Read more about the article Gavin’s orthostatic testing results from our @ClevelandClinic trip
Cleveland Clinic / Gavin / My thoughts / Orthostatic Testing / Pediatric Neurology

Gavin’s orthostatic testing results from our @ClevelandClinic trip

I have a much larger update planned but for the moment, I wanted to let you know how Gavin's orthostatic testing went at the Cleveland Clinic yesterday. Whenever Gavin see his neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic, they have to do orthostatic testing because he has autonomic dysfunction.. Orthostatic testing is simply taking his vitals but doing so while he's physically in different positions. The point is to see how his body physically responds to changing positions. In a normal, healthy person, there shouldn't be much difference between vitals taken while lying down and standing up. Orthostatic Testing Results: Lying Down 114/68 HR 99 Standing Up 118/77 HR 121 These results are considered to be mostly normal and that's a very good thing.. ☺

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May 23, 2018
Read more about the article We’re returning to Pediatric Neurology at the @ClevelandClinic today
Cleveland Clinic / Gavin / My thoughts / Pediatric Neurology

We’re returning to Pediatric Neurology at the @ClevelandClinic today

Gavin has an epilepsy follow-up in Pediatric Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic this afternoon. We'll be leaving shortly and I'm hoping that everything goes well. Today's appointment serves as both a follow-up and a consultation. Gavin is supposed to have an endoscopy and colonoscopy on June 5th. We're worried about how his autonomic dysfunction may increase the risks associated with going under. We also are concerned about the vagal response from shoving the camera down his throat. Hopefully, his specialist at the Cleveland Clinic will be able to address these concerns and diswade some of our fears. I only want good news today because I'm struggling a bit on a personal level this afternoon and I don't think I can take any more bad news in regards to Gavin.

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May 22, 2018
Read more about the article #Autism 101: Understanding Meltdows
Autism 101 / My thoughts / YouTube Video

#Autism 101: Understanding Meltdows

Do you know the difference between an Autism related Meltdown and a tantrum? If you said no, you're probably not alone. Meltdowns are easily one of the most misunderstood facets of Autism and I'm going to help you better understand. When you're done, please help me share it so I can continue educating the public about Autism and Autism Parenting. We desperately need awareness and as Autism becomes more prevalent, more and more people are going to be touched by it. https://youtu.be/fsINiP4G-A8

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May 22, 2018
Read more about the article It was actually a pretty awesome day
My thoughts

It was actually a pretty awesome day

The boys had a great day at school and aside from typical for us bantering, it was a pretty decent evening as well. There's a great deal of anxiety because it's the last week of school and there's always end of the year jitters. We're excited for the summer because we want to make the best of the time we have with them outside of the school year. To perfectly cap off a really good day, I'm excited to say that the car is fixed as of tonight. The bearings were replaced anyway. There's still a ton of things that need fixed, too many things to be honest. That said, a huge thank you to my brother for putting the parts in. ☺ Also, for those keeping track, it's been…

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May 21, 2018
Read more about the article Why his lack of awareness creates problems
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

Why his lack of awareness creates problems

Gavin is struggling a bit more than usual today. He's never really been acutely aware of what's going on around him but he's absolutely oblivious right now. I don't know that there's anything going on today that's really out of the ordinary. There's nothing external to Gavin that seems to be causing him any distress or anything like that. It's important to understand that Gavin's not even aware that he's doing anything problematic because he's not doing any of this on purpose. He's just being himself and going right along with his day. The problem that his lack of awareness means we have to be ever vigilant. I was boiling water on the stove this afternoon and had to make sure that Gavin didn't touch or bump into the pot…

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May 21, 2018
Read more about the article It’s been a great morning, even though it’s a Monday
My thoughts

It’s been a great morning, even though it’s a Monday

We made it to and from the Hartville Farmers Market this morning without any problems. I pulled out roughly $50 and I feel like we cleaned up. For $50, we got the following: A flat of strawberries A flat of blackberries 3 lbs cherries 5 lbs of sweet potatos 5 lbs of peaches 8 lbs of Gala apples 3 mangos Block of head cheese I think this was a pretty good haul. There's something for everyone and if we do this every Monday, hopefully we will be able to keep the kids eating healthier. ☺

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May 21, 2018
Read more about the article The Big Little Brother
Gavin / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

The Big Little Brother

I wanted to talk about something that's becoming an issue and will likely only continue to be an issue going forward. I should probably clarify that when I say issue, I'm referring to more of a challenge we're facing. When Gavin was little, it was pretty easy to miss the fact that he was different than most other kids. I don't mean different in a bad way either, just different. Gavin stopped emotionally maturing about the age of six or seven. Until that point in time, his chronological and emotional ages stacked up nicely. Unfortunately, as he's grown up physically, he's never caught up emotionally and so we have a Gavin that has the body of an eighteen year old but the mind of a six year old. It's now…

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May 21, 2018