Special Needs parenting is exhausting.  Do you ever reach the point of exhaustion where you don't even know what day it is? Well that's where I am right now. It's very disorienting not to know what day it is. I find myself either having to stop and really think about what day it is or look at my phone. It's like after awhile,  all the days just sorta blend together. It gets even more blurry during the summer because the school week is nonexistent. Anyway,  I was just wondering if this ever happens to you? **Thanks for reading**        -Lost and Tired Please join our Autism Help Forum Look for "Autism Help" app at the Google Play Store Posted from WordPress for Android so please forgive the auto-correct…

My goal for today,  aside from physically surviving,  is to find replacements for several doctors. The priority right now is to locate a new psychiatrist for Gavin.  The reason we have to do that is because his current shrink has spread himself way to thin and can no longer devote the time needed to help Gavin. We have no hard feelings because he has been a godsend to our family since 2005. However, trying to find a psychiatrist that is qualified to handle a child as complex as Gavin,  is next to impossible. As soon as we get this done,  I have to get Lizze to the Cleveland Clinic for help with her migraines. We are hoping that they have more options available for treatment than we locally. **Thanks for…

I was wondering if any of you are dealing with clingy kids.  I'm asking because Elliott is super clingy right now.  He's constantly wanting to snuggle or hang on me. Don't get me wrong,  I love snuggling with my kids but holy crap,  sometimes I feel like I need to get and Elliott-ectomy. I know that he has an insane level of anxiety but his need for constantly reassurance is exhausting and honestly,  it makes me sad. I'm sad because he feels so insecure in his life that he needs to constantly seek me out and physically latch onto me. Sometimes it's only for a minute and he feels better. I really wish he wasn't so anxious because it really does affect his quality of life. I find it interesting…

While I was working on my last post,  we had another structure fire in the neighborhood.  This happened just done the street and honestly,  this is getting scary. I don't know what started the blaze or whether or not anyone was hurt but I'm pretty sure it was an amazing and abandoned house.  Last summer and the summer before,  we were seeing a lot of abandoned house being torched. Arson or accident? Either way,  it's scary. This is scary not only because the firefighters could get hurt but also because these houses are so close together.  It wouldn't take much for a fire to jump from house to house. The past week or so there have been huge explosions.  These are happening at night and they actually,  literally shake the…

I'm not in a really good place at the moment. I'm honestly feeling a little bit overwhelmed by everyone's needs. The Lost and Tired household is full of people that have very unique and often under-met special needs. Lizze needs the house as dark as possible to help lessen the pain from her migraines. We can't have flowers outside or inside because the smell makes the migraines worse.  I'm happy to provide this type or environment,  at least as best I can.  However,  I thrive in the exact opposite conditions.  I love well lit rooms and I really like plants and flowers. I find it calming and relaxing. Gavin needs a static environment.  Just about everything overwhelms him and since he has no ability to self-regulate,  the ideal environment for…

One of the challenges parents of #Autistic children face is feeding. It sounds like it would be easy, right?  Not necessarily. The problem is way more complex than just being a picky eater. In fact,  there are many reasons that feeding could be a problem. Sometimes it's sensory related other times the problem may be poor muscle tone. Contrary to popular belief,  these kids will not always eat when they are hungry enough. Many parents have told me that their child will literally stave.  Some parents have to take drastically action to make sure their child is properly nourished. My heart goes out to anyone dealing with these types of problems.  Thankfully,  our challenges with feeding aren't as extreme.  However,  that shouldn't be confused with easy.  Our problem eater is…

Looks like this week isn't starting off well.  Lizze's migraine is so bad that her neurologist has scheduled an occipital nerve block for next Friday. However,  insurance is refusing to pay for it.  You may recall last year,  insurance refused to pay for Lizze's compete hysterectomy.  This was a medically necessary procedure.  We had the chief of medicine of one hospital,  administration of another hospital and several other doctors confirm the necessity of the operation and still insurance refused to pay for it. We ended up having to foot the bill for a $14,000 procedure out of pocket. I have little hope that they will come around to this one. However,  what choice do I have? Lizze has had this migraine for going on 6 months now. She needs to…

These moments see to stick in my mind more than the unpleasant ones.  I feel it's safe to say that we have more than our fair share of unpleasant ones. When your raising 3 little ones with #Autism and various other special needs,  there tends to be some trying and difficult times. More often than not,  at least for the Lost and Tired family,  the difficult times seem to outnumber the more pleasant experiences. While the difficult times may outnumber the more pleasant times,  they don't outweigh them. This is a perfect example of what I mean.  While Emmett may have struggled most of the weekend, this is the moment that will stay with me going forward. Emmett is peacefully sleeping.  He's not in pain or screaming and yelling.  He's…