It's Been A Week!

My apologies to my readers… I understand I haven’t blogged in 7 days, but I promise you it was for good reason…

I would like to tell you it has been for selfish reasons like we took a spontaneous vacation to Australia (ahh Mate, that would be an incredible story) or for personal reasons like I was laid up with the swine flu (now, I thought that was funny) or maybe I just didn’t have anything to say. Although, that, too, would be very unlikely, as you know — I always have an opinion to share.

Nope, I was busy doing what I do…. orchestrating treatment and trying to keep life as normal as possible for the rest of the family, sound familiar moms?

This week we fired our speech and occupational therapists for good cause.

I find it difficult to comprehend how it is appropriate to block a child from going to her mother – especially when that is the child’s routine prior to the mother leaving the room, to have a door barricaded from the inside when the child is in the room, to laugh and call the child names, and to talk amongst yourselves over the distressed child who is crying and yelling, “Let go” and “Mommy” – especially when the child is known to have auditory sensory issues.

Yet, alone, to have my parenting style critiqued because it is not the way you would raise your dogs… what?!?! During this incident I was told that our daughter wouldn’t be speaking in full sentences by age 8 because of my parenting style. Incidentally, that very afternoon Sahara said to me, “Mommy Look, come on this way!”

So, I spent the better part of the week calling and interviewing for new service providers while implementing a new behaviour modification program at home.

We received the results of the MRI; brain function appears normal. The EEG was exhausting this week. We had to awaken her at 2:30 AM, yes, I said AM! On the way to the hospital at 7:00 AM we had the windows rolled down. With the wind whirling around us we tried to keep her awake singing, “If you’re happy and you know it say there will be no ouches….”

Well, the tech was less than gentle and I felt just absolutely awful when Sahara said, "Ouch, It hurt!” I have to wonder why they can’t use markers instead of crayons to mark the child’s head…. But Sahara was a trooper, she didn’t need to be strapped down and she left all of the electrodes alone.

We have been utilizing spiritual energy healing work the past few weeks (You know, as well as I, that the power of prayer (energy) is beyond human comprehension…) and, we have seen an extraordinary increase in purposeful speech, socialization and interaction since beginning with the certified energy worker as noted above. We have one more session… so I am open to the power of God healing this girl so she may have a productive, meaningful, happy life!!

However, The Electro Dermal Screening showed Sahara was off the chart with her gastrointestinal system including 20 subsets including the gall bladder, large and small intestines, kidneys, lymphatic, appendix, liver, parasites, bladder infection, pain, etc. … the EDS shows energetic disturbances through the meridians in the body. This prompted us to contact a doctor at the OSU Center for Integrative Medicine for a gastrointestinal and nutritional assessment including vitamin and mineral deficiency testing.

The internet is plastered with information about kids diagnosed with autism having gut issue. However, since she doesn’t have first hand vaccinations, I wasn’t sure she experienced this… but looks as if she does. So, heal thy gut.

(Hmmm… I just notice that if you take the space out of ‘heal thy gut’ – you get— ‘HEALTHY GUT’…. That is pretty cool!)

In addition to all of these things happening… I am adjusting to the country’s economic crisis hitting our home front with a significant pay reduction, trying to get ready for the community yard sale, continuing to chauffeur kids back and forth to appointments and activities, keeping up on the accounts payable and paper trails, spring cleaning, helping with homework, and preparing for summer vacation….

Today is the last day of school for Sahara… Emily has a week left… so, ready or not summer here we come.