Dear Friends, I have struggled what to write....

susiestar

Roll With It
Please stop thinking you are losing it. You are going through something so stressful that few people will EVER be able to understand it. even those who work with our kids don't really "get it" because they are not the Mom. I am so amazed and impressed wth all you do and how cool you are through all of it. The nonstop stress and HUGE issues/problems of the last big while (sure not a little while, Know what I mean??) are the reason you feel like you are losing it. PLEASE do the things that take care of YOU. If you are sick, have a stroke, etc...., then Q has no one really. So take your vitamins, eat well, exercise whenever you can. Meditate when possible (it is amazingly helpful - use guided meditations, I can send you some links/names of wonderful programs), and be sure to take a probiotic supplement (will help with stress related tummy issues, etc....).

As far as eating, sure you need another project. But consider the zone diet plan. NOT NOT NOT as a diet. I don't believe in them because they are the easiest ways to tear apart your body (ten yrs of gaining 15 lbs per winter and losing it in the summer resulted in a heart attack for my father in law. That was the one big factor accordng to his heart doctor - the diet to get "in shape" and it was never more than 15 lbs either way but it tore up his heart and he had a low stress lifestyle at that point!).

The zone has you balance your meals/snacks into a 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein ratio. If nothing else, do what my mother did and have protein powder and juice or coffee (pref juice) first thing in the am, it makes a HUGE difference. But eating this way will help clear your mind, and help your body operate at its best. I thought it was hooey when I first heard about it. I did it because it was soemthing the six people I worked with did, and it was a way to be part of the team with-o going on some crazy donut only diet or something. I was SHOCKED and AMAZED. I thought clearer, felt better, had fewer migraines, got more done, had more energy, life was a lot better. And still is as long as I follow it for the msot part.

My mom tried it for a year. SHe has a liver disease that causes lesions on her liver. The docs all said they would never heal. She really cut out the stress (easy with an empty nest), and followed this diet. Her liver got BETTER, as in some lesions healed. they redid her biopsy because they thought they did it wrong, but nope, it truly did heal. Her doctor actually wrote this up and now has most of his patients doing this. He has seen positive results in every patient who has followed the eating plan - and he can tell when they don't.

So I am NOT just suggesting this on a whim. You don't have to go overboard, just make sure you ahve some protein when you have carbs, and try to cut back on the fat. Want chips and salsa? Have some cream cheese with it. want a candy bar for a snack? Have 2 oz lean deli meat or chicken breast with half a snickers (that is actually in one of the books!). want to grab a fast food bfast? Try an egg mcmuffin - it is higher in fat but otherwise is right on the $$ for a zone meal! Need the convenience of frozen dinners? Stouffers has a chicken breast and mashed potatoes in mushroom gravy that is just right for a meal, well, a bit low on veggies but still good for when you need a fast meal at home, Know what I mean??

I hoep the doctor helps tomorrow, and that thanksgiving isn't too difficult. I am sorry he doesn't get to do birthday things with his cousins. Could you do a one on one small party with the birthday kid and difficult child? Maybe just cake and a walk, but enough so that Q feels he is "part" of things? It would be good for Q, and teach the cousins to include him in ways that they can.
 

Crystal72

New Member
Buddy,
i don't know how you do it...I know it probably doesn't help but I am fried here too but I am here/there for you. My difficult child 2 is showing the swearing like Q and I know how it is that we can't hold it personal but it hurts too.
we are all here supporting each other. You are just totally wonderful for doing what you are doing...
 

klmno

Active Member
Yeah, Buddy- I think you are going to have to start viewing some regularly scheduled "me time" or "down time" as a necessity, not a luxury or something you don't have time for. Really. More ((HUGSS))
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Hi, Buddy. I have been sooooo busy I haven't checked here much. I'm so sorry you are having a hard time. I have a question: Has your son ever been tested for Tourettes? I apologize if others asked (I didn't read all the answers) or if you mentioned this before.

Just keep posting. You know we all care about you.
 

cubsgirl

Well-Known Member
Oh my - you have a LOT going on with him. I don't have any words of wisdom but good juju, strength and hugs your way.

I thought his response to the teacher asking about the green zone was insightful...at least he knew he was on the edge and wanted quiet.
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Just adding in my support and hugs. Also echoing to please take care of you; I know that is much easier to say than do.
 

buddy

New Member
You guys are amazing.

I will try to remember .... let's see, no, he hasn't been tested for Tourette's but two psychiatric's have said along the way he is very Tourette's like. I will ask the doctor next week if I remember what the difference really is between what he does with the brain injury and Tourette's.

I ate a ton tonight at Old country buffet, not as much as my son though...holy cow! (and his manners lately, wow, it is like he just has to shove everything in instantly). In general I am eating much less though so I do need to be more planful.

It was lovely to have a break today and to meet TeDo, it was like she represented all of you.

Thanks guys, really nice you didn't ignore my rambling, I didn't know where I was going with it all.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Tourettes is not a psychiatric problem. It is a neurological problem. I would take him to a neurologist and bring up his blurting out symptoms. Some people with Tourettes have involuntary bursts of words and they can not control it--unfortunately, they tend to be the most obscene words known to man, but they can't control that either. There is actually a medical reason for why they have to do that. I posted a short description of Tourettes.

What is Tourette's Syndrome? With Tourette's Syndrome, which usually starts in childhood, individuals feel an irresistible urge to make sounds and body movements that are beyond their control. These uncontrollable movements and sounds are called tics.
For people with Tourette's Syndrome, tics can be extremely distressing, only bringing relief once they have been expressed. In some cases, they might blurt out obscenities - an element of Tourette's Syndrome that is rare, and one that has been unfairly exaggerated in movies and television shows.
Tics often increase with tension, and decrease with relaxation or when focusing on an absorbing task. Although it is a newly recognized condition, Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette (after whom the condition is named) described nine cases in 1885.
While Tourette's Syndrome is often thought of as a type of mental illness, Tourette's Syndrome is actually classified as a neurological (brain) disorder.
 
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