We've made it to the Cleveland Clinic this morning, and that's despite the Universe's best efforts to delay us with horrible standstill traffic. I'm hoping that we won't be here all-day. All that said, we made it safe, sound, and on time. That's what matters the most.
Emmett's in a great deal of pain today and will be for at least the next few days. Yesterday he broke out with mouth sores again and they're pretty bad. His antivirals are keeping things from being any worse than what they currently are but they aren't stopping them altogether. We began doubling up on his antivirals, as we're supposed to when he's in a flare-up and hopefully they will disappear over the next few days. The sores are related to a very rare fever disorder called PFAPA. He's had this all of his life and while it's evolved over the years, it's very, very disruptive. Emmett used to run fevers of 105°F for about ten days, but not actually be sick. He would then be fine for roughly two…
As I chill on the couch tonight, unable to sleep again because of my fricking leg, I thought I would get my super positive post from yesterday caught up. I will, however, make this quick because I'm really trying to get some sleep. Long story very short, I opted to go help my parents by cutting their grass last night. My dad is working a great deal and his knee is bad. My mom just had her knee replaced and better not even be thinking about cutting the grass. I'm watching you mom. 😉 Anyway, we all went over and everyone played a role in helping. Lizze spent the time with my Mom. Elliott and Emmett took Ruby and Cleo (my parents dog) for a walk. I got to use…
By Hailey Shafir, LPC, LCAS, CCS-I Anxiety is the single most common mental health disorder in America, and will affect over one third of the population at some point during their lives. In children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), these numbers are even higher, with some studies estimating as many as 84% of these children also have an anxiety disorder. Often, anxiety may be overlooked in children with Autism because some symptoms of anxiety and ASD overlap, and also because anxiety can present in atypical ways with children on the spectrum. There are several different types of anxiety disorders, and research indicates certain types are more common in children on the spectrum. Specific Phobias (where the child is afraid of a specific situation or object like spiders, small spaces,…
I had a pretty great afternoon. Emmett ended up going with me to take my mom to PT. He did really well while we waited, and of course, my mom kicked ass during therapy as well. Her knee was replaced exactly one month ago and she's already able to walk without a cane while around the house. It seems like she's doing really well. Emmett and I waiting for my mom to finish PT After therapy, we went for a short walk around the mall because she wanted to go walking. Afterwards, Mr. Emmett was hungry, and so we stopped at the food court and grabbed some lunch. It was really nice to just have some time away. Anyway, when I got home, I got some work done, repaired my…
I'm starting this day at a deficit because I didn't sleep well at all. I've spoken about restless leg a few times in the past because it's a problem for me. My mom significantly suffers from restless leg, and I'm not sure if there's a genetic component to it. I don't know if any of my siblings deal with this, but I should probably ask. Anyway, last night was really bad for me. It's always seems to be my left leg and I don't really know how to describe it other than saying that it's so bad that cutting my leg off seems like a viable option. That sounds dramatic but if you've ever experienced the feeling of restless leg, you probably get it. Thankfully, I don't seem to deal…
Nothing about today went as planned. It was incredibly stressful and frustrating because it was just one thing after another. Today was the day we were supposed to divide and conquer because Lizze needed to be at the Cleveland Clinic while Elliott needed to be at Akron Children's Hospital before we'd be back. We had worked things out and made arrangements for Lizze's mom to take Elliott to Akron while I drove Lizze to Cleveland. Unfortunately, Lizze woke up very early this morning and was not feeling well at all. There was no way she'd be able to make the 90-minute drive to Cleveland. It just wasn't going to work. She was able to reschedule, and while it threw things off a little bit, it did free me up to…
I got my walk in bright and early, after a semi-decent nights sleep. I took some ZzzQuil before bed, and sometimes it takes forever to shake off in the morning. We have to make a trip to the dispensary this afternoon. It's an extremely expensive trip but it's a necessary one. Lizze hasn't been here in a couple of weeks because she uses it sparingly. While it is costly, it makes such a difference in her life. This is a must. Later on this afternoon, we have therapy with the kids. We also need to get Gavin's Clozapine refill today and that's seemingly like pulling teeth at this point. Every fucking week it's nightmare trying to get this prescription refilled. There's so much red tape that in every single year…