Category: health

autism, Christmas, medications, transcription

the keyboard calls again —

criscollrj

and once again I’m getting addicted to transcription!

User: dori

Comments: copied update with some additions at the bottom as I’ve been too busy to post anywhere – hope everyone is well – I’m TIRED! but happy, mostly ;}

Hello! been working on all sorts of things, Trying to send from gmail again – we’ll see if it works. I reconfigured it. I found out today I wasn’t getting mail from a manager out at Rapid Text as well – I emailed them about it (I read about the emails on my board) and never heard back, so just called them and she found my emails in her spam folder! So I’m definitely hoping this gmail works as something seems goofy with sbcglobal!
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adhd, autism, health, medications, sleep

Welcome back to morning naps

criscollrj

Chris HAS been sleeping well at night for months, but was having more assertive (to put it mildly!) behavior during the day.  After struggling for several weeks (months?) with his having trouble obeying limits and NOT pulling on our arms where he wants us to go, pulling us along the road, hallways, kitchen, wherever something is that he wants, or trying to leave places he didn’t want to be, we called an emergency appt. with the psychiatrist.  He is a very caring doctor and listened to us and actually got to witness the “wanting to leave” behavior in his office, as did his staff in the waiting room (they called in an assistant for us to help as I had Ryan with me too). 

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health, travel

Harrison the Mouse, and our trip story

criscollrj

and other every day occurrences!  In a life that’s so unique sometimes, it’s kind of liberating to know we have problems like other people’s. 😉

After our oldest son Chris enjoyed quite a bit of a movie downstairs with us (RV – pretty cute!) we were getting ready to go upstairs (he had wanted a shower a few times during the movie and had gone up for his 2nd or 3rd one).  I was going in the laundry room to check on the towel load (it never dries in one cycle) and Rog drew in a deep breath and I said, “What is it?”  He replied that he saw the mouse (the phantom mouse that we’ll see once or twice and never see again so we think it’s gone).  Colleen had already named it Harrison.  We had half-heartedly bought traps last early winter and set them, but then de-activated them when we’d seen nothing of Harrison(s) for weeks and our lovely Spice escaped down into the basement and in her 8th life did NOT get trapped by one (she later did die in the basement in the sump pump though). 

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children, health, Weather

The Fall Cold

criscollrj


halloween 001

Originally uploaded by criscollrj.

The fall cold:
In my HEAD
In my CHEST
And COMING SOON – outside!
Ah well. OF course, this is normal. All of it. 3 days into the head cold, and eager to be done with it! My energy is down. Then, bracing for the outdoor cold coming tomorrow – possible snow! But me, I’m strange, I kind of like it. I remember when Colleen was Ryan’s age and she said “snow on the pumpkins!” I’d like to hear my Ryan say that.

But he’s coming along – he regularly says “pumpkin.” And yesterday he looked up at the full moon without my prompting and said “moon” (but pronounced it “moan” ha ha!).  And it was the early morning chilly air, waiting for the bus for his preschool, and a bird flew across the sky in the dawn and he said “bird” and pointed.

Coming soon, the story of our Atwood Lake day on Sunday and how Chris found Nancy! (We were lost and separated from our friend gang….)

 

 

autism, children, health

The perfect post

criscollrj

All week I’ve been wanting to post in here, and I never have the time.  I keep composing posts in my head when I’m away from the computer, but once I sit down I never get to it.  Hopefully one day the two will synchronize…

My dream is for this to be a profound journal about our thoughts and experiences with autism and deafness, and also my life journal, and an interesting photo blog, and a sharing and teaching area where we can both learn from others and have them learn from us.  I know this is not a goal that one can loftily achieve immediately – especially when one is typing with a 4 1/2 year old child on their back climbing on them in the chair —

yee haw..

Ahh he settled back down.

no – he’s not.

A few minutes later – we’ve looked at some Flickr pics again we took and now I’m going to try and write more.

Continue reading “The perfect post” →

adhd, medications

STRATTERA

criscollrj

Has anyone here taken Strattera? After reading about it on the net I’m a little NERVOUS. But I’ll still try it. Hey if I can give Chris geodon and Colleen concerta, then I may as well be a guinea pig too— just kidding, kinda.

Seems one loves it, or hates it. I hope I do okay. Starting on 40 mgs tomorrow. BTW, I faxed Colleen/Ryan’s neuro on their problems and we’ll see what he says (colleen’s increased daydreaming, and the aggressiveness Ryan showed at day care).

