This has been a week full of doctors, again. Most of our visits were for Zach's dental procedure yesterday. Wednesday he had a full physical exam, to be sure he would be OK with anesthesia, then directly to the dental office for a complete set of X-rays since the hospital's equipment was down. That same evening Israel had an ear infection so we ended up in the ER, then yesterday was Zach's procedure, which had he and I in the hospital for half the day. It was a stressful morning, he was so hungry and kept reminding me how bad his stomach hurt. He was scared but brave, and in the end, he did OK. They extracted his 3 top, front teeth, due to excessive wear, then he got 4 crowns and some fillings. He has really weak teeth. While he was under, they also drew some blood, and he will have a whole battery of testing done for a medical diagnosis of Autism, and to check lead levels (can also weaken the teeth, so that makes sense) and thyroid testing. The testing was done by my request, because his special ed teacher recommended it due to his unpredictable aggression. Of course, when he was in the doctor's office for his physical, he was acting so good and easy going, so she was questioning why he was diagnosed with Autism. I am not sure how to feel about that. There are definite characteristics that are autistic, the speech delay, the clumbsiness, the jargoning (which is non-existent these days), the shakey hands and poor fine motor skills, the sensory issues...but part of me wonders with both of my kids, if they are misdiagnosed. For instance, with Zach, most of the symptoms he is exibiting could be for autism or lead poisoning. For Israel, most of his issues could be autism or ADHD. They were both diagnosed as autistic, but only educationally, not medically. Part of me wanted to argue with the doctor when she questioned why Zach was tested for autism, but part of me wondered about the other things. I have read that most autistic children have secondary diagnoses, so maybe it is just that. They both have autistic characteristics, but there are other issues as well. At any rate, we should soon find out about Zach's lead levels, something I have been curious about for a while, and Israel will have his first appointment to get the ball rolling on testing for ADHD on Monday. So hopefully, before I get back to work, we will have a clearer picture of what is going on with both of them. I really need to know with Israel, he has gotten so bad lately that he is continually bringing out the worst in me, and I feel like such an ugly person. It has made me aware of how desperately I need better ways of dealing with my stress/anger when dealing with him. Not that I think I can just make all our problems go away by medicating my children, but it will certainly help us as a family, if everyone has the metabolic balance they need in order to be happy. When Israel acts out, I can tell he is wishing he could control it, and I can also tell that he absolutely cannot do so. What a torment that must be for him. I am sorry it has taken so long for us to get him the help he needs. The truth is, it is only because I have lost my job (thus, qualifying us for medical assistance as a secondary insurance) that I have been able to afford all these doctor appointments.
Zach is really upset about his teeth, about the ones that are gone, and even about the ones with the crowns, but it was necessary, and I know he will get over it in time. He opted to go to school today, and other than directly after coming off the anesthesia, only complained of pain once last night. He is such a tough, resilient kid, and I never cease to be amazed by him! Israel has some way to go, but as a family, we will all get through it together. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Bugs and Spring
Well, another school week begins. Last week was shortened by a scheduled teacher's day off, and by stomach flu (Israel), and this week will be short for Zach, as he will be having his dental work done under anesthesia on Thursday, and will have to get out of school early for a physical on Wed. He may have to miss school on Friday as well, depending on how much pain he has. Thank goodness next week is spring break, so we won't have to worry about missing any school. Each year I think they are going to get yelled at or told they have to repeat a grade for missing so much school, but little can be done sometimes. The dental office I bring Zach to, only does work at the hospital once a month, so we had to take what they offered.
Last Wednesday, I awoke with stomach flu, and the boys showed such compassion and selflessness I was beside myself. Israel bagged up their school snacks for me, they both got dressed by themselves, and both insisted I stay inside and they would make it to their bus stops on their own. Of course, I couldn't allow that, especially since a mix of freezing rain and snow was blanketing the streets and cars were slipping all over. I made it through bus stop duty somehow, and rested the whole day. Every time I thought of how sweet the boys were, it made me so gratful that they are mine. There have been many times when I have wondered if they are even aware of others, and here they were putting my needs in front of theirs. Very impressive.
Poor Israel came home from school that day with a stomach ache, and sure enough, caught my bug. He handled it like a champ, and recovered really quickly, but now has a horrible head cold. I can't wait for spring to "stick" so we can all get back to our healthy selves.
As the year progresses, the boys' teachers are growing less and less patient with them, and I am all too aware that they need to be diagnosed and posibly medicated. I have been reluctant to do this, but it may be the best for them, in order for them to be able to get through school without a nearly daily incident. I think of it as just part of the drill, but their teachers, who handle special need kids, are seeing it as abnormal and disruptive, even for special need kids. And in the long run, it is drawing attention to them, which can be hurting their self-esteem. So, I will finally assert myself to researching how I go about getting them assessed/treated during the course of this week. With Spring break next week, I should be able to get them appointments so they don't have to miss any more school.
