#Autism further complicates an already unpleasant situation

This is going to be a fricking nightmare. It already is. Gavin has begun the pre-op cleanse if you will. If that wasn't bad enough, he's not allowed to eat anything for at least the next 28 hours. For most people, a 28 hour fast would be very difficult. Gavin however, isn't most people. His life revolves around two things, his tablet and food. Food is such a huge thing for him and he becomes very unpleasant to be around when any of his meals are perceived to be late. To say that Gavin is food motivated would be an enormous understatement. He already ate breakfast before we could get to him this morning but the hospital said it was okay, as long as he eats nothing else. To make…

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Worst Day Ever – Maggots, ice and a basement full of sewage

I've been a bit overwhelmed since yesterday evening and I haven't written. I wanted to take a minute and vent because I'm on the brink of insanity. We went to the Farmer's Market yesterday and if you follow me on social media, you already know the nightmare that brought with it. The Farmer's Market is an amazing place. Our goal is to eat healthier and do so in a way that's affordable, while supporting our local community. Our haul was impressive. Here's everything we got for about $60: Flat of strawberries Flat of blueberries 8 lbs of peaches and plums 5 lbs of potatos 8 lbs of purple grapes Green onions 3 lbs of cherries 7 lbs watermelon 6 lbs of clementines I can't remember the rest but suffice it…

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This goes in the win column

We managed to beat the bad weather this afternoon and sneak in a a roughly 30 minute walk. It's the first family walk we've gone on in at least a week. One of my goals this summer is to get the kids out walking at least a few times a week. We are going to explore some of the Stark Park hiking trails in order to keep things interesting. Everyone did great while we were out. Not only that, but it was a device-less walk as well. That means there was no Pokémon hunting being done. The boys were outside, not playing video games and enjoying the weather. ☺ I'm going to stick this right into the win column..

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It’s a bittersweet blessing

I went back and forth a few times with multiple people from Akron Children's Hospital this morning, trying to figure out the missing lab work thing. I'm happy and relieved to say that I think we're good now. ☺ We have the pre-op prep instructions that he will begin on Monday and while unpleasant, it should be okay. Lizze and I have both twisted ourselves up over this set of procedures that Gavin will have done on Monday. While a colonoscopy and endoscopy aren't catastrophic in nature, it's not something many 18 year olds have done. I'll be 40 in August and I've never had one done. We never want to put any of our kids through anything that's unnecessary, especially if it's more invasive. The reality is, Gavin can't…

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Pre-testing at @AkronChildrens Hospital went better than expected

It's been a really long and emotional day. I wanted to quickly let you know how testing went this morning at Akron Children's Hospital. This was all in regards to the medically necessary procedures Gavin needs to have done on the 5th of June. We had been concerned about how he would react to learning what was going to be taking place. Gavin was never going to refuse anything but we were concerned that he would be freaked out after learning about what a colonoscopy and endoscopy are all about. There was never going to be a challenge gaining Gavin's cooperation because that's just how Gavin works. We were simply worried that he would panic and be freaked out for the next 5 days until he was scheduled for surgery.…

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I’m losing my son to Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

This was a very difficult video to record. I did my best to hold it together but talking about Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and how it's impacted my oldest son, Gavin, is incredibly painful. CDD is a very rare and regressive form of Autism. A child will develop typically, hitting appropriate milestones and then one day, around the age of 4, everything changes. You can read more about CDD here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood_disintegrative_disorder   https://youtu.be/ac-TKjVm8x8

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We’ve arrived at @AkronChildrens Hospital for pre-testing

It's not even 7AM and we're sitting in the lobby of the surgery wing on the 4th floor of Akron Children's Hospital. This is an appointment that we're a bit nervous about because we aren't sure how Gavin's going to react. The whole point is to go over the details of his upcoming scopes, make sure we understand everything and discuss any concerns. It should be pretty simple. We go over everything in great detail, have a basic health screening and gain a better understanding of what to expect on June 5th. We're a bit nervous because Gavin tends to frighten easily and let's face it, who actually likes the idea of getting an endoscopy or colonoscopy? We also aren't sure how this will go as Gavin is 18 years…

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I totally need to sleep tonight

I'm going to bed early because we're starting our day at 5AM. It's going to be a long morning and I'm not sure how it's going to go. I haven't been sleeping well and I'm hoping to get enough to make battling traffic something I can handle. lol The boys are at my parents house tonight and we'll pick them up on the way home. Hopefully, everything will go well and we can move on with the rest of the week.

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