I had a last minute meeting with Dr.  Reynolds this morning.  I called to schedule an appointment and they called me back and got me in within 45 minutes.  I can't say enough good things about Dr.  Reynolds.  He's been there for Gavin since the very beginning and for that I will always be grateful.  Today's appointment was not an uplifting one but instead was a strategic planning session. We discussed everything for well over an hour. Residential placement is our only option.  Once we crossed that line,  we talked about what the process involved and how extremely difficult it will be to aquire the necessary funding. The costs are basically broken up into 3 pieces.  They are as follows: 1) Treatment,  therapy,  groups, testing, medication etc.  This will all…

I mentioned in recent post that Emmett is currently inside of a flare up. His mouth has the sores still and they are quite painful.  The flare has yet to run its course and now he has a pretty nasty cold.  He sneezed this morning and ended up with a face full of boogers. That of course was instant sensory overload for him as that is a huge trigger for him.  The only thing that he will eat during a flare up is the extremely over priced, coconut milk ice cream.  That was on my to do list this morning.  He loves this stuff and it's pretty healthy,  considering it's ice cream. The downside is that it's $6 a pint. That aside,  it's really good.  :-)  I've been known to…

I wanted to take a few minutes and touch on something.  The coming months are going to be the most challenging the Lost and Tired family has ever faced. Our journey is going to be taking a dramatic turn and I don't know what that is going to result in.  While I will do my very best to remain hopeful,  it will be a very fragile hope. I know the reality and gravity of the situation.  I know that no matter what we do,  he can't fix the parts of Gavin that are broken.  Having said that,  I'm hoping that placing him into treatment will give him a chance to overcome,  at least some of these obstacles. Maybe he can at least come to understand his situation better and simply…

I'm having the worst nights sleep in awhile.  Lizze was able to finally take something for her migraine, as her meds were finally called in.  Needless to say,  she sleeping quite well and that's good. I spoke with my parents,  late last night and went over what happened.  This is what everything boils down to.  Best case scenario,  he goes away for 6 months to a year or more.  He receives a very specific and intensive treatment.  He eventually comes home.  Nothing will ever be fixed,  as what Gavin has broken is beyond repair.  However,  he may come back in a slightly better position.  The doctor said that instead of 3 tantrums a day,  maybe we only have 1. That's really the most positive outcome we can hope for. It's…

Today the real work begins.  I have to make a huge amount of phone calls,  ranging from potential funding sources, doctors to actual facilities.  I'm not looking forward to any of this but it has to be done.  We are supposed to have school orientation this afternoon but that is never going to happen.  Lizze is a mess and honestly,  so am I.  The really challenging part is to experience all we are feeling without letting them pick up on what's going on.  I would wish this one anyone.  :-( This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me. Please join our Autism Help Forums Look for "Autism Help" app at the…

We have arrived home and I'm waiting for Elliott and Emmett to return. I was going to do a quick video blog but I just don't have the energy. We went over everything with two different doctors,  one being in charge of the entire clinic. I've mentioned before that we are suspecting reactive attachment disorder.  That is what they believe is the case,  rather part of the case. They said that because of the extreme trauma and abuse that Gavin endured at hands of his biological father and paternal grandmother/family at such an early age,  he never developed the neurological connections needed for things like a conscience (spelling?),  emotional connections etc. He gave us this analogy.  "If you took a baby that was just born and covered one eye with…

We have arrived to the Cleveland Clinic and Gavin didn't get sick. :-) He is however,  being difficult and a bit on the uncooperative side.  I'm not sure why he's doing this but he's never nervous about these appointments, so I'm not sure what's going on. We are filling out the intake information,  well,  Lizze is filling out the intake as she likes to do that. :-) I have more idea what this appointment will entail or what we will figure out,  if anything at all.  This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsung’s Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me. Please join our Autism Help Forums Look for "Autism Help" app at the Google Play Store