So today Steven will have an EEG. Fortunately, we did not have to keep him up all night like we have had to do for Caleb. Steven only had to stay up two hours later than his normal bedtime and then I had to get him up two hours before he normally gets up. With him it's usually a different time, so I went based on the last couple of days, which he's been getting up around 7, so I got him up at 5. The hardest part of this morning is going to be the fact that he cannot eat or drink before the procedure because they are planning on sedating him.
Steven does not like doctors. That's what happens when you have been to the doctor as many times as this little guy has been to in his short little life!!!
We should have the results sometime this afternoon.
Hopefully this is our last EEG for a while seeing as how Cassidy had one in March, Caleb had his annual EEG in April and now this one!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Could You Please Help Us Win an Adaptive Bike for Caleb?
We have decided that we would like Caleb to have an adaptive bike. While he has done the Lose the Training Wheels program for two summers, he does really well on the roller bike, but just cannot get the two wheels down without someone running along side of him. We have also talked to his neurologist and developmental pediatrician and regular pediatrician and think that an adaptive bike (one with three wheels) would be much safer for him if he should have a seizure while bike riding.
Friendship Circle of Michigan is having a giveaway that I have entered Caleb in. The 14 entries with the most votes wins a bike! It would be wonderful if we could get a bike this way for Caleb. Would you please vote for my munchkin.
Here is the voting process:
By Facebook - Click on this link - http://www.facebook.com/FCMichigan?v=app_248518978578050&app_data=entry_id%3D4865099 - and go and vote. Caleb should be the first picture. You may need to like Friendship Circle of Michigan's FB page to be able to vote.
Also, if you could share this with your friends and family and ask them to vote for Caleb as well, I would appreciate it!!
Thank you for helping us!!!!
Friendship Circle of Michigan is having a giveaway that I have entered Caleb in. The 14 entries with the most votes wins a bike! It would be wonderful if we could get a bike this way for Caleb. Would you please vote for my munchkin.
Here is the voting process:
By Facebook - Click on this link - http://www.facebook.com/FCMichigan?v=app_248518978578050&app_data=entry_id%3D4865099 - and go and vote. Caleb should be the first picture. You may need to like Friendship Circle of Michigan's FB page to be able to vote.
Also, if you could share this with your friends and family and ask them to vote for Caleb as well, I would appreciate it!!
Thank you for helping us!!!!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
New Post
There's a new post on my private blog. If you want to read it, please send me your e-mail address and I'll send you an invite.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
My Little Pity Party
The month of April was a very difficult month for our family, seeing as how we tried to admit Cassidy to the psychiatric hospital three times in two months, two of them being within 11 days of each other, in April.
I think when you have a special needs child there are times when a parent/parents are going to get run down. When you multiply that by three, it's not a wonder that someone would get run down.
Tony is a wonderful help with the kids and I know that he has been extra stressed at work by taking on new duties on an interim basis and having employee issues to deal with, so he needs time to unwind and there is so much chaos in our house, that there is not a lot of time.
Well, Saturday morning I ended up having a little pity party of my own and, you know what, I think it did me some good! Now, I am not saying that this should happen on a regular basis, I'm just saying, that there are times that you just need to get it out!
I am so thankful for all of our friends that have been praying for us, listening to us and offering to help. It is very much appreciated!!!!!
I pray that May is a much better month for our family!
I think when you have a special needs child there are times when a parent/parents are going to get run down. When you multiply that by three, it's not a wonder that someone would get run down.
Tony is a wonderful help with the kids and I know that he has been extra stressed at work by taking on new duties on an interim basis and having employee issues to deal with, so he needs time to unwind and there is so much chaos in our house, that there is not a lot of time.
Well, Saturday morning I ended up having a little pity party of my own and, you know what, I think it did me some good! Now, I am not saying that this should happen on a regular basis, I'm just saying, that there are times that you just need to get it out!
I am so thankful for all of our friends that have been praying for us, listening to us and offering to help. It is very much appreciated!!!!!
I pray that May is a much better month for our family!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
New Post on Private Blog
I have a new post on my private blog. If you want to read it, please let me know and I will send you an invite!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Ultimate Blog Party 2012
I am joining the Special Needs section of the Ultimate Blog Party 2012. Please join me and check out some other special needs blogs!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
World Autism Day (April 2nd) and the Reason I'm Trying to Get the Word Out
When I scheduled Caleb's EEG, I wasn't even thinking that the day that we were scheduling it for was World Autism Day.
Sunday night we stayed up until about 2:30 a.m. because I just couldn't stay up any longer and needed some sleep so that I could drive to the hospital, since Tony had to stay at the house to get Cassidy on the bus. Caleb couldn't eat Monday morning due to the sedation, which made things start on a rough patch, but I thought we were over it by the time we got to the hospital.
We got checked in and waited for the registrar to come and get us. She never came out of her office, but called for us from her desk. We went in, verified his insurance information and she printed the arm band. As I was trying to talk quietly to Caleb about which arm he wanted his arm band on, the registrar came from around the desk and leaned down and immediately started reaching for his arm. I was trying to tell her that she needed to wait, but she just kept coming and Caleb started screaming and kicking. I was trying to restrain him, but with my shoulder still being very sore, it was quite difficult. Another registrar came in and just grabbed his arm, which caused Caleb to kick her.
