely - Really warm and snuggly.

Dd and I are still in our PJ's but I will have to start getting her ready for nursery soon. I hate that she has to go there at lunch time every single blooming day - it's such a pita time to go and means I can't get anything done or go anywhere during the week.

Lord - I am a real little ray of sunshine this morning aren't I? Sorry. I shall go away, slap myself a few times and hopefully come back later when I'm in a better mood.

If you've got a new lump, go back. Have you got a walk on clinic anywhere near? I don't blame you for being reluctant to go back to the loons who have already dismissed you, but if it's getting worse, not better, then maybe you don't have much choice. Is your mum around?

I hear you on the nursery front. I always managed a morning slot, by hook or crook. Afternoon nursery sessions are a nonsense.

Dd2 enjoyed her weekend. Her birthday was the 'best ever' apparently. She's easily pleased.

Glad dd had a great birthday.

My day just went from bad to worse.

Got a call mid-morning - SENCO. Expected it to be about the appointment/meeting I've requested. No. Ds1 had been on the toilet in agony for over an hour, with the Head going in regularly to check he was ok. It was torrential rain and they wanted him to come home. They did actually offer to drive him home, but I wasn't comfortable with that. Fortunately my mum and little sis (just visiting from London for a couple of days) came to the rescue and fetched him for me. Then I needed someone to have ds while I went to take dd. Dh had to come home early to take dd for me.

Ds has been screaming in pain all afternoon and eventually threw up, then felt better.

Just went to fetch ds2 and he's come home from swimming without his own uniform. He was given the only set left over, which isn't named and is two sizes bigger than his! He also gave me a message from his teacher to say I have to buy sticky back plastic and cover his books tonight or he will be in trouble tomorrow.

Oh - and apparently it's World Bloody Book day this Friday and I'm the only parent who didn't get the email ..... and ...... they have to go as Roald Dhal characters - all 3 of them, by Friday!

Got purple eyeshadow? Paint them all purple. Job done.

I would ignore the book thing and do it in your own time.

Someone else's uniform?! Poor kid must have gone home in stuff two sizes too small! You wonder whether his poor mother is going to wake up and think 'omg! He's grown so much in two weeks!'

Loons.

Poor ds. Has he eaten anything out of the ordinary? Just what you don't need!

Thing about the uniform is that the other uniform wasn't labelled. Based on past experience this probably means we'll never find out who's got ds's, as their parent's aren't likely to check. I think I know who it is actually, based purely on uniform size and who goes swimming this term and that makes it even less likely we'll get it back. I am prepared to be pleasantly surprised though.

Just seen my spelling Roald Dahl, obviously.

Think we have it sussed. Am sending both boys as Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Ds2 has an old-fashioned jumper and some jeans that are a little short in the leg, I'm sure I can find something for ds1 to wear and the traditional sweetshop up the road sells Wonka Bars (if they have any left, given that every parent in a 5 mile radius has probably had the same idea). Just need to mock up a couple of golden tickets and voila. Only fly in the ointment might be if ds1 refuses to have anything to do with the mere thought of chocolate.

Gawd bless my mother - she has just turned up with two large bars of chocolate (posh ones in cardboard sleeves that will survive a day at school) and some gold foil, so I can mock up Wonka bars with golden tickets inside.

Forgot to say earlier, but after another hour on the toilet at home, ds took himself to bed (unheard of) and stayed there curled up with a hot water bottle to try and ease the cramps. Then five minutes before I had to fetch the other two he threw up spectacularly all over his bed. He seemed instantly better as soon as he'd thrown up, which makes me think it is something he's eaten, be it gluten or something else that disagreed.

Not sure what to think now. Apparently my niece has also been throwing up all day (adult niece with her own dc) but they didn't eat the same food yesterday. Dsis bought in all gluten free stuff especially for him (dnephew's birthday party) and we were very careful. Dniece has her own digestive issues though, so that could just be coincidence.

The only thing he had that didn't say gluten-free was some fizzy cola bottles. No gluten listed on the ingredients, but it did say maize starch, which can sometimes be produced by culturing it on wheatgerm. Think it's incredibly quick if it's a bug, so food other than that the only other possibility is food poisoning, but he seems so much better now that that also seems unlikely.

I'd guess gluten somewhere, poor lamb. As long as he isn't running temp and the cramps have eased?

No temp and cramping has stopped now he's emptied his system. Just got him sipping water occasionally.

He's much brighter now and well enough to have DS time and play against his brother on some game or other. Of course it means 48 hours off school from when he was sick, regardless of whether it was gluten or something else.

One less school run?

