 |
| Someone was having fun with my phone! |
Would you believe it if I said that Elsabeth has been the easiest child to take care of this winter?
This time last year, I was so worried about child #6 on the way. How was I going to care for and educate SIX children?!
All of that melted away as we focused on getting her the lifesaving treatments she needed. As things stabilized for her, my other five children needed me more than ever.
Because we had met all of our out of pocket deductible expenses last year, I did my best to maximize our coverage by having the kids tested for every single thing I could think of. I knew that Alvin had some learning issues that was affecting his reading. So I pursued Speech and Occupational Therapy assessments. I was suspicious that Dee had either/or ADHD and Sensory Processing issues. This required both boys to get in depth vision and auditory screenings as well as meeting with various therapists.
Alvin is indeed dyslexic with executive function delays. He is in therapy three times a week. He is using the Integrated Listening System along with a speech and occupational therapist. I have real hope that by the end of the summer he will be miles ahead in his reading comprehension as well as improved balance and coordination, executive function and speech.
Dee has surprised me in so many ways. His hearing and vision are both excellent. Too excellent, I believe. He has "supersonic" hearing, to quote the audiologist. Yet his auditory processing is at the low end of normal. He is gifted in Visual Perception. Not only is he testing like an adult in visual spatial skills, he revealed to me last week that he can see what ever he imagines in his mind and build on it. He calls it "photoshopping". His therapist said she had never heard of anyone doing that before. I'm sure there are people who can imagine building blocks and manipulate them in their mind. But maybe that is a more unusual trait. The problem that Dee is facing is that he is too sensitive to his environment on the one hand, yet he seeks stimulation on the other. That means he craves movement, input in his joints and muscles and fills that need by spinning, jumping, rolling, falling. He is an adrenaline junkie. Thankfully he is very coordinated and strong, so he is usually safe even if risky. He also seeks noise and visual stimulation. He creates his own chaos by drumming, humming, singing, loud and rowdy play, staring at lights because of the "weird" patterns it causes. At the same time, he gets overwhelmed very quickly. He can't handle hunger, itchy clothes, someone bumping into him or any sort of uncomfortable sensation. He is very sensitive to temperature changes as well as strong emotions. He is seeing the same occupational therapist as Alvin, once a week. He is also seeing a counselor every few weeks to talk about how to deal with the strong emotions that come with this sensory barrage.
Cy has long been a puzzle to me. I have exhausted our brilliant and patient pediatrician's resources. Yes, he has a long list of food and environmental allergies. He has asthma. This landed him in the hospital about a month ago. He seems to have systemic inflammation throughout his body. He hurts all over, in his joints and muscles. On Super Bowl Sunday he jarred his spine and the very next day started myoclonic spasms. This set off a whirlwind month of doctor's appointments, tests, ER visits and general panic. Are they seizures? Is it MS? It's getting worse. Is it a spinal injury? Why can't we see the neurologist any sooner? MRIs and EEGs. The diagnosis:Tic Disorder. Maybe it will go away. Maybe it will develop into Tourette's. I had one last doctor to try, a neurological chiropractor. The only one in the state of Oklahoma is providentially located in my hometown. He believes that Cy's asthma attack was in response to a virus that was also attacking his brain. When he zoomed off the end of a slide, jarring his tailbone, it triggered a response in his brainstem which has set off this chain reaction of spasms, tics and muscle soreness. He is going to need rehab three times a week.
Add in regular doctor's appointments, check ups with the pulmonologist, cardiologist, ophthalmologist (Dee has calcium deposits along his optic nerve, I am monitored for retinal detachment and Cy was having blurred vision and sensitivity to light from this brain injury) and allergy shots, not to mention general Urgent Care visits for various and sundry weird stuff, and I'm just plain tired.
This has been one of the most challenging seasons I have ever gone through. It has been incredibly long. New things keep popping up. I don't know what to expect next. I don't know how to plan for any given day. I don't know which direction to take for school.
So, I pray. I Google. I listen to audiobooks with the kids in the car as we drive hundreds of miles and dozens of hours every week to and from appointments. Somehow, some way, it all works out by the end of the day.
By God's grace we survive.
Join me Thursday for a peek into our lives as I participate in the Homeschooling Day in the Life series from Simple Homeschool
BYOC
Bring Your Own Coffee
We are both going to need it!
No comments:
Post a Comment