Meltdowns Archives - Page 185 of 299

I’m a Special Needs Dad, guilty of losing hope

I haven't written a truly heartfelt piece in a very long time. Writing has been such an intrical part of my life for so long now but I feel like I've lost my voice. Writing has lost its meaning and I've lost my passion for it. I'm working to rebuild that part of my life and it's not easy. There are roadblocks I've yet to overcome and others that cause me to veer off course, at least temporarily. That being said, and reasons I can't explain, I feel compelled to talk about hope. I'm not writing about it in a way that's meant to be inspiring to others, at least I don't think it is. I'm writing about how I've lost hope. I'm writing about something very personal and painful…

17 Comments

April 26, 2018

5 Things / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

My 5 biggest #Autism Parenting worries and how I’m addressing them

If being an Autism parent was a video game, the difficulty setting would the three or four notches above the highest setting. That's not meant to be a joke. Autism Parenting requires more from a human being than most human beings are capable of. My wife and I are no exceptions to this. Over the last seventeen years, we've had to constantly triage our life, shifting our priorities on a daily basis, in order to meet the needs of our kids. It's an exhausting way of life because there's always so much to worry about. I wanted to address some things that my wife and I worry about as Autism parents, as well as, how we're addressing them in a positive and productive manner. I'm focusing on things that I…

2 Comments

April 23, 2018

Gavin / Vivint Gives Back

Making changes to keep Gavin from hurting himself at night

We've been having some issues with Gavin, particularly at night. The other day, Gavin got up about 9 PM to use the bathroom. Lizze was still reading to the kids and I was in the living room. All of a sudden, we heard a really loud thud. I thought Emmett had fallen off the top bunk but Lizze headed right to the bathroom cause she knew it was Gavin. Gavin swears up and down that he never fell. He claims he only put his hands on the floor to keep himself from falling. Everyone in the house head the thud and no one believes it was from him gently putting his hands on the ground. The problem is that for some reason, his bedtime medication is making him very sedated…

2 Comments

April 12, 2018

Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

I will NOT be swallowed up by the negative in my life and here’s why

I'm so stressed out that I'm feeling sick to my stomach. Truthfully, I'd be sick to my stomach anyways cause of this stupid Paxil withdrawal but stress makes it so much worse. Rather than continually being swallowed up by the negative, I'm working to focus more on the blessings and here are a few examples of what I mean. It's all about perspective and the following are things weighing very heavily on me but there are hidden blessing in each situation. ☺ Our house sucks and the neighborhood is dangerous, but we have a roof over our heads. There are people out there who don't even have that. The car is literally rusting through, falling apart, no longer worth fixing and is too small to fit everyone without causing problems.…

2 Comments

April 3, 2018

Autism Parenting Heartbreak / Inspirational Posts

#Autism breaks my heart in more ways than I can explain

Autism is one of those human conditions that impacts every person touched by it in a different way. Sometimes those differences are not so big and other times those differences can be so profound, that you may wonder how they can all fit underneath the umbrella known as Autism.. Each of our three kids is impacted in different ways by Autism. Gavin is easily the most profoundly impacted though. Gavin has an extremely rare form of Autism called Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. There's almost no research or support for this blacksheep of the Autism Spectrum family. Most people haven't even heard of Childhood Disintegrative Disorder or CDD. Unfortunately, CDD is absolutely devastating and based on what little is known about this disintegrative disorder, there is never a good outcome. The reason…

5 Comments

April 2, 2018

Gavin / IVIG Infusion / My thoughts

It was a disastrous morning for Gavin

It's been a really rough morning. I've been fighting off a stomach bug for most of the week and it's not been pleasant. I've actually not been eating much, so might be a great time to weigh myself.. Lol Anyway, Gavin did not have a good morning. His IVIG Infusion pushed him over the edge, down the street and around the corner. He was completely freaking out and there was very little consoling him. He setup his own infusion again and did a great job. He picked new locations to stick the needles but unfortunately, both infusion sites leaked and required re-sticking, which he's not a fan of, like at all. It sucks having to do this once but twice is double the amount of pain and anxiety for him.…

1 Comment

March 9, 2018

Common Variable Immunodeficiency / Gavin / Immunology / IVIG Infusion / Vivint Gives Back

Gavin’s IVIG infusion is NOT going well

Gavin's IVIG infusion is not going well this morning. For some reason, we can't get any flow and I'm having to force the solution through the tubing manually. It works but it's very difficult and quite painful for a Gavin. I don't know what's wrong for sure, but it could be scar tissue. All I can do is continue to force it through or re-stick the needles in his belly. Gavin wants to avoid being re-stuck and I don't blame him. Hopefully, this will finish up sometime this afternoon and he will be okay. I'm just going to keep an eye on him through the Ping camera from Vivint Home. I've found so many uses for this system but the best have involved using the cameras to monitor my kids…

0 Comments

February 26, 2018

Gavin / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

He’s 18 years old on the outside but not on the inside

Gavin's having a rough time today. He's eighteen years old now but can't be treated or managed like a typical, freshly minted adult. Unfortunately, Gavin's cognitive ability is significantly lower than his chronological age. Until we have his new NeuroPsych testing done this summer, we won't know exactly how much he's regressed since the last time he was tested, but his doctors have pinned his emotional age at around eight or nine years of age. That's a ten year difference between his developmental age and his chronological age. As he gets older, it becomes more and more obvious that he is struggling. Today he was taking out the recycling (supervised of course) and his lack of ability to problem solve was on full display. We have recycling collected in a…

1 Comment

February 19, 2018