Outline of my Eating Disorder and Treatment History

Basic Treatment Timeline
** For a more precise and extensive list of hospitalizations, see other documents.
Year	Approx. Date	Description	Additional Information
1991	Dec.	Diagnosed by Dr. B with anorexia, purging subtype.
1992	January	Assessed by St.Paul’s Eating Disorder Program	Started seeing a psychiatrist through St. Paul’s, Dr. F Started going to weekly clinic appointments with Dr. B
	March	Withdrew from UBC ¾ of the way through my 4th year (Science Major in Biopsychology) (I had written my MCATS and was planning to apply to medical school.)
	May 25 – July 30th	Inpatient program on general psychiatric ward	Being admitted was delayed by several months due to nursing strike. At this time, the inpatient eating disorder program was run on the same ward as general psychiatry. I was also diagnosed with Clinical depression while inpatient and started on an antidepressant.
	August 20 – October 1st	Inpatient eating disorder program on general psychiatry ward
	October 1st	Moved into Vista which was a group home for individuals with Mental Illness	Continued outpatient therapy with Dr. K, psychiatrist with St. Paul’s ED program. Continued to see Dr. Bweekly at clinic.
1993
	June 11 – Sept. 1st	This was my longest inpatient stay of 1993. Inpatient at St. Paul’s hospital in ED bed on general psychiatric unit.	Did family therapy sessions with my parents, Dr. K and Dr. G during this period.
	September	Returned to UBC and lived in Residence but continued to struggle and eventually had to withdraw from school for a second time in December.
1994			Returned home to live with parents. Continued to see Dr. K for therapy Continued to see Dr. B weekly in clinic.
	March 24	Attempted Suicide - Overdose	Ended up spending a few days in Richmond General Hospital
	June 30th	Last appt. With Dr. K, my psychiatrist.  She returned to school to complete her training so I had to find a new therapist Dr. G., psychiatrist and then head of the St. Paul’s Eating Disorder Program, started to see me on an interim basis.
		After trying a few different therapists, I started seeing Dr. S.  I continued with her for about 6 months before switching as we just didn’t “click” Started seeing new psychologist C.
1995
		Started seeing a new psychologist C	I do not recall the exact date but I also started seeing a COPP worker.  COPP stands for “Community Outreach Partnership Program.”  It is a program created with St. Paul’s ED program. Description:  Provides an outpatient, community-based program for people who are living with an enduring eating disorder.  Also offers transitional support for people preparing for and/or graduating from other treatment services offered by the Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program.  One to one support is provided by an Eating Disorders counsellor.  Access to family therapy and a dietitian is also available.  I started to see my COPP worker, H, once a week to help decrease how isolative I tended to be.
		Because there was no treatment here that was working for me and no program could be created in time to help me, Dr. G and I approached the Ministry of Health to ask for funding; my parents and I researched programs throughout the USA and Canada and chose three and Dr. Gr narrowed it down to Renfrew in Coconut Creek, Florida.	I was probably at my lowest weight when I went to Renfrew at 61 lbs.  I was lucky to find a program that would take me at this weight because if I had had to gain weight to get into a program I do not think I would have been able to.  I tried to go voluntarily inpatient before this treatment to be tube fed but was unable to handle it psychologically or physically.
	May – Aug.3rd	Treatment at Renfrew in Coconut Creek, Florida	For the first time I was able to start fighting myself.  Their philosophy of self-empowerment was extremely helpful.  I also learned to restructure some of my ED thinking and start challenging it; Started on Effexor that seemed to help with my depression.  I gained 10 lbs. but was unable to keep gaining.  They tried tube feeding me but, as in the past, this was psychologically and physically too much for me and I was discharged home.
		Upon returning home from Renfrew, I did not have a psychiatrist and I found out my therapist was leaving to go to the Jungian institute in Switzerland.
		Started seeing psychologist M 2x/week.  Also continued seeing Dr. B when necessary.  Also continued with COPP.
1996
	Summer	Just as I was starting to feel more able and decrease therapy, my mood worsened.	It was concluded later on that my antidepressant, effexor, stopped working.
		Started seeing a psychiatrist in Richmond for medication management.
	Oct. 31	Last appointment with M.  Had to stop seeing her because she got pregnant and stopped practising.
	November	Started seeing a new therapist, V.  (Clinical Nurse Specialist who worked at St. Paul’s with the Eating Disorder Program)
1997
	March	Started seeing Dr. K (psychiatrist) again; she was back working in general psychiatry at St. Paul’s.  I needed someone who could deal with both my eating disorder and depression and the medication issues I was dealing with.
	May 22nd – June 11th	Hospitalized inpatient on General Psychiatric ward	Underwent ECT treatment to try to help with depression.
1998		Due to continued and extensive struggles throughout this time, in 1998, I applied for funding to get appropriate treatment unavailable here.
1998
	June ’98 – Dec. ‘98	Treatment at Laureate in Tulsa, Oklahoma	Treatment consisted of both inpatient/residential and transitional living;
1999
	January	Returned to UBC; lived in residence	Continued seeing Dr. K and Dr. B.  Also continued with COPP.