Nope, still have to get the other two to and from, which still means three runs a day. Only day it makes a difference is Thursday, as no cricket club. Unfortunately he'll probably be back at school by then. [miserable cow emoticon]

If I'm very lucky, dh might take ds2 tomorrow morning though.

Afternoon all

Still grumpy as hell. Dh has been off sick since Tuesday morning as well. He was only sick once, but feels awful and all he wants to do is sleep - and grump. It's his last day at this job on Friday as well, so he has to go back in tomorrow to tie up loose ends and return his laptop and company car.

Seems it was a virus after all, as my niece's boss came down with it and so did her daughter. It's gone through most of the people who attended the party, although luckily seems to have missed myself, dd and ds2.

Foot is no better, still can't sleep due to it, but had a call today to say I have an appointment in radiology on Saturday morning (bit odd that, an appointment at the weekend). Unfortunately that means I'm not getting to see anyone who might know what they are looking at and what questions to ask me before deciding what angles to take. Lump on the front of my ankle has got bigger and is definitely more tender and I think my whole foot is generally more swollen as I now can't get it into my oversized crocs if I have a sock on, so really hoping they manage to work out what the problem is. My friend Mr Google says the lump might be scar tissue, a bone spur or a displaced bit of bone. If it's scar tissue of course it won't show up on xray, so I could well be back to square one. Realised last night that I have miscalculated and it will be 8 weeks this Saturday since I injured it.

Got a meeting with the school tomorrow morning about how they intend to implement ds1's statement. It's all been very frustrating. Been passed onto a second Parent Partnership person already, his autism inclusion teacher said she can't and basically doesn't want to attend the meeting, as she is now far too busy having had to take on ten new kids this week in her new role and being expected to support even more newly dx'd kids as of next month. From what she said, she won't be directly involved with ds for much longer.

School have told ds who he will be getting as a 'mentor' and as feared, it's the woman I have said all along that I thought they might give him and who I adamantly didn't want him to get. (The one I witnessed badly handing another child who has ASD a couple of weeks back.) I had a chat with him about it this afternoon and he has zero confidence in her to sort out his problems and worries and he has experience of her letting him down, as she was the class TA for the past two years and he could cite three occasions from the Summer term last year where she just 'didn't get it' and failed to sort out problems when he asked for help. I am also not standing for them suggesting she is the person who should handle his emotional literacy work - even with the training stipulated by the EP, I can't see her ever having the level of insight necessary to be effective in that role.

Sorry to still be grumbling on. All I want is to hide under my duvet until it all blows over, but if I did that I wouldn't be comfy with this blooming foot.

Ach, moose. I typed a huge response yesterday and tinternet ate it. I gave up in the end as mn seemed to be doing really weird stuff.

In short - Saturday? Weird. How did that come about? Did you call them? Who are they giving results to? Just sending to gp, or is someone in the hospital going to review?

Hope meeting went well today, and you managed to express some of your concerns about the mentor etc... Is there any way you can recommend someone else for the training? How much longer would he be there for? Is it just the year? The asd specialist sounds at the end of her tether. Worth a letter to LA and MP once it is all settled, to express concern at cuts and increasing numbers of dx children being affected?

And guess what? I managed to fish a huge piece of glass out of my heel last night! How the freaking doctor missed it, I don't know. It was massive. Well over a centimeter long, and about 4 -6 mm round. No wonder the damn thing hurt. That's 23 days I've been walking on embedded glass. am hoping that your visit on sat will sort you out, after even longer I had to get dh to do it in the end - I'd managed to manipulate it so that I could see it hanging out of the wound, but couldn't get at the right angle to hold it and pull it out, as I was worried I'd push it back in. But it's out! Yay! I can go to boot camp this morning without worrying about bleeding and hurting and whatnot!

I am as bemused as you about the Saturday appointment. It's come about via my GP referral and they just called out of the blue yesterday afternoon to tell me that's when I have to go in.

Meeting went as expected really, but PP lady was lovely and helpful. Some of what they've put in place is ok, other bits are typically crap and we are still fighting over laptop access and additional time for exams and assessments. So, more of the same really.

at glass! I told you to go for that xray! I can't believe you've been bootcamping it on a lump of broken glass - you are well'ard! Not sure you should go today either really - won't it bleed profusely until it's had chance to heal? Glad you have successfully evicted it though.

