It’s crushing to hear your child say they feel dead inside

We had a pretty rough evening with Elliott. I don't talk about this a great deal but he's seriously struggling and it's absolutely breaking my heart. He has very little control over his emotions and seems to cycle through the full gamut in a very short period of time. I think at the very least, we're looking at serious depression. He's on antidepressants but they don't seem to be helping much. He's in individual therapy as well and he finally gets into Akron Children's behavioral health clinic in a few days. I want so desperately to help him and in order to do that, we need to get help. During tonight's episode, he told us that he feels dead inside. He's also told that he doesn't feel loved or taken…

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I know it can be depressing to read my #Autism parenting story but after you finish reading, I’ll still be living it

Being an Autism Parent is like riding the scariest wooden roller-coaster you can possibly imagine. There are often no brakes and that means you can't get off the ride because it never stops. In many cases, the ride doesn't stop until the day you die. I know it can often be depressing to read about the struggles I face as an Autism and Special Needs Parent. Someone from high school once told me that they don't read my blog because it's too depressing and they don't want the negativity in their lives. It's true and that really hurt to hear that but I get it. While our story is unique in the sense that we are dealing with 3 kids on the Autism Spectrum, as well as some very rare…

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Sometimes we can all use a friend

I'm not quite sure how Zane is doing. I know that sounds weird but at times he seems to be doing better and other times he seems to not be doing as well as I thought. Zane isn't contagious and has been on antibiotics for the last 5 days. We were told to keep him separate from the other ferrets because while he's not doing well, it's best to keep him isolated so he doesn't have to compete for food. It was something like that anyway. Last night it occurred to me after Lizze and I gave him his medicine, that he's been isolated for 5 days and that may be making things worse for him. Ferrets are incredibly social animals and they permanently bond with the other the ferrets…

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Have you ever felt this overwhelmed by life?

It's been a really long day and I'm personally struggling with my depression. The boys, while home sick, felt better as the afternoon progressed and seem to be doing fine at this point in time. They've been moody and easily agitated but that happens on a good day. I really need to dedicate a post to this. Gavin on the other hand has been all over the place today. He's been testing my patience in every possible way, although I don't believe it to be intentional on his part. He's just struggling in many areas of his life and that's sorta par for the course for him. The amount of patience that Gavin requires on a daily basis is draining to say the least. He freaks out over every tiny…

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It’s 8 AM and I’m already not having fun today

Today has sorta already ground to a halt. Elliott and Emmett are both home from school because they aren't feeling well. Elliott is sleeping and Emmett is on overload. We've already had a few smaller meltdowns and it's just not a good way to begin the day. The October Crud is going around the school and it's found its why into our lives. I didn't sleep well last night because of my back and I'm going to hold off walking until later today. Gavin's in a weird place this morning and by that I mean weirder than normal. I don't mean that he's weird but rather his behavior is unusual or atypical for him. We'll see how the day goes. Lizze is feeling better today in some ways but worse…

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Chalk one up for the win column

For the last month, we've been struggling with Gavin's IVIG Infusions due to a shortage of supplies. It wasn't a huge deal because we had them send out the missing supplies and he never missed an infusion. While the supplier screwed up, it was my fault for not checking everything when it was delivered. It got lost in the shuffle and fell through the cracks. Gavin's October infusion supplies arrived this afternoon, while Gavin and I were at his appointment. As soon as we got home, I had Gavin go through his new supply box, and pair up all the supplies. He needed to make sure there were enough supplies for eight IVIG Infusions. He did a pretty good job matching everything up. He needed some guidance but he still…

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Here’s what we learned about the mass in Gavin’s forearm and what we’re doing next

Gavin did pretty good at his appointment today. The nurse came in and did the whole vitals thing. She gathered information and while she was doing so, we noticed a previously unnoticed, second mass. The new one in on Gavin's neck and he was not happy. This is when Gavin began to get agitated and upset. He started to have a meltdown but we were able to get things under control within a few minutes. The doctor examined the mass on Gavin's right forearm. She looked at it for quite sometime. It's one of those things where she can't say there's nothing to worry about and likewise, can't say this is serious and needs to addressed right away. She doesn't know what to think of it. We are also aware…

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Change isn’t easy for familes like mine and we had some unexpected change this morning

Plans have changed for today. Lizze is not feeling well at all and I'll be taking Gavin to his appointment on my own. It sucks when this happens for a mutilated of reasons but Lizze is truly miserable and can't be there. It's not her fault and I know she's way more upset about than I am. Anyway, we have to adapt to things like this. Unfortunately, as a Special Needs family, very few things ever go as originally planned. We have to be able to adjust, be flexible and carry on despite the upheaval. I live in a house where no one likes change, especially last minute, unpredictable change. Personally, I don't usually struggle with change, so it's my job to help lead everyone else through the change challenge.

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