Fever Cycles – The Autism Dad

It all happens at noon today

It's already been a hectic morning but I did receive the call I've been waiting on from Emmett's pediatrician. The long and short of things is that Emmett will be seen at noon today. Lizze and I dropping Gavin off with my Mom on the way. We can't risk exposing Gavin to whatever bugs are floating around the pediatrician's office. Hopefully, we'll learn some ways of helping him to feel better. I can see us getting a referral to Gastroenterology, which wouldn't be a bad idea. I don't know how excited Emmett's going to be about going to the doctors but there's no choice st this point. He's missing way too much school and besides that, he's absolutely miserable. I'm looking forward to this appointment because I really worry about…

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March 20, 2018

He’s NOT faking this

Emmett isn't feeling well again this morning and rather than encourage him to go to school and at least try to see if he'll feel better, we're keeping him home. The main reason we're keeping him home is because we'd have to pull him out anyway for his appointment this morning. I don't know what time his appointment is because I haven't heard back yet but I'm supposed to hear something within the next hour. As I mentioned previously, I'm at a loss with the situation. Emmett is not making this up and he's truly miserable. To the absolute best of my knowledge, he's not trying to get out of going to school either. No one who knows him thinks that at all. I just wish we could figure out…

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March 20, 2018

Emmett John / My thoughts / PFAPA

7 reason I know Emmett’s in a fever cycle

As the morning goes on, it's become very clear that Emmett is in a new fever cycle. He's a little tyrant today, and isn't super pleasant to be around. This, taken with all the other symptoms he's presenting with, makes it very clear this is a fever cycle. Unfortunately, he's supposed to be at the dentist in the morning, and he keeps missing these because of fever cycles. In review, here are the symptoms he experiences during a fever cycle: Painful mouth sores Fever Not eating Not sleeping Very moody Very aggressive Joint pain

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June 5, 2017

General Update / My thoughts

I’m ready to quit the school year and here’s why

Here's a super quick update before I go to bed. As of midnight, I haven't a clue as to whether or not either of the boys will be in school. I've got Elliott with a fever and Emmett with worsening mouth sores, but no fever. When I say his mouth sores are getting worse, I'm referring to the fact that they have gone from being on his tongue and throat, to his cheeks, lips and gums. He may not be running a fever but he's in a great deal of pain. To make things worse for poor Emmett, some of these sores are constantly brushing up against his teeth. Gavin went to bed not feeling well. He has a low grade fever, and an upset stomach. Lizze's Mom pointed out…

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May 8, 2017

My thoughts

Why I’m not asleep at 3 AM

Lizze and I had a quiet evening tonight. Her parents ended up taking the boys, and that worked out well because I feel like shit. I'm not sure what's going on, but I just don't feel well. My stomach is upset and my head hurts. I fell asleep on the couch for awhile but it's now 3 AM and I can't fall asleep again. I don't know if this is a stomach bug or if it's the culmination of stress from the past week or so. It doesn't really matter because the end result is the same. I'm hoping to get some sleep tonight and be feeling better in the morning. It's really important to me that I at least make it to my parents reception around lunch time. It…

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May 7, 2017

Emmett John / My thoughts

All about raising a child with complex health issues and school

My wife and I face many challenges in our life. At the moment, one of those challenges centers around our youngest, Emmett. Emmett is eight years old and absolutely loves going to school. He loves learning and excels academically. Unfortunately, Emmett faces challenges that interfere with his ability to attend school sometimes. Between Autism, Anxiety, Sensory Processing issues and a rare fever disorder called PFAPA, we never know of what's going to happen. The sensory issues alone are more than a handful at times. Sensory issues impact people in different ways, and in Emmett's case, eating and wearing clothes present a multitude of challenges. The one that will keep him home from school the most often has to do with not tolerating anything on his feet. The other most common…

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February 16, 2017