Must've been the night for feet last night. My calf and foot swelled up to unbelievable proportions, whilst simultaneously turning an interesting shade of bright red mixed with purple and feeling like it was on fire. It was nearly midnight, so we didn't go to A&E, although should have done, but dh took photos of it that show my lower leg and foot were the same width as my knee all the way down! I couldn't put my foot to the floor at all, it was absolute agony. It cooled down when I'd been in bed for a bit, with my foot at a different angle and what I think is happening is the lump on the front of the ankle joint is cutting off the blood supply. It was still really badly swollen and couldn't put it to the floor this morning, with lovely black/purple toes, but the swelling has slowly reduced and colour is back to normal now. Of course it's bound to go all shy and look completely normal on Saturday for the hospital to look at.

Oh god, moose. Next time just go. Even if you wake someone to sit with the kids or call a taxi. You need to get it seen when they can't fob you off, and if it is cutting off circulation, it's so important... Maybe call the gp and is us the referral and ask if they think it's ok to wait until sat? Show them the pictures!!

Not sure about bleeding tbh... I'll make a decision in half an hour or so... It feels much better, though!

Eurgh! Thought ds1 was better. Kept him off today to be sure and he's seemed fine. Dh took him to the open evening at the secondary school we want him to go to and he threw up in the car park on the way back to the car.

Unfortunately, after driving home, he then told dh "I threw up both ways" When questioned further he said, "First I threw up from my mouth, then my bottom threw up".

Needless to say dh is wholeheartedly unimpressed. Ds actually managed to throw up on dh's best work suit, which he had just had dry cleaned ready for starting his new job next Monday.

Guess ds1 won't be needing a Roald Dahl outfit tomorrow after all.

Did you bootcamp or not?

I did.
I ummed and aahed, but I went. I just told her I wasn't going to join in with any bosu ball leaping and any high impact stuff, and would just stay on the bike for those bits. So she decided to make the entire class do heavy muscle work instead of aerobic stuff instead. Waaaaaaaaah! I am going to be sore as Jeff on Saturday. Foot is okay though. I am so relieved it's out. Bit tender, but not too bad. She looked at me like I was deranged when I explained that I had been doing the class for the last three weeks with glass in my heel.

Lovely friend called me and said she had been to the market and did I want her to bring lunch round. She turned up with two wee boxes of rogan josh!

Oh, poor ds. I hate that last minute recurrence crap. (I'm afraid I did laugh a bit about both ways though... Until the laundry realization hit. I know how that goes.)

Ds is having a bit of week. Not sure what's going on tbh, but he's really emotionally out of whack, arguing and bursting into tears and whining. Alternating between livid and upset. I assume three weeks in exhaustion, but I equally wouldn't be surprised if he came down with something. He's never particularly stable, but this is v wearing. He saw paed yesterday who was really pleased with continence etc, and gave us some more assessments for school to do to check med levels etc. ds took the forms to school (I dropped him off) but then I found them screwed up in his bag (In a forgetful way, not malicious) after school. And he left his hw folder, timetable and agenda here. And hadn't brought his math text book home for his hw. And forgot his trumpet when he had music. What's the betting the teacher will tick all the boxes and say everything is fine?

Back to the dry cleaners tomorrow then. Poor old ds.

You are deranged for bootcamping on a heel full of glass!

Does sound like either exhaustion or brewing illness with your ds doesn't it. Would a couple of days, perhaps one either side of the weekend, help do you think?

I had a very odd experience talking to ds2's teacher after school. I had to ask her to fill in one of those standard OT questionnaires about how he is affected at school by his JHS. She's pretty odd anyway, never speaks and when she does it's so quiet you can barely hear it (doesn't make eye contact either which has raised lots of ?? in my mind).

First she completely ignored me, then whispered that she had to see the pupils safely to their parents (fair enough, but there was only one there and his dad was just coming through the gates). I waited, no indication or acknowledgement, so I 'ahemmed' and proceeded to explain what the form was and why it needed filling in, when she suddenly just said 'No!'. I stood there a little bemused and repeated what the form was and that I had spoken to OT and asked them what to do as 90% of the questions were irrelevant to ds and that they'd said it was a generic form and just ignore anything that's not relevant, tick anything that is and add comments at the bottom if we want to. Again 'No!', no explanation, just flat out 'No!'.

At that point I didn't really know what to say, when she suddenly pointed at the section where the form asked for results of any intelligence or other SEN assessments and shook her head. So, I explained again that it's a generic form and that most of it won't be relevant to ds2 etc, etc. Then she suddenly looked panicked and stuttered "I can't do it now, do you want me to do it now?". Er no, I explained that I am hand delivering my form on Monday and would be happy to take hers as well, or she can post it if she'd prefer. She just repeated that she couldn't do it there and then and I explained that was absolutely fine. Then she finally seemed to get it and said "Is it ok if I give it to you tomorrow?" and I said 'yes, thank you that would be great' and she went inside.