All the busy work that needs to be done is less stressful because of the beautiful weather that is forcasted for us this week. It will mean a thaw and melt, which equals lots of muddy clothes/boots! But at least, we won't have to rely on those darn snowpants much longer, they are starting to suffer the fate of all my boys pants, torn knees. Do boys ever grow out of this?
Last Wednesday, I awoke with stomach flu, and the boys showed such compassion and selflessness I was beside myself. Israel bagged up their school snacks for me, they both got dressed by themselves, and both insisted I stay inside and they would make it to their bus stops on their own. Of course, I couldn't allow that, especially since a mix of freezing rain and snow was blanketing the streets and cars were slipping all over. I made it through bus stop duty somehow, and rested the whole day. Every time I thought of how sweet the boys were, it made me so gratful that they are mine. There have been many times when I have wondered if they are even aware of others, and here they were putting my needs in front of theirs. Very impressive.
Poor Israel came home from school that day with a stomach ache, and sure enough, caught my bug. He handled it like a champ, and recovered really quickly, but now has a horrible head cold. I can't wait for spring to "stick" so we can all get back to our healthy selves.
As the year progresses, the boys' teachers are growing less and less patient with them, and I am all too aware that they need to be diagnosed and posibly medicated. I have been reluctant to do this, but it may be the best for them, in order for them to be able to get through school without a nearly daily incident. I think of it as just part of the drill, but their teachers, who handle special need kids, are seeing it as abnormal and disruptive, even for special need kids. And in the long run, it is drawing attention to them, which can be hurting their self-esteem. So, I will finally assert myself to researching how I go about getting them assessed/treated during the course of this week. With Spring break next week, I should be able to get them appointments so they don't have to miss any more school.
All the busy work that needs to be done is less stressful because of the beautiful weather that is forcasted for us this week. It will mean a thaw and melt, which equals lots of muddy clothes/boots! But at least, we won't have to rely on those darn snowpants much longer, they are starting to suffer the fate of all my boys pants, torn knees. Do boys ever grow out of this?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Looking Forward
Things have been flowing along fairly smoothly lately, and I haven't been bloggin much due to a rearranging of our nightly schedule. Now that both of the boys are computer literate, the time I actually get to use the computer is very limited. It's good though, just like Israel, Zach is using phonics to spell out the sites he wants to visit, and he gets pretty close sometimes. It always impresses me.
Israel's teacher told me how remarkable of a writer is, which was a relief to hear, as he had a lot of trouble with writing last year (1st grade). When working on descriptive writing he would write things like, " I like dogs alot and alot and alot and alot. I am a dog man." That's an actual assignment he brought home. While it made me laugh, I worried that he was not catching on to the whole concept of describing things. So, to hear his current teacher say that he is a great writer, I am just happy as a clam!
Zach has been going through a phase where he doesn't want to take the bus home from school. At the beginning of the year, I always picked him up, but now I let the bus bring him home, since the winter brought many slippery roads. He will get over it. I have told him that next year he will be going to the same school as Israel, and while he says he wants to stay at his current school, I know he will love Israel's school, and enjoy seeing Israel during the day, and riding the bus to and from school with him. They are really pretty close, even though they fight. I guess that's true of most siblings.
Even though the boys like the snow, I am looking forward to the warmer weather, to not having to pile on all the snow clothes, and walk so cautiously on the ice. The boys have been talking a lot about swimming lately, and want to do it "a lot" this summer. I guess it might be time to get them some swimming lessons. If we have to be in this state another year, at least there are plenty of fun things to do in the summer time. I'm looking forward to long, warm days with my smiling boys.
Israel's teacher told me how remarkable of a writer is, which was a relief to hear, as he had a lot of trouble with writing last year (1st grade). When working on descriptive writing he would write things like, " I like dogs alot and alot and alot and alot. I am a dog man." That's an actual assignment he brought home. While it made me laugh, I worried that he was not catching on to the whole concept of describing things. So, to hear his current teacher say that he is a great writer, I am just happy as a clam!
Zach has been going through a phase where he doesn't want to take the bus home from school. At the beginning of the year, I always picked him up, but now I let the bus bring him home, since the winter brought many slippery roads. He will get over it. I have told him that next year he will be going to the same school as Israel, and while he says he wants to stay at his current school, I know he will love Israel's school, and enjoy seeing Israel during the day, and riding the bus to and from school with him. They are really pretty close, even though they fight. I guess that's true of most siblings.
Even though the boys like the snow, I am looking forward to the warmer weather, to not having to pile on all the snow clothes, and walk so cautiously on the ice. The boys have been talking a lot about swimming lately, and want to do it "a lot" this summer. I guess it might be time to get them some swimming lessons. If we have to be in this state another year, at least there are plenty of fun things to do in the summer time. I'm looking forward to long, warm days with my smiling boys.
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