I didn't dislike my mum. I loved her very much, but as a child you have this almost innate sense of wanting to be loved by a parent, and you just do anything you can to try get those little crumbs of love whenever you can get them. Cases such as that of Ian Huntley, the caretaker who murdered the English schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, reinforce our fear of strangers and of the dangers outside our warm, nurturing homes. Sometimes, however, the danger comes from within. A book published this week throws light on a much lesser-known, more insidious and also potentially lethal form of child abuse, one that usually remains hidden from view. When Taylors, South Carolina, USA residents Bobby and Julie Gregory decided to welcome a puppy into their family, they had no idea that over two decades later, their treasured Pebbles would hold a record title for the oldest dog living. Theresa loves nature, animals, photography, and outdoor activities. After retiring from the Navy, she became a consultant to government contractors, helping them write proposals by “translating” technical solutions into layman’s terms focusing on the advantages of the proposed solution. While fascinating and rewarding work, she lived on the road most of the year, worked long hours, got minimal sleep, faced stress-filled deadlines, ate poorly, and rarely exercised. Even before learning her APOE status, she knew she was ruining her health. So she quit consulting to enjoy a healthier, more desired lifestyle. Unfortunately, her post-retirement activities led to an orthopedic foot issue that required surgery, and then corrective surgeries, none of which fully resolved the pain. At this same time, 2014, she learned her APOE ε4/4 status. Researching these two areas: chronic pain and APOE, has led her down many paths both traditional and nontraditional. This health journey has opened her eyes in many ways. She feels she’s learned volumes, albeit with many more volumes to go. She’s motivated to share what she’s learned, and similar to her work as a consultant, she enjoys “translating” medical findings into understandable language as best she can. At last, I’ll just take one medication that will fix everything. I’ll have friends, be in sports, go to movies. Mom’ll be happy; she won’t have to stay at home or clean up after old men or foster kids. And I’ll be a real kid and not miss school anymore,” (98).

Sickened by Julie Gregory - Penguin Books Australia

A powerful and heartbreakingly moving memoir of a survivor of the world’s most lethal and best hidden forms of child abuse. Munchausen by proxy… we’ve all seen The Sixth Sense… we remember that little girl in the tent with Haley Joel Osment. She scared the bejeezus out of me. We remember the video of her mother pouring Pine Sol into her soup, right? Yessireee…. My faith in humanity waned big time then. He looked at her and I could see in his face that he thought there was something wrong with her. He got really stern and he said “she doesn't need anything more. She doesn't need open heart surgery” and he just turned and walked away.

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There are monsters everywhere in the world. They come in all shapes and sizes, all races and religions. Some are trusted, admired and respected. Some are called friend, colleague, neighbour. Unfortunately, Julie Gregory's story is not especially compelling. It reads more like a diary without the benefit of any adult perspective or introspection. It's very much "here's a list of things that happened - doctor's appointments, child abuse, tests, countless medications." The drama with her parents read more like episode of Jerry Springer. I understand her relationship with her parents directly tied into the medical side of things, but the crazy drama definitely overshadowed Julie's experiences with Munchhausen's by Proxy. Pain is a personal, individual and subjective experience. The complex and dynamic nature of pain makes its assessment and management challenging for healthcare professionals. Various pain scales are available that can assist in identifying the patient's experience of pain; however, these tend to reduce this experience to a measure of pain intensity. The use of pain scales also requires patients to communicate and describe their pain; when this is not possible, it is necessary for healthcare professionals to observe patient behaviours that may indicate pain. Various observational pain assessment tools have been developed to assist in recognising and assessing pain. This article discusses the various pain scales and observational pain assessment tools that are available, and the evidence to support their use.

Julie Gregory | LinkedIn Julie Gregory | LinkedIn

Rewritten to protect the guilty and me from embarrassment. I wouldn't want anyone to think it was about them, especially if it was. Treat them like family because they are. Give them a happy positive environment as much as possible, good clean food and proper healthcare,” said Julie. But no matter how many doctors she saw, Gregory never felt any better. She said her mother became obsessed with the idea that she had a heart problem and even convinced a cardiologist to operate. All the pain, all the IVs, and the medications—everything was for nothing. And all these doctors, people who thought they were smart, they were just freaking clueless. They were just led around by this psychopath lady and nobody ever got involved to help me.Bobby was sitting on the couch and friends and family started texting and calling about a story they saw about a 21-year-old dog getting the record,” said Julie.

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Gregory J (2019) Use of pain scales and observational pain assessment tools in hospital settings. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2019.e11308 As soon as Pebbles wakes up from her doggy doze, she has something to eat and drink before staying up all night. From there they manipulate the positive response that nurtures them, becoming aggressive and overpowering over that parental response, to mimic what happened to them in childhood." They are, she says, "serially abusive".

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From early childhood, Julie Gregory was continually X-rayed, medicated, and operated on—in the vain pursuit of an illness that was created in her mother’s mind. Munchausen by proxy (MBP) is the world’s most hidden and dangerous form of child abuse, in which the caretaker—almost always the mother—invents or induces symptoms in her child because she craves the attention of medical professionals. Many MBP children die, but Julie Gregory not only survived, she escaped the powerful orbit of her mother's madness and rebuilt her identity as a vibrant, healthy young woman. After news of the former oldest dog living, TobyKeith, first broke, the Gregorys realized that Pebbles was older.