A lot of people have also been asking about our housing situation.... well here goes!
We are currently living in Married Quaters, paying minimal rent, which is taken out of Dave's wages before we get them each month.
When Dave is finally discharged from the Army, we of course will have to leave what we have called home.
The Army kindly give us 28 days in the house from the date of discharge, which would be great - if we has somewhere to go!
We have approached both Ipswich Borough Council, and Colchester Borough Council, to be told the same things. We are on the list, not in priority need as yet, and we will have to wait until we have a final discharge date before they will help us any further.... oh and IBC went one step further in saying that they dont have housing available, so we would be housed in a hostel until accomodation is found..... 6 months minimum!
However bad things get, Im not sure I can put my children into a hostel - what sort of place is that for little ones!
We are looking into private renting, but at the moment we just cannot afford the "one month rent in advance, and one months rent as deposit" all in one go - we are looking at about £1100 - not the sort of money we ever having lying around, we are rich if we have a spare tenner!
So there it is people, thats the situation. We will of course be obtaining advice from people such as SSAFA and The British Legion to see what help and support they can provide, but until we have a date we cant!!!
Come on you crappy officers - get your fingers out and SORT THIS OUT!
Good night all xxx
Sunday, 3 December 2006
The Story So Far...
Well, I may as well start this with the story so far.... what has happened, what is supposed to be happening, and what we, as a family, want for the future.
Here goes....
I married Dave in December 2003, knowing full well he was in the British Army and would possibly mean moving about.
I moved from Ipswich in Suffolk to deepest darkest Warminster in Wiltshire, to start our new life together.
Jessica was born in July 2004, and was an absolute treasure, especially as suddenly and unexpectedly at 2 weeks old, her Grandma, my mother, died at home aged 48.
Life was a rollercoaster while Jessica was little, but I fell pregnant again in January 2005 with Rebecca.
We were posted to Colchester in Essex in March 2005 on compassionate grounds in order I was closer to my family.
During this time, Dave had been undergoing tests and scans, that revealed not only problems with the discs in his lower back, but also problems with his left knee.
The Army has concluded there is nothing medically possible they can do for his back and it will be an on-going issue for the rest of his life.
With regards to the problems with his left knee, he under-went surgery in November 2005 to remove some of the cartlidge to eliminate the pain and according to doctors at the time, should be back on his feet after 2 weeks.
Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan. Dave experienced increased pain and a lot of swelling and fluid retention on his knee post-surgery. He was having fortnightly visists to his surgeon to monitor his condition.
Eventually in March 2006, Dave was able to return to work, but was advised to take things as easy as possible (he is a chef, so not really an easy job!) and take it steady.
Within weeks of being back at work, on his feet for 10 hours a day with little or no breaks, his knee was swelling and causing increased pain. Further tests by the medical team and his surgeon found that he had torn what was left of the cartlidge quite severely, something the surgeon put down to returning to work too soon.
A further operation took place in July 2006 and he now has very little cartlidge left in his right knee, meaning he is at a much higher risk of Arthritis in years to come.
We were hoping this operation would be the end of it, and we would be "back to normal" within a matter of weeks, but it wasn't to be. Yet again, the knee was swollen and fluid was retained, meaning more visits to his surgeon.
The decision was taken that Dave would return to work on light duties (paperwork based!) in September 2006 as he was still on crutches, and because of Health and Safety, crutches are not permitted in the working kitchen.
Since September, Dave has had increased pain now in his right knee, with the conclusion it is probably the same issue as with his left knee. Unfortunately, in September, the Army took the decision that Dave was no longer fit to carry out his usual job within the Army, and rather than medically discharge him - which would mean a payout - they took the decision to issue an Admin Discharge under medical grounds...... and you hear me cry - WHATS THE DIFFERENCE??? The Army are obviously trying to save money to pay for the posh swanky new camp they have just built here, or more crap kit to send the lads away for months on end to war-torn countries that should never have happened!!
So, at the end of September, and paperwork is filed for this so-called Admin Discharge, and we are given a time-frame of 2 weeks for getting a discharge date. I immediately go into panic mode, trying to work out where we will live, whether I can get a job so Dave can stay at home (his wishes and mine tbh!) and how we will cope financially as we are still paying off old debts from before we got married.
2 weeks go by and we are still none the wiser.... nothing has been heard by anyone. Another 2 weeks, and still nothing. This is beginning to really annoy me!
Fast forward to December 3rd - today - we STILL don't know what's happening. Upon speaking with his boss on Tuesday 28th November, Dave is told there is apparently a medical meeting being held to discuss the situation. My immediate concerns are.... why hasnt Dave been made aware, why isnt he present at the meeting or possibly, is there a glimmer of hope that the Army have messed up and are actually considering a Medical Discharge - I know, I know, Im dreaming!
