My thoughts – Page 258 – The Autism Dad

I think this might be good news

My amazing wife let me sleep in this morning because sleep has been so elusive as of late. To the best my knowledge, I didn't have crazy nightmares last night and I actually slept. It feels like forever since this has happened. I'm not feeling as bad as I have recently. I'm not as anxious, emotional and nauseous as I've been for the previous seven days. I actually feel mostly okay. Unfortunately, I can't really avoid stressful situations but I'm sometimes coping with them a little better. That's a big step forward and something I feel good about. I suspect that as more times passes between my last dose of Paxil, the better I continue to get. Nothing about this is overnight and it will take some time. I guess…

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March 17, 2018

A MASSIVE and IMPORTANT Update for the last couple of days

Hey folks. It's been a couple days since I've written anything other than an update on my tumultuous relationship with Paxil and there's a good reason for that. That good reason is, I'm fucking miserable. I'm anxious, stressed, emotional, not sleeping, nauseated and freaking out. None of this is really new information because it's the same side effects I've been struggling with since I took my last dose of Paxil, exactly one week ago today. Rather than focus on my current disparity, I want to catch everyone up on some of the things I've been meaning to write about but haven't, because of the stuff in the previous two paragraphs. School Related It was a shorter school week because of teacher in-service and end of the quarter stuff. The kids…

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March 17, 2018

Depression Confessions / Depression Management / Medications / My thoughts

This is what withdrawing from #Paxil is doing to me

I wanted to touch base and let you guys know where I've been. Since last Thursday, I've been really, really struggling both physically and emotionally. I was doing pretty good, or so I thought. For most of the last 90 days or so, I was going okay. I would feel changes each time my dose was reduced but for the most part, I adjusted well. When I took my final dose last Thursday, I thought I was going to be free. Instead, I find myself struggling more than I ever have before. To be clear, I'm not struggling with Depression, the Fisher Wallace Stimulator I'm using is helping out a great deal on that end. The problem I'm having now is how my body is reacting to no longer having…

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March 15, 2018

Contributed / My thoughts / Sponsored Post

Why Creativity is Great For Kids

Being creative is not only a fun pastime, but it can also have lots of other benefits for kids too. It can simply be a bit of fun, something to do in the evening after school, or something to pass the time on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

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March 14, 2018

Contributed / My thoughts / Sponsored Post

Why Animals Are Great For Children With #Autism

This is a collaborative post and as such, does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of this blog or its author. Image An animal is a living creature who you can form some amazing emotional bonds with. For anyone, they can be a vital part of the family and become a huge part of our lives. Let’s can help us to make more friends in the wider world, become more confident and even make us fit! For people who have physical and mental issues though, animals can be even more crucial. For example, you can learn more about emotional support animals and see what they do for people with anxiety, depression, PTSD and even autism. Children who suffer from autism are often very quiet and withdrawn from the world, with…

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March 13, 2018

Cats / Maggie / My thoughts

Some sad news about our dog

Maggie is our roughly twelve year old English Staffy. We've had her since she was two years old and she's the best dog anyone could ask for. We have so many amazing memories with her and she's a loved member of our family. Sadly, I fear we're reaching a point in time where we may have some very difficult and painful decisions to make. Maggie is almost completely blind and deaf. She got tumors in several places, including places where they've already been removed. She's becoming very difficult to manage because she doesn't respond most of the time and just wanders around aimlessly, when we take her outside to use the bathroom. Tonight, she fell down an entire flight of step, only stopping when she slammed into the fire place.…

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March 13, 2018

Depression Management / Medications / My thoughts

IMPORTANT UPDATE: My nightmarish withdrawal from #Paxil has taken an unexpected turn

Yesterday, I told you that Gavin's appointment with Dr. Reynolds went fine. What I didn't tell you was that I had a chance to talk to him about my current struggles with coming off of Paxil. I also wanted to update you all as well because I think it's been a little while since a more detailed update has been written. I took my last dose of Paxil last Thursday. I was taking 40 mg/day and over the last three months, I've slowly weaned off the Paxil, under medical supervision. This has been a nightmare at times and survivable at others. The middle part of this journey wasn't too bad because was I beginning to use the Fisher Wallace Stimulator and that has helped to take the edge off by…

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March 13, 2018

Clozapine / Gavin / My thoughts

I was able to give Gavin his #Clozapine tonight

We were able to get Gavin's Clozapine refilled today. I had to make a few calls but the script was ready for pickup at 7:30 PM tonight. That's definitely a step ahead of what it's been for the last few months. I'm not sure if the new process we are trying with the doctors office is responsible for this pleasant turn of events or if it was the new bloodwork order, with very specific instructions. Maybe the stars aligned and everyone simply did their jobs. I guess the only reason I can is because I'd like to repeat this every week. It's a huge relief when I don't have so battle to get his lab results sent and his script refilled. All that truly matters right now is that I'm…

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March 12, 2018