It's been a really, really long day filled with Emmett screaming,  kicking and fighting.  When Elliott came home from school he added his own screaming to the mix. It was like a duet from hell. It was horribly out of tune,  ear piercing and headache inducing. I would be lying to you if I said that Autism wasn't exhausting,  because it is totally exhausting. Gavin was really the only one who actually listened tonight. Kudos to him for setting a good example tonight. The boys are in bed and Lizze and I have settled onto the couch and are watching our new/old show on NetFlix. Ever since we watched the series Lost,  we haven't found another show that we both are into and can watch together. Since we don't have…

Emmett is in the period,  right before he spikes a fever and gets the mouth sores.  We have learned the signs over the past year or so. He becomes extremely irritable and much more aggressive.  Typically,  his hands get really got and he becomes very fussy. The last tell tail sign is that he stops eating. Right now,  all signs point to the start of a new fever cycle. These cycles can last for 10 days and are no fun for anyone,  least of all,  Emmett. We are heading into a 4 day weekend so this isn't the ideal way to start things out. As long as he can still make it to the rheumatologist on Monday so we can figure out what is going on,  I'll deal with whatever…

Monday is the long awaited trip to the Rheumatologist for Emmett. Emmett was referred a little while ago by his Immunologist. As many of you know, Emmett has been diagnosed with Autism as well as a fever disorder. Basically, Emmett runs a fever about every 2 or three weeks. The fevers are accompanied by a mouth full of huge -and I mean that literally, they are huge- cold sores. This lasts about a week or so. He had surgery last year to remove his tonsils and adenoids because they are thought to be linked to this disorder. While it did help, it hasn't eliminated the issue. In some cases it has even gotten worse. Anyway, at his last followup with the Immunologist at Akron Children's Hospital, Emmett was referred to the Rheumatologist. Immunology believes…

Elliott was a complete disaster this morning.  His anxiety is through the roof and he was refusing to go to school. I'm not sure what his reasons were because all he was doing was screaming and crying. The poor guy is really struggling right now.  :-( I hate sending him to school like that but he has to go.  His school is totally understanding and will help him through this. Today is the last day of school before a four day weekend.  Looks like it will be a fun one...   Sigh.. **Thanks for reading**        -Lost and Tired Please join our Community Autism Support Forum Posted from WordPress for Android

You might remember,  earlier this week we had another issue with the toilet in our only bathroom. A quick recap for those who missed out on the fun earlier this week. Basically,  Emmett flushed several,  empty toilet paper rolls down the toilet. Now,  in his defense,  they had been collecting and proved to be a temptation that he simply couldn't resist. Anyway, this is the 2nd or 3rd time this has happened in the last few months. I spent a good portion of the day plunging the crappie out of that toilet.  Oh..look.. I made a funny :-) The plunger actually broke, so Elliott -who was still manic at the time- and I had to go buy a new one.  Elliott at the store is tough on a good day. …

As with any medication,  results will vary.  Everyone's mileage will be different. We found that out the hard way with Elliott,  our 5 year old Aspie. Elliott was started on a very low dose of Zoloft for his extreme anxiety. Elliott began taking 5 mg/day last week.  He was on it for a total of 3 days before the doctor pulled him off. Even at the tiny dose,  Elliott had a very negative reaction.  He basically went manic.  He was bouncing off the walls,  had insomnia and rapid mood swings. While he was only on the meds for 3 days,  it took almost 5 days for his symptoms to subside,  at least for the most part. However,  during that time,  he missed about 4 days of school. He returned to…