Appointments and More Appointments

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One of the unfortunate things about cerebral palsy (CP) are the many co-occurring health issues that go along with it. Because of this, those with CP have more doctors, specialists, and other kinds of providers they see on a regular basis. While the CP itself mainly affects the muscles, other areas of the body are affected as well, which results in more medical challenges.  For instance, besides CP, some of other Faith’s health issues include: ·          Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other digestive issues ·          Scoliosis ·          Bowel and bladder incontinence ·          General anxiety Because of these co-occurring conditions, we have more appointments than the average person. At times, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Faith enjoying a nice fall day On September 23 rd , we ended up in the E...
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Pajama Wars

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Faith in her favorite pajamas
I can definitely tell that Faith is back in school. Last night we were putting a puzzle together and she began telling me a story. I glanced away for just a second and she said, "Mommy, are you being an active listener?"

She seems to be taking in a lot at school and every day she comes home with lots of stories including learning to play "Simon Says" and the new friends she is making. She really seems to like her teacher. She has had trouble with some of her feedings at school for which we are making adjustments. The only really tough part about her and school is getting her there.

Every morning, we have a major battle getting her out of her pajamas and getting dressed. She loves to wear her jammies! And she must like me to wear mine as well because as soon as she notices I've changed from my pajamas to my clothes, the battle begins. She knows it's soon time for her to get out of her pajamas and into her clothes. She cries and screams, "I want to wear my pajamas! I don't want to get dressed!"

This morning, because we actually had extra time, I gave her a five-minute time out for her antics. It didn't help. I tried sitting with her and explained that none of the other kids wear their pajamas to school. She continued to cry and scream about wanting her pajamas back on so as a last resort, I turned the TV on to Super Why and that did the trick. The music instantly distracted her, and she stopped crying and even smiled.

She looked at me and asked, "Mommy what are you wearing?" She likes it when I describe what I'm wearing and then describe what she's wearing. I told her we both had two white stripes down the sides of our pants, and she said excitedly, "Mommy, we match!" It was as if I turned on a switch that made Faith instantly forget all about her pajamas. When I told Rob about this, he said it sounded like she is just trying to give me a hard time. But why, why, why EVERY morning?

Hopefully she will get tired of fighting her pajama war and surrender each morning to getting dressed for school. And hopefully I will retain lots of patience and keep my sanity until that day comes!

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Appointments and More Appointments

-
Image
One of the unfortunate things about cerebral palsy (CP) are the many co-occurring health issues that go along with it. Because of this, those with CP have more doctors, specialists, and other kinds of providers they see on a regular basis. While the CP itself mainly affects the muscles, other areas of the body are affected as well, which results in more medical challenges.  For instance, besides CP, some of other Faith’s health issues include: ·          Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other digestive issues ·          Scoliosis ·          Bowel and bladder incontinence ·          General anxiety Because of these co-occurring conditions, we have more appointments than the average person. At times, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Faith enjoying a nice fall day On September 23 rd , we ended up in the E...
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Last Wednesday I had my yearly doctor exam and when she said I should get my tetanus shot updated, I didn't think twice about it. The nurse said my arm would be sore for a couple of days, gave me a handout and stuck the needle in my arm.  The next day my arm was sore and although I found it a little harder to pick up and carry Faith, I was glad the pain wasn't going to last long. Boy was I wrong! But not only was my arm sore, my whole body was. I felt achy and extremely tired. According to a medical site on the Internet, these were mild side effects of the Tetanus shot. If these were only mild side effects, I would really hate to have them at a moderate or severe level. My arm is still red and sore on day 2 after my tetanus shot. On Friday, two days after getting the shot I felt so tired that I took a four-hour nap after getting Faith off to school. Then on Saturday I took a three-hour nap up until 7 o'clock, but still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep around 10. ...
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