A really odd conversation, very awkward indeed and I went home very unsettled afterwards.

Am now wondering if she thought I was trying to get him assessed for SEN via some odd subterfuge. If she did, it'll be down to last year's teachers who did the whole "He's not ds1 you know, he doesn't have ASD" bit when I went to tell them about his JHS and deal with some worries he had about school. I'm pretty sure there's all sorts of crap spread about me by certain teachers at that school.

Daft thing is, I had a massive conversation with OT just before I walked hopped up to school, because, based on the questions on the questionnaire, I wasn't sure how him having an OT assessment would benefit him. I explained he has JHS and it only really affects, carpet time, PE and swimming, plus regular subluxes in the playground and classroom and they said they felt it was a suitable referral and they still wanted to see him. It was the school nurse that referred him ffs, I didn't ask anyone to do it.

Grrr! I've really had it with that school and all the associated crap.

Roll on Saturday!

That is random. She sounds utterly bizarre.

Ds was even worse last night. Yet again came home and announced that he needed money to buy candy as he had to take it in for the class celebration today. I said no. He went into meltdown. I asked what they were celebrating (to be frank I'm pissed off about the random class celebrations at the end of each month). He said they have targets as a class and if they meet them they get a celebration. Fair enough (fecking grade 6, not kindergarten, but whatever). I asked him what this months target was.

He said...

'Putting our hands up when we want to speak'.

What. The. Actual. Feck.

Grade 6. Eat sweets, clever children, you have now mastered a kindergarten target.

So not only am I skint, but I am still subbing school for sugar. I suggested he took something else (like popcorn). No. Had to be candy as he had promised. And any questioning of that resulted in a breakdown, with sobbing and soaring anxiety because he was supposed to be bringing it.

I had a huge rant about healthy eating and how inappropriate it was to be encouraging kids to bring sweets to school every single month, and whatever happened to healthy eating and nutrition etc. (on my last school council we got rid of the fizzy drink and chocolate machine...)

This morning I get an invitation to a school council meeting where they have a speaker coming to discuss nutrition. oh boy, am I going.

Dd2 came home fine and broke down ten minutes later. Completely hysterical blubbering rambling mess, couldn't understand a word she was saying. Turned out she had been involved in an altercation on the bus as she had intervened because one boy was taunting a grade 4 boy saying all the grade 4 boys are retarded. (There are a high number of boys with additional needs in grade 4.)

She was a complete mess. And was still randomly sobbing and lip quivering when she went to bed. So I've had to email the teacher as well this morning. Am hoping she was ok on the bus today. I wasn't sure if I was going to have to take her, but she went on her own. I don't know if it was just stupid ignorant name calling, or if there was a more direct taunt, tbh. Ether way, she was mortified at getting involved (she kept saying 'I'm so ashamed!') even though she only did it to try and protect the boy that was getting taunted. She is miss meek and mild, so I think it was a bit of overload for her. She doesn't do emotional stability very well anyway!

So ds has gone to school. There was no way I could have kept him home what with the whole class celebration thing. he ate about a mouthful of breakfast, didn't wash, brush his hair, or (I assume) his teeth. I made him stand in front of the mirror before he left the house, and I asked him if we should go to the barber tonight. (The deal was supposed to be that he didn't have to have his hair cut if he washed it occasionally and brushed it before school). Having studied himself in the mirror (he looked like a homeless child) he agreed that we should go to get his hair cut tonight.

Roll on Saturday indeed!

Crikey, I don't get that at all - they achieve a target and then they have to provide the reward.

Poor dd as well. She should be proud of standing up for someone else, not ashamed. I totally get her distress though. That's what I'm like, adrenaline carries me through at the time, then I go to pieces afterwards, because in all honesty I am neither brave or confident. She did really well to get back on the bus this morning.

I noticed ds2 resembles a shaggy sheepdog today - daren't take him near the hairdresser's though in his current state of health.

I have no idea when they're going to review the xrays. I'm assuming it will be after the weekend. I'm not actually expecting them to find anything, as the main possibilities with my symptoms are really hard to spot on xray. Fully expecting to be fobbed off - again.

Foot swelled up again last night, just as ds had another accident and had to be rushed sobbing to the bathroom, so no chance of getting to a&e again. Dh took more photos, but I don't think there'll be anyone to show them to tomorrow, as going directly to radiography.

So, could be another week or so before I hear anything, given the results will have to go to my GP, who will then call me.

Meantime, dh starts his new job on Monday, so I'm effectively on my own with the dcs and school runs etc from then on.