Read more about the article It’s total chaos this morning
Autism Parenting Struggles / Cleveland Clinic / Gavin / My thoughts / Psychiatry

It’s total chaos this morning

Today has turned into chaos. I had everything planned out, and we were going to be dropping the boys off at Lizze's parents before high tailing it to the Cleveland Clinic for Gavin's long afternoon of testing. Unfortunately, Lizze woke up super early this morning and was in excruciating pain. Nothing is helping, and she's in so much pain, that she's sick to her stomach. There's no way she can make the trip. We're running behind, the house has erupted into chaos, and I'm stressing out cause I hate doing these things alone. I'm very capable, but I don't like doing them alone. Lizze always has great insight, and with both of us there, we have the bases covered. I'm not mad at all. I'm just not excited about the…

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June 11, 2019
Read more about the article Gavin has major testing today at the @ClevelandClinic
Cleveland Clinic / Gavin / My thoughts / Psychiatry

Gavin has major testing today at the @ClevelandClinic

Today is a massive day for us. Gavin will be spending the day at the Cleveland Clinic for one of the most critical appointments he's had in a very long time. Gavin will be undergoing another round of neuropsych testing. It's been many, many years since he went through this battery of testing the first time and it's long overdue. It's very difficult to get in to have this done because they were booked out so far into the future. We also had insurance issues that indefinitely delayed things as well. Click here for previous posts on neuropsych testing and why it's important. Basically, Gavin will undergo hours of psych testing today. The purpose of this is to see where he is cognitively, as well as emotionally, and compare it…

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June 11, 2019
Read more about the article My 19-year-old #Autistic son has a touching moment with my grandmother
Autism Parenting Insight / Gavin / My thoughts

My 19-year-old #Autistic son has a touching moment with my grandmother

Gavin is my 19-year-old Autistic son. While he's 19 years old on the outside, he's about 5 or 6 years old on the inside. This presents many challenges for him, many I talk about on this blog. One of the significant challenges for Gavin is pretty much anything to do with emotion. He's always struggled with emotion, which isn't uncommon for people on the Autism Spectrum. Gavin has never been able to express himself easily, and that has led to frustration on his part but also our part as well. Autism is a complicated and misunderstood human condition. In Gavin's case, he also has schizophrenia as well and that further complicates things. He's often out of touch with reality and off fighting battles in another Universe where he's a superhero.…

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June 10, 2019
Read more about the article Review: The Nixplay Iris Cloud Frame is a fantastic digital frame (@nixplaycloud)
My thoughts / Reviews

Review: The Nixplay Iris Cloud Frame is a fantastic digital frame (@nixplaycloud)

At the time of writing this review, Father's Day is quickly approaching, and one of the coolest things you can give a Dad in this digital age is a digital picture frame. I've been a Dad for almost twenty years, and memories are something that I cherish. In my opinion, the best way to display those memories is with a digital picture frame. On the off chance that you are unfamiliar with digital frames, they're picture frames with an HD display built in. This display allows you to show countless pictures, without having to pull the frame down, remove and replace the photo. I've used tons of digital frames over the years, and the Nixplay Iris is a cloud frame and easily among the best I've used. I'm a tech-savvy…

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June 9, 2019
Read more about the article This is a f*cking nightmare every week
Clozapine / Gavin / Medication Management / My thoughts

This is a f*cking nightmare every week

It's Sunday, and we still have not been able to get Gavin's Clozapine refill. He has his bloodwork done every Wednesday morning, but the pharmacy either doesn't check for the labs, or they aren't sent to them in the first place. We end up waiting and waiting for the refill to come in. I set everything up so that there's a few days of overlap, and we have a backup supply as well. Timing is of the essence with Clozapine because he can't ever miss more than two doses. Lizze called again today, and they should have it ready in the morning. We still have his backup supply, so he's not missed anything. That being said, it's incredibly frustrating. There's so much red tape surrounding Clozapine, and it's a nightmare…

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June 9, 2019
Read more about the article I’m fighting #Depression tonight
Confessions / Depression Management / My thoughts

I’m fighting #Depression tonight

We had a pretty good day. I didn't make it to the park to go walking, but it's okay because I needed to rest instead. I use Biostrap to track my vitals, and it tracks tons of valuable information. It also lets you know when you've recovered from the previous day's workout, and when you need to rest. Friday I had a great day, but after a night of terrible sleep Friday night, Saturday wasn't so great. Frankly, my sleep wasn't the best on Friday either, but overall, I was in a much better place both physically and emotionally. ☺ Anyway, the whole point is that I didn't mind taking the day off from walking. Lizze wasn't doing so well and wasn't able to keep up with the boys. It…

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June 9, 2019
Read more about the article I was completely unprepared my #Autistic son’s heartbreaking emotional reaction
Autism Parenting Heartbreak / Autism Parenting Insight / Elliott / Emmett John / Gavin / My thoughts

I was completely unprepared my #Autistic son’s heartbreaking emotional reaction

One of the biggest challenges my wife and I have faced as Autism parents is something that thankfully, doesn't present itself very often. When it does, however, it's very difficult to navigate. That challenge has to do with the death of a family member. Thankfully, that doesn't occur very often, but it's something that we all have to face throughout our lives. Before we get into our current situation, I want to provide a bit of background and context. We've lost two grandparents in the last eight months, and for the first time, we allowed the kids to participate in the process. We've always shielded them from these things because of their limited ability to cope with emotional situations. It doesn't get more emotional than the loss of a loved…

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June 8, 2019
Read more about the article Heartbreaking: We do what we must for those that we love
Autism Parenting Heartbreak / Gavin / My thoughts / Schizophrenia

Heartbreaking: We do what we must for those that we love

I'm way behind on this update, but life has been getting in the way of writing. That said, what better time than the present to get everyone caught up. This particular update is in regards to Gavin and Wednesday night therapy. I had mentioned that he was chomping at the bit to update us on the missions he's been on recently. I also said that my enthusiasm for those updates was a bit lacking because it's a lot to take in, and it's a reminder of just how much he struggles with reality. It's important to me that I be supportive of him, but at the same time, I can't feed into his delusions. It's a very blurry line on the best of days, and it's not easy at all…

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June 7, 2019