The diary of a Disfunctional Domestic Goddess

A few weeks ago while at the Carrie Underwood concert featuring Josh Turner (Can you say mmmmmm) My throat started feeling a little funky. You know, the weird twinges and scratchiness when you can feel you're going to come down with some sort of sickness? I got home that night and took a few Motrin, and went to bed. Next morning it was even worse. I couldn't figure out if it was from my screaming like a 13 year old boy crazed teeny bopper, hearing Josh Turner sing "Your Man"in that unbelievable deep sexy voice, or that I was definitely coming down with something.
Days go by and my throat increasingly gets worse, to the point of where it feels like I am swallowing shards of glass while trying to get my own saliva down. This is not good I think to myself. I suffer a bit longer surviving on hot chocolate and coffee and finally wave my white flag of trying to be "super mom" who doesn't need anything,and call the Doctors.

I arrive at the Doctors with luckily only one child in tow (Stephen), armed with my purse which doubles as a small toy box loaded with Thomas the train, Transformers and a few dozen snacks in hopes this will keep Stephen occupied while I state my case to the Doctor and see what her professional opinion was. I list off all my symptoms: Fever on and off (could be hot flashes) terrible sore throat (again I acted 13 when seeing Josh Turner perform), extreme tiredness (well yes I only average about 3hrs of sleep a night, interrupted sleep that is), and I feel like I got hit by a bus. She takes a look at my throat and reacts with a "mmmhmmm". After a quick look at my ears, nose and lungs, it is decided  that my throat be further investigated with a "rapid strep" test. The Medical assistnat comes to the room and twirls around 2 huge q-tips...all the while I am gagging, trying not to vomit up my stomach bile since I have not been able to swallow anything more than liquid for days.  We wait, I transform Stephen's "Ratchet, optimus prime, and bumblebee" from robot to car, car to robot, then again the third request of car (please tell me why they can't make these toys easier to function ) before the Doctor comes back in. Her final diagnosis: Strep throat and an ear infection in my right ear. She writes me a script for a Z pak, and a wonderful Tussi cough syrup which makes me forget everything at night, and we are on our way.

Five days goes by and I feel even worse then before. I Make another call to the office, and they have me come back in.  This time, I still have strep, no ear infection, but have been lucky to add in a raging sinus infection. I get a script for Biaxin,and their thought is that  I need a different kind of antibiotic to kill the bacteria I have. Sounds good to me. I don't care what the deal is just fix me. 

I wait another 3 days and finally cannot deal anymore with the pain and achiness of my body. Make a third visit to the office and get another examination. She is concerned that there is something more going on. Mono comes up...yeah   the "kissing disease".  I think to myself, you've got to kidding me. I haven't been making out with 17 year old boys, or sharing my drink with a table of girl friends in high school. I have never heard of a 26 year old germ a phob, wash hands thirty times a day mommy coming down with Mono! I get a few blood tests done, and they send me home with the instructions of rest, lots of fluids and ibuprofen. (Yeah, can I pick up a nanny on the way home from the pharmacy to achieve all this?)

Then, Tuesday morning I am trying to drag myself out of bed, and get my two monsters up and off to school when I get a phone call. "Hi, Felicia? It's Kerry from Landmark. We got the tests back and you definitely have Mono. So  we want you to  pretty much do nothing for at least a week, drink tons of fluid, and call us immediately with any concerns, we have a follow up appt schduled for Tuesday to check on you". I laugh! "Are you kidding me? I really have Mono? I am supposed to rest and do nothing for a week, yeah sure, that's going to happen being a Mom!"  then I get " well Felicia, this is a serious virus, you more you rest the quicker you'll feel better" , "ok thanks" I reply, " I will see you Tuesday".

So, there it is. I DO have the "kissing disease" but I'd call it more like the virus from hell. I have felt like this almost a month and it the pain is not letting up. I go from feeling pretty decent to having no energy, barely able to keep my eyes open all within a few hours. The soreness in my throat is unbearable and I'd rather poke myself with needles then not be able to swallow my own spit.I can only expect to feel like this for a long time, since the word "rest" is not in my vocabulary.
Calgon take me away!!!!
_

Yup, 2 years to the day when I heard the words, "your child has autism", from the neurologist.
Sort of interesting were the reactions of some people, I got the ignorant comment of "well if you just read to him more, he would be fine" or the "I have no idea why they say he has autism?, he’s just being a 2 year old" or "well jeez you already knew something was going on, why are you so surprised to hear that?"..well let’s think about it...if truly it all came down to reading to your child more, I hardly doubt that 1 out of 150 children would be diagnosed  today. Parents would be reading dozens upon dozens of books morning noon and night to prevent that... Really, do all 2 year olds not speak one word, not point, not make eye contact and cringe and tantrum when given any sort of attention? and yes, I had an inclination that there was something more to my boy other than the lack of speech for which he started his services, but for a neurologist who has over 30 years experience in children with autism to say right to my face, "yes in fact he shows all the classic signs of autism, therefore I am giving him the diagnosis".

Well yeah, it hurts to hear that your child isn’t "typically developing". At that point you wonder what his future holds. Hard to imagine when you child cannot speak or have any sort of social relationship.The spectrum is so broad that we really have no clue what "Stephen" will be like in 20 years. Well after the past 2 years, I’d like to think that his fascination in trains he may be an engineer, or possible with his new love of cars/transformers he could design the coolest new Chevy Camaro or "bumblebee" , he is so smart ’t that I don’t put anything past his future. With the right tools now, he has endless opportunities later on in his life.That is why I fight so hard for him, otherwise if it were up to the people who are supposed to know all about this disability he would fall right though the cracks!

  Where the heck has time gone? I guess spending your days fully scheduled going to several therapy appts a week, added with a few drs appts, being a 24/7 therapist at home implementing all the trials he learned that week in speech or OT,building my own assortment of sensory tools from buckets of beans and small pouches of white rice for weights,  all the while of being a mom to two beautiful children,a wife and working....the 2 years just flys by!

Still my heart sinks when I think of this day, we have our ups and downs, but it’s hard to imagine this 2 year old boy, who showed all the "classic" signs has turned into one amazing pre-schooler, who with a quick glance from an un-educated person, seems just like the rest of his peers! You really have to know his quirks, and truly understand the spectrum to really see that he is unique !
It’s Pretty darn amazing if you ask me! Yup, that is what my son is, simply amazing!

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Well after seeing how many of my friends have VOX I figured I would jump in too! Heck, I need a way to get everything out, and get some unbiased views and comments about things going on in my life.I don't have the support system I thought I had, just recently I discovered this, and it hurt so much to figure out.  A lot I keep in, and just let it eat me up inside, but I am trying to become a better person, mother, wife and friend this year. Guess you could call it a New Years resolution of sorts? Guess we'll see?