Read more about the article Is this the whitest building ever?
Cleveland Clinic / Lizze / Migraines / My thoughts / Neurological Center for Pain

Is this the whitest building ever?

We've made it to the illustrious Neurological Center for Pain at the always amazing Cleveland Clinic. If you ever visit here, you find yourself in the whitest building ever. Literally, everything is white. The walls, ceiling, floors, doors, cabinets, etc. It makes everything very bright. There's a specific reason for this, and it's related to their IMATCH program. I will say that it's a bit overwhelming for me, and I don't suffer from anything that could be triggered by this. Anyway, we're currently tucked away in our usual room and waiting to be seen. Her nurse today was awesome, and we really appreciate how much fun she was to work with. I don't think we've ever had a negative experience at he Cleveland Clinic. The doctor should be in shortly…

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May 17, 2019
Read more about the article My wife has a difficult decision to make today
Cleveland Clinic / Lizze / Migraines / My thoughts / Neurological Center for Pain

My wife has a difficult decision to make today

The boys got off to school in a good mood. I've got to say that was a significant accomplishment, and I definitely needed my walk this morning because I was frazzled. I will be spending the afternoon at the Cleveland Clinic with my amazing wife. She has a follow-up with her neurologist at the Neurological Center for Pain. This is in regards to her chronic migraines. Today we will decide what to do with her new migraine medication, Aimovig. She's been on it for several months now, and it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The standard approach to this is to double the dose if it's not working after a few months. Lizze is concerned that she's muddied the water because of her medical marijuana usage. I disagree because…

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May 17, 2019
Read more about the article Nothing says it’s going to be a terrible day quite like a massive morning #meltdown
Autism Parenting Struggles / Emmett John / My thoughts

Nothing says it’s going to be a terrible day quite like a massive morning #meltdown

It's not a super fun morning once again. Emmett is not in a good mood, and the whole neighborhood is likely aware of it by now. I don't know what has him so upset, but I wish I did. I hate starting the day like this because it's stressful for everyone, especially the kid in question. Emmett's not trying to be disruptive. He's teetering on the edge of a meltdown. It's like he's fighting to maintain, but whatever is causing the distress keeps pushing him towards the edge. It sucks, and it's heartbreaking because when he's like this, you can't even talk to him. We have a busy day ahead of us, and I'm hoping we can make it through this and get the boys to school on time. There's…

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May 17, 2019
Read more about the article Why we almost didn’t make it to school
Autism Parenting Struggles / Emmett John / My thoughts

Why we almost didn’t make it to school

We had a rough day in our house. It began in the morning and revolved around Emmett's new haircut. The previous night, Emmett had asked me to cut his hair really short. He said buzz cut. He's had it done in the past and loved it. Lizze was not too keen on the idea but supported it if it made Emmett happy. I cut his hair with a number five guard on, and it left his hair about one-quarter inch long. After it was done, he had buyers remorse. He flipped out and struggled even to fall asleep because he was so worried about his hair. He did eventually fall asleep and seemed to have accepted the change. However, he woke up this morning and refused to go to school…

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May 17, 2019
Read more about the article My #Autistic son did the most amazing thing today
Autism Parenting Insight / Gavin / My thoughts

My #Autistic son did the most amazing thing today

Gavin was able to get his blood work done without any problems. In fact, I wanted to share something cool that Gavin did while he was there. It's no secret that Gavin is a creature of habit. He thrives on routine, especially for things that are scary for him like blood work. Today there was a new tech that Gavin had never met before, and instead of freaking out because of the change, he explained how he likes it done and let her draw his blood. Gavin likes the techs to count to three before sticking him and then warn him before taking the needle out. When he's done, he likes his arm wrapped in cling so he doesn't see the area the needle went into his arm. It's pretty…

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May 16, 2019
Read more about the article One of the most independent things my #Autistic 19 year old does
Autism Parenting Insight / Gavin / My thoughts

One of the most independent things my #Autistic 19 year old does

I didn't sleep well last night, and my amazing wife was kind enough to take the kids to school so I could go back to sleep. ☺ 💙 When I did drag myself out of bed, I was able to get Gavin for his weekly blood work, and that's where I'm residing at the moment. Hopefully, he doesn't have a long wait. This weekly trip is one of the most independent things he does. I drop him off at the lab and wait in the car. We've been coming here for most of his life, and everyone adores him. He's able to sign himself in and answer some routine questions about traveling outside the country. When it's his turn, he goes back, gets his blood draw, and collects three suckers.…

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May 15, 2019
Read more about the article Each day we have left with her is a gift
My thoughts

Each day we have left with her is a gift

Aside from some issues with Gavin this morning, I feel like we've had a pretty good day. After all the drama at the beginning of Gavin's IVIG infusion, it finished up without a single issue. Shortly after, we received a call from the school because Elliott had another nosebleed. He's been getting those recently, and I'm not sure what's going on, but we should probably call his doctor. Emmett was going through something similar this year, but it turned out to be his allergy medication. Once he stopped that, the nosebleeds stopped. Elliott's on the same medication, so perhaps that's the issue. These aren't uncontrollable nosebleeds, but they are happening a couple of times a week. He had one last Friday, and I ended up having to bring him home…

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May 13, 2019