Read more about the article How helping others helps me to cope with being an #Autism parent
Autism Parenting Advice / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

How helping others helps me to cope with being an #Autism parent

This may sound like it would be counterproductive, but one of the best ways to cope with the stress of being an Autism parent is to use your experience to help others. That's sound crazy right? I know it does but let me explain. When I first began my Autism parenting journey almost seventeen years ago, the stress was unbearable. I was on edge all the time and barely slept. I didn't know what to do and felt like I was completely lost in the dark, trying to find my way. I began blogging under the title Lost and Tired. It was basically a digital journal that helped me to process things. I could write about what I experienced or how I felt and walk away from it feeling lighter.…

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February 12, 2018
Read more about the article Gavin’s not having a good day
Gavin / My thoughts

Gavin’s not having a good day

Gavin's having a rough morning. For starters, his routine is thrown off because he's not getting his bloodwork done today. The new day for that is Wednesday's. His IVIG infusion is leaking from the left needle and that always freaks him out. It's pretty easy to fix but it's not without additional pain. It's good that he's working through it but it's not very graceful.. Lastly, and this one is driving me crazy. He has been nonstop complaining about a hang nail on his right index finger. All of the crazy things he's endured or is currently enduring, and the kid is freaking out over a hang nail. He's always been this way and they tell me it's sensory related. Back when he suffering from very serious behavioral problems, he…

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February 12, 2018
Read more about the article Another example of why Monday’s suck
Meltdowns

Another example of why Monday’s suck

Mondays suck. I don't know what it about a Monday but it just seems like they never go well. This morning for example, we woke up to Maggie puking up a bunch of Slim Jim wrappers and we have no idea where she found them. The only thing we can think of is that she found them outside, in which case, I need to search through the yard and find the source of this problem. Emmett is not in a good mood this morning and has been raging on and off since he woke up. Elliott on the other hand, is up and ready to go without any problems. Lizze got up right away and took Ruby outside, only to have her come back inside the house to poop. Ruby…

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February 12, 2018
Read more about the article A major milestone in my battle with #Depression
Confessions / Depression Management / Medications / My thoughts

A major milestone in my battle with #Depression

I've been openly talking about my torrid relationship with depression for a long time now. It's important to speak openly and honestly because I want people to know that it's okay to talk about depression. There's no shame in battling depression and I think that when we suffer in silence, it's that much harder to stay afloat. At the same time, I understand why many people don't talk about it. Unless you're living with depression, it's very difficult to understand it. I have an update in regards to my current battle with depression. It's a big one and I'm feeling really good about it. Tonight marked the beginning of the third phase of my withdrawal from Paxil. That means I'm officially two months into the process and have one month…

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February 12, 2018
Read more about the article The other shoe just dropped
Gavin / Medication Management / My thoughts

The other shoe just dropped

Anytime we get even a tiny bit of good news, deep down inside, we're waiting for the other shoe to drop. There were three things that I needed to go well today. One was Gavin's lab work, another was Ruby's appointment and finally resolving whatever is causing problems with his Clozapine prescription. I'm not sure what to think about Gavin's labs (see Why good news doesn't always make me feel better), but Ruby's appointment went well (see The first solid piece of good news this week). The last thing has to do with Gavin's meds and that brings me to the other shoe that just dropped. There was a delivery of medications this afternoon and dispite being promised they would fill it, the pharmacy still didn't have Gavin's prescription ready.…

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February 9, 2018