Walking ON Eggshells

GB is still dysregulated and manic. After trading a dozen emails back and forth, the psychiatrist and I agreed on a plan. I am not doing the happy dance. GB has been on every atypical antipsychotic currently available. The only two that stabilized her were risperdal and invega (A metabolite of risperdal). Unfortunately, Prolactin levels in the 40’s are not acceptable in an 8 year old girl. So we are left to try traditional anti psychotics. Tomorrow morning, GB starts on loxapine. It has black box warnings and we didn’t want to start her when we would have to rely on the school to monitor her. 

Parenting special needs children is often like this- there is no good solution. You are stuck between a rock and a hard place and have to chose between two lousy options- in this case, no treatment or risky nasty side effects. I made my choice and I am praying that God will wrap His arms around her.

14 Day Challenge Update

I have been taking the 14 Day Challenge over at Pearls of Price. The object is to confine yourself to positive or neutral words, and when you can’t manage that, be silent.  And do this for 14 consecutive days. I thought it would be difficult. I am finding it impossible. I have yet to start Day 4!


Even though I can’t see myself actually making 14 consecutive days, I have benefited from trying to do so. The girls have also benefited. Being in the challenge has made me monitor closely my attitude and words. After all, attitude is the birthing ground for our words anyway. Hope has responded well to my silence. There have been many situation where I can’t think of anything positive or neutral to say. For example, Hope was sitting on her mat screaming and sobbing that she was in control. The only reaction I thought of was to laugh. Obviously not positive or even neutral. So I said ABSOLUTELY nothing- not even a mutter. After almost an hour , Hope finally got quiet. I waited five minutes, then went to her and told her that this is what control looked like, gave her a hug, and let her up. I don’t know if she got the message on control, but I do know my blood pressure didn’t shoot up and I didn’t contribute to her meltdown.

On the other hand, Hope complains and whines constantly. When I try silence, she just ups the ante and and tells me I don’t love her or like her. Eventually, what I think of as her “poor Hope game” beats my silence and I tell her to take “poor Hope” into another room. There is another blown day. It supports my attitude is the birthing ground of words theory. Obviously, I need to stop thinking of it as the “poor Hope game”when she starts whining and complaining. I am working on it.

I don’t know that I will ever make 14 days straight, but just the effort is improving the quality of life around here. I will update again.

October 26 1937- February 16 2008

Mom’s 70th Birthday, her last

Today, my Mom would have been 74. Today, my brother would have been 48.

A lot of who I am came from my mother. I still miss her. If you still have your Mom, please give her a hug from me.

GB says Grandma at the Beach is walking the beaches in heaven, waiting for us.

Gratitude

Despite some current difficulties, I have many things to be grateful for.

* The Dad is back from Michigan. His report: J looks good and outside of school, X is doing well.

* We are having car problems, but we have the fiscal resources to solve them. Annoying yes, but it could be worse.

* GB is manic at the moment, but her psychiatrist answered my email in less than thirty minutes.

* Things aren’t going well with the “outlaws” (Booboo’s family), but MK is getting more reasonable and showing maturity in dealing with the situation.

* My grandson has started bringing me books, saying “read” and climbing into my lap.

* It is cold outside, but warm inside.

* When I look at the hard stuff, I can say “This, too, will pass” and believe it.

* I am never alone.

Bipolar is Back

Bipolar is back. Not that it was ever really gone, but the Invega controlled the bipolar so well, the bipolar rarely made the radar screen. GB has only one volume at the moment- loudest. The pressured speech makes it hard to understand what she is trying to say. She is only completing one thought in four. The rest gets lost in the whirlwind of mania. She has no attention span. My biggest dread is that as the mania cycles higher and higher, she is more likely to experience psychotic breaks. Please pray for her… she doesn’t understand what is happening and is scared.

Hope, Party, and No Social Skills

Hope’s birthday party was today. GB has been fragile since we cut pack the Invega. Only two of the nine other kids in Hope’s class came. GB’s NT friends filled in the gap, but when the party was over, Hope wanted to know why her other classmates weren’t there. I told her I didn’t know, because I couldn’t tell her she has no friends because she has no social skills. Not only would that have been negative, but it probably would have ignited a meltdown. I need to get Hope’s IEP out and write some smart goals for social skills before the next CSE meeting. It was a strange party… the birthday girl didn’t interact with most of her guests.

Not From Me

This was one of the few relaxed moments GB has had in the last couple of days. Pressured speech, lots of tears. I am afraid the 1/2 dose of Invega is not holding her. The place she is in doesn’t allow me to be silent when I can’t be nice. I am still making Day 2, but I think my niceness is coming from God. I know it is not in me.