		Started part-time job with Postal Outlet at UBC
2000
	May	Graduated from UBC with my BA in Psychology
2001		Started struggling more with Eating Disorder and Depression; in and out of hospital
2002
2003
	Nov. 12th 2003	Started Quest as inpatient on 4NW, St. Paul’s Eating Disorder Ward	This was the program created so that less people needed to leave province for treatment.  Consisted of inpatient, partial inpatient, and outpatient components. My therapist for this program was Dr. SC.  (Dr. K was the psychiatric director for this program) but could not be my therapist in the program as she was my private therapist.
2004	Apr. 7th – July 5th	Began outpatient component of Quest Program	I spent evenings and weekends at home but spend days during the week in programming on the ward.
	July 5th	Discharged from Quest	My depression started to get bad and I no longer had the energy to do all the extra-curricular activates that were required for this program.
			Continued seeing Dr. K, Dr. C. L. B, and saw new COPP worker, I, 1x/month.
2005
2006
2007
2008		Very tired of living my life like this and ready to try again.  Asked to go back into Quest; I first had to gain 8lbs. on my own before they would consider me, which I managed to do with a lot of difficulty.	Started pre-quest groups and then, in October, started doing 2 of the Quest groups every week as an outpatient to prepare for entering Quest.
	December	Found out that Quest program was ending.
2009
	April 30	Last appointment with my psychiatrist Dr. K.  She informed me in January that she was leaving to become the head of the eating disorder program at H. in Guelph, Ontario.
	May	Started seeing Dr. Kl, Psychiatrist.  New head of the Eating Disorder Program at St. Paul’s ED Program	Dr. B had left St. Paul’s.  However, I got a referral and started seeing him again as I felt I needed to be seeing someone who knew my eating disorder history and me.
			I talked to Dr. Kl about wanting to get funding for appropriate treatment, as Quest was gone.  Was told it would not be possible to get funding for program in the States that I thought fit my needs the best.  She decided to send me to Bellwood even though I would have to gain an extensive amount of weight BEFORE I could actually enter the eating disorder program there.
	Nov.	Went inpatient on the 4NW, the eating disorder ward at St. Paul’s hospital to work on weight gain so that I could go to Bellwood for further treatment.	Lack of therapy/groups combined with erratic and rapid weight gain and depression were rather disastrous during this stay.  I struggled with dissociative episodes as well.  In the end, it was decided Bellwood was not appropriate.
2010	March	Discharge home from inpatient stay.	The traumatic nature of this stay was too much and I was too overwhelmed and depressed to think about doing anything more in terms of recovery work.  I was discharged home.
	September	Managed to regroup after taking three months away from treatment.  Returned to school at Langara to do my certificate in Image Consulting.	Still struggling with my anorexia and bulimia.
	December	Received my Certificate in Image Consulting.
	December 30	Last appointment with Dr. Kl  as she was leaving St. Paul’s to take a new position.
2011
	February	Before leaving, Dr. Kl told me I would see J, one of the therapists with the eating disorder program, as my new therapist.	However, once I met with her I was told no one with the program was offering long-term therapy.
		I had to start trying to find a new psychiatrist/psychologist outside the program.  This is extremely difficult especially as there are not many people out there well educated in the treatment of eating disorders.	Without the assistance of my parents, I would be unable to afford a private therapist and psychiatrists are difficult to find, especially someone without a lengthy waitlist.
		Started writing letters to the Ministry of Health about need for funding for appropriate treatment as I had exhausted all appropriate treatment here.	As the year went by my struggles with depression increase.
		Reconnected briefly with M. for therapy.	I did some sessions with M.but in the end, I started therapy with someone else.  (See below for more details.)
	May	Inpatient on the Mood Disorder Ward at UBC hospital.	According to discharge summary, Hospitalization at UBC mood disorder ward – was diagnosed by someone I saw three times as Borderline, but the psychiatrist and psychologist I see now, who are BPD specialist say that while I have some Borderline traits (i.e. Self-harm, impulsivity (bulimia), depressed mood), I do not meet the current criteria to be diagnosed as such.  *these are traits common to many individuals with eating disorders)
		There was a brief respite from my depression but I crashed again and became very suicidal and struggling with my ED as well.	I received the name of a psychiatrist while inpatient on the UBC mood disorder ward who might consider seeing me.  (See reference above.)  by the name of Dr. W.
	October	Overdosed; spend 1 ½ days in St. Paul’s emergency room unconscious and then discharged home.	Met Dr. W.  In order to see him, I had to sign a contract to also see a therapist attached to his team and involve myself in DBT therapy. Started new antidepressant Pristique.
	October	Signed contract with Dr. Ko, psychologist.  He is a DBT therapist.  I now see him 1x/week.	Therapy with Dr. Ko costs me $190/session.  I also have to attend a Skills group 1x/week that costs $90 per session.
2012	Present	I see my treatment team at St. Paul’s in the Complex Care Clinic every 2 weeks.  I see Dr. W. approximately 1x per month.  I see Dr. Ko 1x per week and attend a skills group 1x per week.  I also see my COPP worker, I, once every 2 weeks.