whisper. 'I shouldn't have eaten it, I don't deserve something nice, so I make myself sick to punish myself.'
As always, Ginger felt a welling up of sorrow when she heard the pain and loneliness hidden in the words. 'OK, Tess. I think we've done enough for today. I really want to help you—if you're prepared to work at it, too. But you know things are not going to get better overnight?' Ginger warned, knowing this was a two-way partnership between her team and the patient.
Tess nodded, anxiety evident in her voice. 'What will happen?'
'You'll come back and see me on a regular basis. We'll talk more, work through the things you are feeling and why, then decide what we can do to change that and make you feel better about things, including food. And we'll find other ways to cope with problems and regain control over your life and your eating,' she explained. 'You'll also see my colleague, Pip Beaumont, on each visit. She's a nurse and really nice, you'll like her. She'll help you with keeping a diary to record your emotions and what you are eating, she'll monitor your weight and blood pressure, that kind of thing, and help you with any other problems or queries you have. And you'll also see Andrew Hodge, who's a dietician. He's very understanding and he's going to help you plan a better way of managing your food to keep you healthy.'
There was vastly more to it, of course, but Tess didn't need the added pressure at this stage. There would be weeks, months of hard work ahead, with no guarantee of a happy outcome. The statistics for recovery from eating disorders made sorry reading. While a third of patients achieved a healthy recovery and another third succeeded in managing their condition most or part of the time, the final third failed altogether, going on to develop worse problems, even losing their lives.
Just like Dee, her older sister, whose tormented teenage years had made such an impact that Ginger had been determined to devote her life to helping other people with similar problems. Sometimes it felt like she was bashing her head against a brick wall, but no way was she giving up. Every success was a joy and made all the hard work and frustrations worthwhile. She owed it to Dee's memory, to all the patients like Tess who needed her and trusted her, not to give up and to devote all her time and energies to helping them not end up a sad, forgotten statistic.
Aware her schedule was already shot to pieces, Ginger nevertheless refused to stint on the time Tess needed during this first, important appointment. 'I'm sure it all seems very daunting at the moment, but we'll do everything we can to help you, Tess. Will you work with us?'
'I'll try.' The girl gave a tearful attempt at a smile.
Ginger smiled back. 'Excellent! Now, I'll see you again on Friday when our real journey together will begin. We'll have another chat and I'll introduce you to Pip and Andrew so they can start working with you to find a programme you are comfortable with, OK? Good. Let's go and find your parents,' she finished, standing up and showing the waif-like youngster out of her room.
'Everything sorted out?' Mr Carstairs asked with false jollity, rising from a chair in the waiting room, wiping a monogrammed white handkerchief over his bald head, evidence of the effects of the summer heat combined with the stress and embarrassment of the circumstances.
'Will you take this note to Reception, Tess? They'll give you an appointment card for Friday.' Ginger handed the paper work to the girl. 'Thank you.'
When she was out of earshot, Ginger turned to the parents. She had not forgotten how rude Mr Carstairs had been to her assistant, Sarah, or his gruff and unhelpful attitude when she had spoken with him on the telephone on her return to the office last Friday. At least she had persuaded him to bring Tess for the appointment today, but she couldn't let the girl's parents think it was all plain sailing and far from serious.
'Can you help Tess?' Mrs
As always, Ginger felt a welling up of sorrow when she heard the pain and loneliness hidden in the words. 'OK, Tess. I think we've done enough for today. I really want to help you—if you're prepared to work at it, too. But you know things are not going to get better overnight?' Ginger warned, knowing this was a two-way partnership between her team and the patient.
Tess nodded, anxiety evident in her voice. 'What will happen?'
'You'll come back and see me on a regular basis. We'll talk more, work through the things you are feeling and why, then decide what we can do to change that and make you feel better about things, including food. And we'll find other ways to cope with problems and regain control over your life and your eating,' she explained. 'You'll also see my colleague, Pip Beaumont, on each visit. She's a nurse and really nice, you'll like her. She'll help you with keeping a diary to record your emotions and what you are eating, she'll monitor your weight and blood pressure, that kind of thing, and help you with any other problems or queries you have. And you'll also see Andrew Hodge, who's a dietician. He's very understanding and he's going to help you plan a better way of managing your food to keep you healthy.'
There was vastly more to it, of course, but Tess didn't need the added pressure at this stage. There would be weeks, months of hard work ahead, with no guarantee of a happy outcome. The statistics for recovery from eating disorders made sorry reading. While a third of patients achieved a healthy recovery and another third succeeded in managing their condition most or part of the time, the final third failed altogether, going on to develop worse problems, even losing their lives.
Just like Dee, her older sister, whose tormented teenage years had made such an impact that Ginger had been determined to devote her life to helping other people with similar problems. Sometimes it felt like she was bashing her head against a brick wall, but no way was she giving up. Every success was a joy and made all the hard work and frustrations worthwhile. She owed it to Dee's memory, to all the patients like Tess who needed her and trusted her, not to give up and to devote all her time and energies to helping them not end up a sad, forgotten statistic.
Aware her schedule was already shot to pieces, Ginger nevertheless refused to stint on the time Tess needed during this first, important appointment. 'I'm sure it all seems very daunting at the moment, but we'll do everything we can to help you, Tess. Will you work with us?'
'I'll try.' The girl gave a tearful attempt at a smile.
Ginger smiled back. 'Excellent! Now, I'll see you again on Friday when our real journey together will begin. We'll have another chat and I'll introduce you to Pip and Andrew so they can start working with you to find a programme you are comfortable with, OK? Good. Let's go and find your parents,' she finished, standing up and showing the waif-like youngster out of her room.
'Everything sorted out?' Mr Carstairs asked with false jollity, rising from a chair in the waiting room, wiping a monogrammed white handkerchief over his bald head, evidence of the effects of the summer heat combined with the stress and embarrassment of the circumstances.
'Will you take this note to Reception, Tess? They'll give you an appointment card for Friday.' Ginger handed the paper work to the girl. 'Thank you.'
When she was out of earshot, Ginger turned to the parents. She had not forgotten how rude Mr Carstairs had been to her assistant, Sarah, or his gruff and unhelpful attitude when she had spoken with him on the telephone on her return to the office last Friday. At least she had persuaded him to bring Tess for the appointment today, but she couldn't let the girl's parents think it was all plain sailing and far from serious.
'Can you help Tess?' Mrs
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