And I thought it would only take 6 months or so - max...

Funny how at the start you look at the anorexia as if it was a physical illness in that you can ask the doctor how long it will take to cure and they will tell you "Six months max" or whatever. I even found stuff on the internet which reckoned teenagers have undergone a full recovery, from diagnosis to discharge from treatment, in just months. Then it gradually dawns on you that, sorry, but you're in for the long haul and no-one can tell you how long it will last...


I'd love to sit here and write that recovery is a quick, straightforward process because I know that's what I longed to hear at the start. Unfortunately it isn't. And the deeper you get into this, the more you realise that anorexia will be part of your family life for some time, possibly years, to come.

Even after official 'full recovery', they say it can take up to a year for the brain to fully heal. Also, our CAMHS treatment team have said they will continue to monitor Ben for 12 months after he is officially 'discharged'. And I know that relapses can be common especially in new stressful circumstances like going away to Uni.

It's not nice and it isn't what I would have chosen for Ben's teenage years. But that's the way it is and the way it will be for some time to come - and I've kind of got used to it by now, in a bizarre way.