Caregiver Burnout Archives - Page 307 of 319

It’s like being kicked in the balls

Lizze and I are really heartbroken over the amount of regression Gavin's been experiencing lately. Today was particularly difficult because Gavin was clearly struggling in many areas. On one hand, I sent Gavin in to Clearwater to refill one of our five gallon water jugs, while I watched him from outside the store. He had to buy a token, lid and then fill the jug up before carrying it out and putting it into the trunk. This is only the second time he's done this and he did a really good job. At the same time, he can't remember how to type the code into the keyless entry on the front door. He's been able to do it for the last two years, but lately he can't remember the code…

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April 26, 2017

Inspirational Posts

Do you know how hard it is to be an #Autism Parent?

All I want to do today is make progress on the things in my life. I want to get the house caught up, but I'm running into a problem. I'm so completely exhausted, I don't have the energy or the motivation to do much of anything. Being an Autism parent is a rewarding challenge. The rewards are fantastic, and the challenges are completely exhausting. The exhaustion is on both a physical and emotional level. It impacts every single aspect of my life. To people on the outside, it may appear that I'm lazy, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not lazy; I'm mentally and physically depleted. It's easy to assume otherwise. I've been on the receiving end of those assumptions many times, as have countless other Autism…

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April 25, 2017

General Update / My thoughts

This is how my morning has gone

It's been a somewhat decent morning, and for that we're grateful. Lizze and I went to bed early last night, at least early for us. The boys got up really early and began invading our bedroom at the unholy hour of 5 AM. Despite a decent night's sleep, I'm feeling exhausted, but in a good mood. On the bright side, Emmett is tolerating his clothes this morning and that means we don't have to battle for an hour. That's hugely positive and I'm very proud of him. All I have to do is get them off to school and our morning is officially underway.. ☺

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April 25, 2017

#Autism Question of The Day

Question of the Day: Does your child with #Autism struggle with Sensory issues?

This is a very simple question but the answers can be anything but simple. When a child is diagnosed with Autism, there are often comorbid diagnoses that go along with it. Some are noted right away and others creep up over time. One of the most common comorbid diagnoses is Sensory Processing Disorder. Sensory processing disorder is a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses. ... Some people with sensory processing disorder are oversensitive to things in their environment. Common sounds may be painful or overwhelming. …

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April 24, 2017

#Autism Question of The Day / My thoughts

Would you take your child with #Autism to a funeral? 7 things to think about

I know this will sound like a weird question but Would you take your child with #Autism to a funeral? The reason I'm asking, is because it's one question that I'm commonly asked, and I thought it was important enough to discuss. There isn't an easy answer to this question, but I do have a few thoughts. We've not been in this situation for a long time, but when Gavin was little, there were several deaths in the family and we chose not to take Gavin to the funeral. That wasn't an easy decision, but after speaking with his mental health professionals, it was deemed to be not in his best interest to go. At that point, Gavin was roughly five or six years old I believe, and not emotionally equipped…

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April 24, 2017

My thoughts

The 6 appointments I need to make today

I have so much to do today, and I'm kinda excited to get it done. I have a new article to write and that outs money in the bank. The biggest thing I have to do today is schedule a ton of appointments. Gavin needs to see his neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic. This is for his Autonomic dysfunction, as well as his Epilepsy. We also need to get him into gastroenterology and rheumatology. He needs the gastro for his tummy issues and rheumatology for his joints. I also need to get Elliott and Emmett into the dentist. Elliott needs his last cavity filled and Emmett just chipped his front tooth. I don't know how soon they will want to get him in, but I imagine they'll want him sooner…

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April 24, 2017

Emmett John / My thoughts

Worst morning in a very long time

We had the worst morning in I can't remember how long. Emmett was having the worst morning ever. I'm not sure what was going on but he couldn't tolerate any of his clothes. Emmett's issues with clothes, extended well beyond the usual struggles with his shoes or socks. He was unable to tolerate his crocs, shorts and shirt today. The screaming was unbelievable and went on for almost an hour. By the time 8:30 AM rolled around, I decided to take Elliott to school and then finish dealing with whatever Emmett was going through. Leaving him behind wasn't something I wanted to do but Elliott needed to get to school and we were already thirty minutes later. The idea of being left behind, sorta jarred d Emmett enough to put…

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April 24, 2017

Bad News / Emmett John / My thoughts

Bad News

I'm going to start with the most important thing first and that's Emmett. Apparently, Emmett was climbing on a metal folding chair that Lizze sits on when she's reading to them at night. While he was climbing, he slipped and smashed his mouth into the metal frame of the chair. This resulted in him chipping his front tooth. Of course, this is an adult tooth. It doesn't appear to be that bad of a chip but we will call the dentist in the morning, get him and Elliott in for their checkup and whatever Emmett needs. He's not in any pain and I think the dentist will just sorta grind it down a little bit and leave it. It could have been much, much worse and I'm very grateful it…

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April 24, 2017