Obviously, with Christmas just a matter of weeks away, and money being tighter than tight, we are praying that no final decision comes before the New Year. Im praying for a new start in 2007 and a chance to really start again. My girls have had a rollercoaster start to their lives and we really want what is best for them, living near people that really care about them.
So, now you know the nightmare that has been the last 3 years (bar the births of my girls obviously) lets see if we can finally get things moving!
I will post again with regular updates, and also give you an insight into what I need to get sorted before it does happen!
Here goes....
I married Dave in December 2003, knowing full well he was in the British Army and would possibly mean moving about.
I moved from Ipswich in Suffolk to deepest darkest Warminster in Wiltshire, to start our new life together.
Jessica was born in July 2004, and was an absolute treasure, especially as suddenly and unexpectedly at 2 weeks old, her Grandma, my mother, died at home aged 48.
Life was a rollercoaster while Jessica was little, but I fell pregnant again in January 2005 with Rebecca.
We were posted to Colchester in Essex in March 2005 on compassionate grounds in order I was closer to my family.
During this time, Dave had been undergoing tests and scans, that revealed not only problems with the discs in his lower back, but also problems with his left knee.
The Army has concluded there is nothing medically possible they can do for his back and it will be an on-going issue for the rest of his life.
With regards to the problems with his left knee, he under-went surgery in November 2005 to remove some of the cartlidge to eliminate the pain and according to doctors at the time, should be back on his feet after 2 weeks.
Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan. Dave experienced increased pain and a lot of swelling and fluid retention on his knee post-surgery. He was having fortnightly visists to his surgeon to monitor his condition.
Eventually in March 2006, Dave was able to return to work, but was advised to take things as easy as possible (he is a chef, so not really an easy job!) and take it steady.
Within weeks of being back at work, on his feet for 10 hours a day with little or no breaks, his knee was swelling and causing increased pain. Further tests by the medical team and his surgeon found that he had torn what was left of the cartlidge quite severely, something the surgeon put down to returning to work too soon.
A further operation took place in July 2006 and he now has very little cartlidge left in his right knee, meaning he is at a much higher risk of Arthritis in years to come.
We were hoping this operation would be the end of it, and we would be "back to normal" within a matter of weeks, but it wasn't to be. Yet again, the knee was swollen and fluid was retained, meaning more visits to his surgeon.
The decision was taken that Dave would return to work on light duties (paperwork based!) in September 2006 as he was still on crutches, and because of Health and Safety, crutches are not permitted in the working kitchen.
Since September, Dave has had increased pain now in his right knee, with the conclusion it is probably the same issue as with his left knee. Unfortunately, in September, the Army took the decision that Dave was no longer fit to carry out his usual job within the Army, and rather than medically discharge him - which would mean a payout - they took the decision to issue an Admin Discharge under medical grounds...... and you hear me cry - WHATS THE DIFFERENCE??? The Army are obviously trying to save money to pay for the posh swanky new camp they have just built here, or more crap kit to send the lads away for months on end to war-torn countries that should never have happened!!
So, at the end of September, and paperwork is filed for this so-called Admin Discharge, and we are given a time-frame of 2 weeks for getting a discharge date. I immediately go into panic mode, trying to work out where we will live, whether I can get a job so Dave can stay at home (his wishes and mine tbh!) and how we will cope financially as we are still paying off old debts from before we got married.
2 weeks go by and we are still none the wiser.... nothing has been heard by anyone. Another 2 weeks, and still nothing. This is beginning to really annoy me!
Fast forward to December 3rd - today - we STILL don't know what's happening. Upon speaking with his boss on Tuesday 28th November, Dave is told there is apparently a medical meeting being held to discuss the situation. My immediate concerns are.... why hasnt Dave been made aware, why isnt he present at the meeting or possibly, is there a glimmer of hope that the Army have messed up and are actually considering a Medical Discharge - I know, I know, Im dreaming!
Obviously, with Christmas just a matter of weeks away, and money being tighter than tight, we are praying that no final decision comes before the New Year. Im praying for a new start in 2007 and a chance to really start again. My girls have had a rollercoaster start to their lives and we really want what is best for them, living near people that really care about them.
So, now you know the nightmare that has been the last 3 years (bar the births of my girls obviously) lets see if we can finally get things moving!
I will post again with regular updates, and also give you an insight into what I need to get sorted before it does happen!
Welcome!
Hi all!
Welcome to my Blog.
I thought it was about time to start one, so I don't have to keep repeating myself all the time when people ask "how are things going"
I will probably forget to post on here, but hey, I can only try - and with any luck RL may not get in the way too much.
Loves you all
Jarmy xxx
Welcome to my Blog.
I thought it was about time to start one, so I don't have to keep repeating myself all the time when people ask "how are things going"
I will probably forget to post on here, but hey, I can only try - and with any luck RL may not get in the way too much.
Loves you all
Jarmy xxx
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