I think I know the answer to this but I'm gonna ask the question anyway. Do you ever get to the point with all that special needs parenting entails,  that you feel like you're going to lose your mind? I mean honestly,  with all the screaming,  overstimulation and meltdowns,  do you ever feel like you're going to just lose it? I sure as hell do,  especially on days like today. I think that it's pretty normal to feel this way. I also think it's important to share these feeling so that you and everyone else that is experiencing these feelings,  know that they aren't alone.  **Thanks for reading**        -Lost and Tired Please join our Community Autism Support Forum Posted from WordPress for Android

Emmett woke up front his nap and has done nothing but scream.  There is no consoling him. I was trying to let Lizze sleep because she had to increase her meds that control her tremors so she is really tired. Having said that,  I had to go wake her up.  I can't even leave the kids alone long enough to run to the bathroom or brush my teeth. When Emmett is in this darker place,  he is very aggressive,  especially towards Elliott. I was thinking that today was Saturday but then soon realized that it was only Friday.  That means I have to still deal with Saturday filled with screaming and yelling. I wish I knew how to help Emmett because right now his demeanor is a huge stressor for…

I'm not sure how many of you follow my wife's blog.  If you don't,  well,  you really should.  :-) Her blog can be found at DailyMommySurvival. Lizze does a lot of writing about her experience with Fibromyalgia. Aside from being totally proud of everything she does,  her blog is important because there are many special needs parents suffering from similar pain disorders. Things like Fibromyalgia are made much worse by stress.  As many of you are no doubt already aware of,  special needs parenting and stress go hand in hand. I have heard from so many people that are experiencing something similar to my wife. I think this really needs to be spotlighted.  Special needs parenting is challenging enough,  but when you add a chronic pain disorder to the mix, …

It's been a really, really long day filled with Emmett screaming,  kicking and fighting.  When Elliott came home from school he added his own screaming to the mix. It was like a duet from hell. It was horribly out of tune,  ear piercing and headache inducing. I would be lying to you if I said that Autism wasn't exhausting,  because it is totally exhausting. Gavin was really the only one who actually listened tonight. Kudos to him for setting a good example tonight. The boys are in bed and Lizze and I have settled onto the couch and are watching our new/old show on NetFlix. Ever since we watched the series Lost,  we haven't found another show that we both are into and can watch together. Since we don't have…

Emmett is in the period,  right before he spikes a fever and gets the mouth sores.  We have learned the signs over the past year or so. He becomes extremely irritable and much more aggressive.  Typically,  his hands get really got and he becomes very fussy. The last tell tail sign is that he stops eating. Right now,  all signs point to the start of a new fever cycle. These cycles can last for 10 days and are no fun for anyone,  least of all,  Emmett. We are heading into a 4 day weekend so this isn't the ideal way to start things out. As long as he can still make it to the rheumatologist on Monday so we can figure out what is going on,  I'll deal with whatever…

Monday is the long awaited trip to the Rheumatologist for Emmett. Emmett was referred a little while ago by his Immunologist. As many of you know, Emmett has been diagnosed with Autism as well as a fever disorder. Basically, Emmett runs a fever about every 2 or three weeks. The fevers are accompanied by a mouth full of huge -and I mean that literally, they are huge- cold sores. This lasts about a week or so. He had surgery last year to remove his tonsils and adenoids because they are thought to be linked to this disorder. While it did help, it hasn't eliminated the issue. In some cases it has even gotten worse. Anyway, at his last followup with the Immunologist at Akron Children's Hospital, Emmett was referred to the Rheumatologist. Immunology believes…