The lady that checked us in came in and told them not to worry about it, just to call upstairs and tell them that he refused to put it on and to attach it to the paperwork. She said that she would walk us upstairs, even though I knew exactly where we were going, since we've been there so many times!
As we were walking down the hall, Caleb started refusing to move. I got his arm and told him he was coming with me. He tried hitting and kicking and I and the hospital employee had hold of his arm. We were walking toward the elevator and saw a hospital security officer. The person walking us asked the officer to come with us. He started following us and Caleb turned his head and started spitting. I covered his mouth while holding his arm and the officer took the other arm. When we finally got in the elevator, Caleb was still spitting and trying to kick. The officer pinned him up against the wall of the elevator.
When we finally got to the PICU area, Caleb was screaming and kicked the officer really hard in the leg.
By the time we got to the PICU room, another officer was there. He ended up taking over for me and I just lost it. I had flashbacks to the time that we had to try and readmit Caleb to the psychiatric hospital the day after he was admitted and he had to be restrained by three grown men because he was so out of control.
One of the nurses asked me if I wanted to rescheduled. Are you kidding me? I actually laughed at her and told her, "No!" I went on to explain that if he got away with not getting the procedure done that day, we'd have even more problems the next time we came in. I was on the phone with Tony when she asked me that!
I even told Caleb at one point that if he didn't start calming down and stop hurting people, I would make them tie him to the bed, like we had to do the day he was admitted to the PICU a couple of years ago because the psych hospital that had just released him after cutting one of his meds in half wouldn't readmit him!
We made it through the initial exam without too much incident, but then came time for the IV insertion. It took seven of us, the child life specialist, me, two officers and three nurses, to hold him down for the IV. While it has taken us upwards of four people to hold him down before, it just goes to show you that he is getting so much stronger and I have no idea what the future is going to hold. Tonight I heard a wonderful speaker at our church's women's event and one thing that stuck with me is that although it is important to think down the road, we do need to live in the here and now and not worry about the future, because number one, God knows the future, and nothing we do to worry about it can change it. So for right now I choose to live in the here and now and continue to try and educate people and make sure they hear me and listen before trying to get into my child's face!
Sunday night we stayed up until about 2:30 a.m. because I just couldn't stay up any longer and needed some sleep so that I could drive to the hospital, since Tony had to stay at the house to get Cassidy on the bus. Caleb couldn't eat Monday morning due to the sedation, which made things start on a rough patch, but I thought we were over it by the time we got to the hospital.
We got checked in and waited for the registrar to come and get us. She never came out of her office, but called for us from her desk. We went in, verified his insurance information and she printed the arm band. As I was trying to talk quietly to Caleb about which arm he wanted his arm band on, the registrar came from around the desk and leaned down and immediately started reaching for his arm. I was trying to tell her that she needed to wait, but she just kept coming and Caleb started screaming and kicking. I was trying to restrain him, but with my shoulder still being very sore, it was quite difficult. Another registrar came in and just grabbed his arm, which caused Caleb to kick her.
The lady that checked us in came in and told them not to worry about it, just to call upstairs and tell them that he refused to put it on and to attach it to the paperwork. She said that she would walk us upstairs, even though I knew exactly where we were going, since we've been there so many times!
As we were walking down the hall, Caleb started refusing to move. I got his arm and told him he was coming with me. He tried hitting and kicking and I and the hospital employee had hold of his arm. We were walking toward the elevator and saw a hospital security officer. The person walking us asked the officer to come with us. He started following us and Caleb turned his head and started spitting. I covered his mouth while holding his arm and the officer took the other arm. When we finally got in the elevator, Caleb was still spitting and trying to kick. The officer pinned him up against the wall of the elevator.
When we finally got to the PICU area, Caleb was screaming and kicked the officer really hard in the leg.
By the time we got to the PICU room, another officer was there. He ended up taking over for me and I just lost it. I had flashbacks to the time that we had to try and readmit Caleb to the psychiatric hospital the day after he was admitted and he had to be restrained by three grown men because he was so out of control.
One of the nurses asked me if I wanted to rescheduled. Are you kidding me? I actually laughed at her and told her, "No!" I went on to explain that if he got away with not getting the procedure done that day, we'd have even more problems the next time we came in. I was on the phone with Tony when she asked me that!
I even told Caleb at one point that if he didn't start calming down and stop hurting people, I would make them tie him to the bed, like we had to do the day he was admitted to the PICU a couple of years ago because the psych hospital that had just released him after cutting one of his meds in half wouldn't readmit him!
We made it through the initial exam without too much incident, but then came time for the IV insertion. It took seven of us, the child life specialist, me, two officers and three nurses, to hold him down for the IV. While it has taken us upwards of four people to hold him down before, it just goes to show you that he is getting so much stronger and I have no idea what the future is going to hold. Tonight I heard a wonderful speaker at our church's women's event and one thing that stuck with me is that although it is important to think down the road, we do need to live in the here and now and not worry about the future, because number one, God knows the future, and nothing we do to worry about it can change it. So for right now I choose to live in the here and now and continue to try and educate people and make sure they hear me and listen before trying to get into my child's face!
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