Another long and trying day

It's been a long, trying day here in The Autism Dad household. With three of us sick, things have been more challenging than normal. Poor Elliott is still running a fever as of midnight tonight and will not be in school once again. Truthfully, he'll probably miss the rest of the week. Emmett seems to be doing better and should be returning to school in the morning. Unfortunately, Emmett has a very difficult time going to school without Elliott. It's been a longstanding issue that we've never really been able to work through. We can usually get Emmett to school but not without a great deal of work, endless patience and a bit of luck. As long as he's feeling better, we should be able to get him to school.…

1 Comment

Once upon a time when he could remember

As time goes by, it becomes more and more apparent that Gavin's entire state of being is in decline. One of the most impactful for him, at least from my perspective, is his memory loss. Memory loss is probably not the right word choice because it's more like unable to remember than it is losing memories he already has. The latest example of this is from a few minutes ago. Gavin is continuing to lose weight and his gastro put him on Ensure. He's supposed to drink one with every meal, totalling three a day. We've talked about it many times and he's specifically asked about when he was going to get the Ensure, so he can have one with each meal. There was a delay with his shipment of…

0 Comments

What’s more challenging than a child with #Autism?

One of the few things more challenging than raising kids with Autism is raising kids with Autism while they're sick. Last night Elliott spiked a fever of almost 104 °F and Emmett began coughing and hacking. Elliott's home from school for the second day and Emmett's now home as well. Both are quite miserable. Miserable kids can be challenging enough but add in Autism/sensory issues and things get way more challenging. Kids with Autism tend to feel and experience things so much more intensely, especially when sensory issues are involved. Things like runny noses, stuffy heads, sneezing, coughing and headaches can be tough for anyone but forany kids with Autism, these are absolute nightmares. I'm still sick as well and life in general pretty much sucks right now. I've got…

4 Comments

This is just 1 example of why being an #Autism parent is so exhausting

Today's been a nightmare. I didn't sleep last night and that certainly doesn't help things at all. Gavin had a doctor's appointment this morning, right after the kids needed to be at school. Unfortunately, Emmett woke up with a tummy ache, which usually is the result of some underlying stress. It's nearly impossible to weed through everything with him and figure out what's going on beneath the surface because he struggles with self-awareness. What I mean by that and perhaps I used the wrong term, is that he's not able to tell you what's upsetting him, how he's feeling or what he needs, especially when he's upset. It's very challenging because Emmett is can be very insightful when it comes to other people and their feelings but he's often unable…

0 Comments

One less thing to worry about

Right after getting the boys to school this morning, Lizze and I will be taking Gavin to his psychiatrist. This should be just a follow up and the fact it's so close to his hematology appointment is purely coincidence. On the plus side, we'll be able to talk about what we learned while it's still fresh on my mind. This should put to rest our current concerns over the Clozapine, at least for now. With a medication like Clozapine, you can't let your guard down and you must remain vigilant with things like bloodwork. We basically learned that the side effects of Clozapine, specifically in regards his ANC dropping, isn't as big of concern as we originally thought. This takes a little pressure off because at this point in time,…

0 Comments

I made more weight loss progress today

For the past few days, it's been raining here in Northeast Ohio. The old me would have used that as an excuse to stay home and not go walking. The new me still wasn't excited about the idea of walking in the rain but I did anyway. This morning it was in the 50's (°F) and the rain made a chilly walk but I went. I keep seeing progress and that helps to keep me going. When I stood on the scale this morning, I saw the number 305 staring up at me. I'm officially down 35 lbs over the last six months or so. Slow and steady but sustainable. ☺ I'll probably be walking in the rain again today, depending on how hard it's raining. Anyway, I hope all…

1 Comment

Making the best out of what we got even when it isn’t much

Interesting morning so far today. Lizze didn't sleep at all last night because she battles with insomnia when the weather rolls in like it has. Her pain greatly increases when we have things like barometric changes. As you can see below, the weather hasn't been fibro friendly. Emmett isn't feeling too well either and he's curled up on the couch next to Lizze, sipping Ginger ale, trying not to puke. Elliott's been a bit anti-social this morning and has been in his room working on Minecraft. I joke about the anti-social thing but he's at the age, even with Autism, that he spends time away from everyone else. Fun fact - being Autistic doesn't preclude you from going through normal teenage stages. They simy tend to be more extreme and…

0 Comments