Read more about the article Time off for good behavior
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

Time off for good behavior

If the boys are feeling better tomorrow, Lizze and I will get a desperately needed break. It's been nonstop since last Friday, neither one of us have been sleeping well, and we need to unplug ASAP. Assuming we get time off for good behavior, we probably won't do anything particularly exciting. Funds are tight, and Lizze hasn't been feeling well, so the likelihood that we'll actually get out of the house is not high. Maybe I'll grab some takeout or something simple like that. Lizze and I have never really been able to do many of the things that couples do for fun. Either we don't have the money, time or even the energy. It kind of sucks and I'm really trying to improve our situation, so we are afforded…

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April 19, 2019
Read more about the article Today we follow-up with Gavin’s doctor
Gavin / My thoughts

Today we follow-up with Gavin’s doctor

Elliott and Emmett are both home from school due to illness. Thankfully, there's no school tomorrow so they will have the weekend to recover. In just a little while, I'll take Gavin to his doctor's appointment at Akron Children's. This is a follow-up from hospitalization this past weekend. I'm not expecting anything crazy to come from this and I'm looking forward to starting the long weekend...

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April 18, 2019
Read more about the article After tonight’s events, we have 3 major concerns
Gavin / My thoughts

After tonight’s events, we have 3 major concerns

With everyone being sick and by everyone I mean Elliott and Emmett, it was just Gavin at therapy tonight. I'm at a loss as to how to describe what took place while we were there. That sounds ominous, and it's not really anything like that. Gavin had been anxiously awaiting the appointment because he wanted to update both Dr. Pattie and myself on the day's adventures. What ended up happening was Gavin spent an hour, rambling on about the recent code z stuff I was talking about this morning, along with a ton of other things. The themes of these missions were all good vs. evil. I'm a little concerned about the violent nature of some of his actions on these missions. I'm actually quite a bit concerned by some…

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April 17, 2019
Read more about the article This week is rapidly going downhill
My thoughts

This week is rapidly going downhill

So Emmett and Elliott are both home sick today. Emmett was up most of the night complaining of his back hurting, a headache, and his face hurting as well. I thought that was kinda weird. He's getting worse as the day wears on and he's also running a fever now. Mr. Elliott is moving around a bit more, but he's got an awful cough and is still running a fever as well. He's spent most of the day laying in bed, which tells me he's definitely not feeling well. We're keeping an eye on both of them and trying to keep them both hydrated, which is proving to be a challenge, especially for Emmett. I spoke with the school today, and there's a bunch of crap going around, we are…

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April 17, 2019
Read more about the article Code Z
Autism Parenting Struggles / Clozapine / Gavin / My thoughts / Schizophrenia

Code Z

Another day, another psychotic episode. Last night, Gavin came running into the living room and was visibly upset. He began nervously pacing back and forth before blurting out code z. I wasn't paying close attention to what he was saying because he's psychotic and saying all kinds of crazy things. I don't mean that disrespectfully but instead it's literally what's happening in my house right now. After he began shouting code z - code z, I was concerned about his little brothers hearing him, so I calmed Gavin down and asked him to explain to me quietly what was going on. Even paying meticulous attention to his words left me struggling to follow what the hell he was talking about but here's what I gathered. Code Z stands for Code…

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April 17, 2019
Read more about the article Every day it seems there’s more to worry about
Autism Parenting Struggles / Gavin / My thoughts

Every day it seems there’s more to worry about

It's been a chaotic day for me. Elliott was home sick, Lizze isn't feeling good, and Emmett is struggling in his own way. Don't even get me started on Gavin. Today brought to light a new concern in regards to Gavin. When we were at his neurologist a week or so ago, he weighed 137 lbs. That was progress in our efforts to help him gain weight. I noticed yesterday, when I was trying to help him with his infusion, he has almost no body fat. It's so difficult to do these infusions because the subcutaneous needles end up hitting muscle. Not only is that painful but I think it's also contributing to the issues with the infusion sites always leaking. This morning I had Gavin step on the scale,…

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April 17, 2019
Read more about the article A Gentle Reminder: Don’t forget to focus on you
Autism Parenting Advice / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

A Gentle Reminder: Don’t forget to focus on you

Gavin's struggles continue to increase, as do my constant levels of stress and anxiety. While it's not Gavin's fault, the constants associated with managing his behaviors is quite taxing, and considering I'm only human, it's essential I manage this stress the best I can. The reality is, being an Autism parent is among the toughest jobs any person can do. It's very rewarding and absolutely worth it, but it's in a category of challenge that exists unto itself. It's critical that I make self-care an absolute priority in my life. If I don't, I'll run myself into the ground trying to be everything for everyone and end up not doing any good for anyone. I wanted to remind my readers that it's not a bad thing to be selfish from…

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April 16, 2019
Read more about the article Even the smallest changes can be disruptive to my #Autistic kids
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts

Even the smallest changes can be disruptive to my #Autistic kids

Mr. Elliott is home from school due to illness. He was actually sent home from school yesterday with a low-grade fever and cough. Since you have to be 24 hours without a fever before returning to school, he's currently resting in his room. Emmett was not happy about having to go to school alone, and Lizze did a fantastic job of helping him work through that. He's still not happy, but he made it to school and will hopefully have a good day. As with many kids on the Autism Spectrum, he doesn't like changes to his well-established routine. It doesn't really matter how big or small the change may be, he doesn't like it. Honestly, as a parent, it can be exhausting trying to keep up with everyone's routine…

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April 16, 2019