Why I didn't write a post last night
The post I wrote on Monday, left you with the information that R. seemed as though she was about to run off the rails, and I mentioned that I hoped I got to sleep that night. Well. Some things it's just better not to know in advance, I think. Monday night through Tuesday afternoon were one of those things.
I was right, R. was headed off the rails, and boy, did she in a big way. If J. and I got any sleep it was probably not more than an hour. R. rarely settled, and instead spent her time trying to get out of our room to go wake everyone up or making random words or sounds come out of her mouth. It was a long night.
J. had to get up early (really, it was more like he stopped trying to pretend he was going to get any sleep rather than getting up) to leave to go to a conference, which made me the parent in charge. It was Tuesday, which is our new co-op day. Thankfully, everyone is so excited about going that they are extremely helpful and proactive in gathering everything we need to go... lunches, books, things to do, camera, flute, etc.
The morning before leaving went pretty well, so I was hopeful that R. would do what she usually did after nights such as we had and be kind of spacey but cooperative. I had her favorite activity of coloring books all packed and ready for her. She was still looking a little oddly twitchy, so thought it best to warn the adults who would be around that she may have a seizure and that we would be find, and please, please, please not call 911. That was fine, so I head off to one of the classes I am volunteering in as a room parent and leave TM in charge of H. and R. (Everyone else had a class.) In less than ten minutes, someone comes to get me because R. needs me.
R. had started having eye pain (her aura before a seizure or, more accurately, a manifestation of her worry that she might be going to have a seizure) and was acting off. I decided that having her sit on my lap for a bit would help to regulate her and we could go on with our morning. Well, that didn't happen.
The short version of the day was me sitting in the van with R., stopping her from eloping (the fancy technical term for running away) so that everyone else could go to their classes and enjoy the co-op they had been looking forward to all week. I'll spare you the gruesome details, but it was bad. So bad, I put in an emergency call to our neurologist. I was in tears as I was describing what was happening, which is pretty unusual, and I think caught the neurologist off guard as well.
I made the call that this couldn't continue and decided heading to the ER was the best course of action. When everyone was done with their classes, TM drove because I didn't trust R. to not open the door and try to leave the van. (It was a most inconvenient time for her to learn how to unlock the van doors.) The car ride and walking into the ER did reset her brain a bit, so I wasn't taking in a completely psychotic child, which is the first time ever that I was disappointed that she was starting to become regulated.
In the ER, they gave her some seizure medicine through and IV and also discovered she had a UTI which they began treatment for with antibiotics. She was still a little twitchy in the ER, but after the medicine even that had stopped. As a result, the ER doctor and I decided that we would try discharging her home, but if she went over the brink again that night, I was to take her to a larger area hospital with a pediatric psych unit.
We made it home about 7:30, after stopping for some gyros for me since I hadn't eaten much. After feeding R., I gave her her evening medicine and hoped she would actually sleep. I was dead on my feet, so wasn't sure if I would have any reserves left to even get her to the hospital if I needed to. Thankfully she slept. I cannot tell you how happy I was to wake up after 7am and hear a silent house.
Today was a much better and calmer day, and she went to sleep tonight with little protest. I still feel a little on edge at bedtime every night, because I'm just never sure if sleeping is going to happen. It's not relaxing.
On the good side, it looks as though we are closer to figuring out what exactly is going on with R., and if it's what I think it is (you know, because I like to play neurologist in my free time), then it is actually usually well-managed with anti-psychotic medicine. It feels the closest we've been to an actual diagnosis in, well, ever.
I also want to take some time to brag about my children for a moment. I hear the phrase, "I don't know how you do it," fairly often. Frankly, I don't know what it is that I'm doing that is so amazing. It often involves a lot of laundry. But I do know I don't do much all on my own. J. is an equal partner, and I know it was hard on him not being here for this particular crisis. If things had gotten super bad, he would have come home, and was ready to do so.
But, there are some other people in the house who play a super large roll in making life happen, especially during a crisis... my older children. Yesterday would have been so much worse if I also had to worry about other children and everything at home. I actually never worried about that part of it at all, because I had total confidence in my children making sure things were taken care of.
TM took charge of everyone at co-op, making sure they did what they were supposed to, got to class, and got their lunch, also making sure that everything was packed up and put away as it should be. He then drove us to the ER, and sat with the younger five while I went back with R. When we were in a room I texted him to say what was happening and that he could take everyone home, which he did, but not before stopping first and buying them each a small snack. He then came back to the hospital to wait for us so that he would be there when we needed him.
P. and D. made dinner and took care of the animals and then the children when they got home. They made sure they had dinner, and then were occupied. P. did all the horses. D. cleaned up from dinner. M. took care of dogs upon returning home from a long day at school, as did A. when she arrived home from work. Earlier in the day, A. drove D. to his college classes since J. wasn't going to be going in to work. They all made sure the house was closed up after I had gone to bed.
They all do this pretty routinely, pulling together and making sure life happens. They are some of my very favorite people, and I am terribly proud of them all. They are the often unsung heroes of life working at home.