 

college, health

my crazy life goes on…

criscollrj

Hello everyone! Sorry I’ve been scarce. hope everyone is well! I had a crazy morning but just resting now. I decided not to go to the exercise class originally because I had a headache AND had to go to the store. Still hoping to go 2x a week but only been there once so far.

I’m going with Ryan to Giant Eagle after he gets home, and rest and clean while he’s at school. I’m going to take a shower/bath in a little while. I’ve already done half the dailies. I just got the shakes because I didn’t eat any protein this morning so I just had an egg sandwich and hopefully those shakes will calm down. Maybe I’m shaking from the migraine meds too…

I may also have a headache because I’m out of cocacola – don’t know. Going to buy some at the store – yum!

This morning I lost Ryan’s hearing aides, bookbag, and shoes, and my library card. I found the hearing aides in time for school (remembered I’d put them in this little bag) but not the shoes until after he went to school in sandals. Still haven’t found the bookbag or the library card. Luckily the library renewed them over the phone with my drivers license, but said it was a one-time favor.

My aide was in an accident as in the hospital! I don’t know any more than that. Prayers appreciated!

Rog is doing good. Got 248 files done yesterday and his goal today is 300. Then tomorrow he should be finishing up and come home. God is providing and sustaining us.

I’m still looking at court reporting or captioning so I can bring in hopefully in one day what it takes a week to make now – that would be more worth it. I wish I could start the court reporting course now but know it’s above my ability with all on my plate at this time. http://www.tri-c.edu/catalog/0305/sequences/programs/court.htm And from what I’ve seen it’s all online, I believe. So I would hardly have to leave the house 🙂

adhd, medications, organizing

stable here —

criscollrj

and I’m hopelessly behind as usual!

I’ve replaced with working with cleaning my house with a vengeance. Boy did it need it and still does!

I go this Thursday to the psych. to see if I need to some ADD meds. I still have trouble with losing things. I really have the house in pretty good shape but still couldn’t find Ryan’s book bag or shoes this morning. He went in sandals and a spare bag I had here. I also couldn’t find his hearing aids for a while and then remembered i’ put them in this other little bag. But wasted 5 minutes hunting for those.

I’m trying to force myself to stay on a system I call “dailies’ which keeps me petty much on track. I start in the back of the house and make all the beds and pick up extra stuff on the floor and put it away and wipe down both bathrooms with a bleach wipe. Then pick up the living room, and finally the kitchen. This takes me a few hours a day. I’d like to get to the point where in 2-3 hours I also clean the downstairs family room too and that bathroom but I still am not at the point where I’m getting down there. I also have a backlog of paperwork to file and stuff so that’s another chore I need to do!!! But it’s not automatic for me – I Have to have a system or it doesn’t get done.

Well, I’d better get to the system 😉 And I have the remains of a headache so not feeling great… was supposed to go to an exercise class today but putting off til Thurs. AND MUST go grocery shopping this morning– my aid is not coming as she usually does in afternoon for Chris so no way I’m taking all the kids shopping. She was in an accident – not sure what happened – hoping she’s okay!!

dori

 

autism, health, organizing, transcription

conference

criscollrj

Comments: Good morning! So far I feel wonderful this morning! I had what I think was a mild migraine last night (no aura or anything) and it responded to Exedrin Migraine. I slept like 10 until 7 a.m. and got a shower. Everyone is still sleeping.

The web site of the conference information is http://www.ehhs.kent.edu/offices/PDO/conferences/index.html.

But I see that hardly any has been transferred yet of the 14 breakout sessions that they had. 3, I think. I plan to read over those three as those were ones I did not attend. We attended the keynote speech by Sean Barron and got the book he and Temple Grandin wrote. We got to speak to him and his girlfriend Barbara and had them sign the book. That was awesome! He ate at Quiznos with her – we saw them in the cafeteria – I wanted to take a picture but restrained myself 😉

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health, organizing

blach

criscollrj

Hello- I was planning for today to be the day I read and post, but instead I had a migraine until 1 p.m. with vomiting. Yuck.

But wanted to say hello anyway as I know it’s been a while. Now I must clean up the house – boy what mess two boys can make when you’re sick on the couch.

But I hadn’t had a migraine since January, so that’s progress. I have been doing the exercises my chiropractor gave me and I think that was the difference. But now I may get them more because of spring allergies – yuck. But I’ll still do my exercises.

If I don’t work tomorrow maybe I can take 1 hour to read and post – that sounds heavenly!

I’ve done some reorganizing and planning some painting projects. I’ll post before and afters.

love, dori