People often say they don't understand how I can manage so many children. Frankly, I don't think I could manage without so many children.
I was right, R. was headed off the rails, and boy, did she in a big way. If J. and I got any sleep it was probably not more than an hour. R. rarely settled, and instead spent her time trying to get out of our room to go wake everyone up or making random words or sounds come out of her mouth. It was a long night.
J. had to get up early (really, it was more like he stopped trying to pretend he was going to get any sleep rather than getting up) to leave to go to a conference, which made me the parent in charge. It was Tuesday, which is our new co-op day. Thankfully, everyone is so excited about going that they are extremely helpful and proactive in gathering everything we need to go... lunches, books, things to do, camera, flute, etc.
The morning before leaving went pretty well, so I was hopeful that R. would do what she usually did after nights such as we had and be kind of spacey but cooperative. I had her favorite activity of coloring books all packed and ready for her. She was still looking a little oddly twitchy, so thought it best to warn the adults who would be around that she may have a seizure and that we would be find, and please, please, please not call 911. That was fine, so I head off to one of the classes I am volunteering in as a room parent and leave TM in charge of H. and R. (Everyone else had a class.) In less than ten minutes, someone comes to get me because R. needs me.
R. had started having eye pain (her aura before a seizure or, more accurately, a manifestation of her worry that she might be going to have a seizure) and was acting off. I decided that having her sit on my lap for a bit would help to regulate her and we could go on with our morning. Well, that didn't happen.
The short version of the day was me sitting in the van with R., stopping her from eloping (the fancy technical term for running away) so that everyone else could go to their classes and enjoy the co-op they had been looking forward to all week. I'll spare you the gruesome details, but it was bad. So bad, I put in an emergency call to our neurologist. I was in tears as I was describing what was happening, which is pretty unusual, and I think caught the neurologist off guard as well.
I made the call that this couldn't continue and decided heading to the ER was the best course of action. When everyone was done with their classes, TM drove because I didn't trust R. to not open the door and try to leave the van. (It was a most inconvenient time for her to learn how to unlock the van doors.) The car ride and walking into the ER did reset her brain a bit, so I wasn't taking in a completely psychotic child, which is the first time ever that I was disappointed that she was starting to become regulated.
In the ER, they gave her some seizure medicine through and IV and also discovered she had a UTI which they began treatment for with antibiotics. She was still a little twitchy in the ER, but after the medicine even that had stopped. As a result, the ER doctor and I decided that we would try discharging her home, but if she went over the brink again that night, I was to take her to a larger area hospital with a pediatric psych unit.
We made it home about 7:30, after stopping for some gyros for me since I hadn't eaten much. After feeding R., I gave her her evening medicine and hoped she would actually sleep. I was dead on my feet, so wasn't sure if I would have any reserves left to even get her to the hospital if I needed to. Thankfully she slept. I cannot tell you how happy I was to wake up after 7am and hear a silent house.
Today was a much better and calmer day, and she went to sleep tonight with little protest. I still feel a little on edge at bedtime every night, because I'm just never sure if sleeping is going to happen. It's not relaxing.
On the good side, it looks as though we are closer to figuring out what exactly is going on with R., and if it's what I think it is (you know, because I like to play neurologist in my free time), then it is actually usually well-managed with anti-psychotic medicine. It feels the closest we've been to an actual diagnosis in, well, ever.
I also want to take some time to brag about my children for a moment. I hear the phrase, "I don't know how you do it," fairly often. Frankly, I don't know what it is that I'm doing that is so amazing. It often involves a lot of laundry. But I do know I don't do much all on my own. J. is an equal partner, and I know it was hard on him not being here for this particular crisis. If things had gotten super bad, he would have come home, and was ready to do so.
But, there are some other people in the house who play a super large roll in making life happen, especially during a crisis... my older children. Yesterday would have been so much worse if I also had to worry about other children and everything at home. I actually never worried about that part of it at all, because I had total confidence in my children making sure things were taken care of.
TM took charge of everyone at co-op, making sure they did what they were supposed to, got to class, and got their lunch, also making sure that everything was packed up and put away as it should be. He then drove us to the ER, and sat with the younger five while I went back with R. When we were in a room I texted him to say what was happening and that he could take everyone home, which he did, but not before stopping first and buying them each a small snack. He then came back to the hospital to wait for us so that he would be there when we needed him.
P. and D. made dinner and took care of the animals and then the children when they got home. They made sure they had dinner, and then were occupied. P. did all the horses. D. cleaned up from dinner. M. took care of dogs upon returning home from a long day at school, as did A. when she arrived home from work. Earlier in the day, A. drove D. to his college classes since J. wasn't going to be going in to work. They all made sure the house was closed up after I had gone to bed.
They all do this pretty routinely, pulling together and making sure life happens. They are some of my very favorite people, and I am terribly proud of them all. They are the often unsung heroes of life working at home.
People often say they don't understand how I can manage so many children. Frankly, I don't think I could manage without so many children.
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