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Tics, Tics, and More Tics…
well thankfuly no new ones! But lots and lots of the old ones and I am just bracing myself for any new developments. Riley told me yesterday that he works hard every day to supress his tics in class because one kid said his “eeking” was getting annoying. Sigh. Tomorrow is his appointment with the psychologist and I am not looking forward to that one.
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Whew…
So tomorrow is the kids 4th day of school. Well, Wendall’s 3rd day since we had an issue enrolling him. Apparently his school would not accept what the other two childrens’ schools had accepted so we had to obtain special permission from the Superintendent. When Wendall’s secretary told me that still wouldnt work, I about died. Well, something in my eye must have motivated her to overlook her opinion and he was finally enrolled. Everyone’s first day went well. Wendall did not have a hard time trying to find his classrooms or locker. Livia made a new friend and discovered that the classmate named Trae was actually a girl. And Riley, well, tic-ed his day away. Dr Steeley pulled him aside and asked him if he wanted to be the one to explain his noises or if she should. Riley opted for her to do the honors. Since then, no classmate has mocked him or anything. So school is going well, it seems. Oh and today was my first day too. I got a late start so Kayla took my kids to school and I rushed out the door. I got to my campus then realized I left my schedule at home. Thankfully the cafe had some available computers. Not so thankfully I forgot how to log into the computer so I had to hightail it over to the library to use a computer that was already opened. I pleaded with the librarian and it took me 60 secs to realize I found my scheudule and another 5 seconds to realize I had NO clue where the first building was. I profusely thanked the librarian and offered her my second born as a thank you gift and I raced off…only to get lost. To make a long and painful story short, I walked into class 7 minutes late. (skipping alot especially my first impressions of my nutrition teacher) Fortunately for me, the teacher let us out 10 mins early because my next class was clear across campus. I made it to class on time and fell in love with how exciting I honestly think cultural geography is going to be. I swear. But enough about that at a later time. After that class let out, I had to hike another 50 miles to where my car was parked. I am not going to mention how I parked right by the gym but was too out of breath to even stop in for a quick visit. Anyway, I know I am leaving out alot but I am tired and the kids are finally asleep. So now its my turn. I am just relieved to know I only have class 3 days a week. :)
New Developments…
I was certain this week was going to be a very hectic week. Not only did I have to get Wendall from OKC, but I had to get all three kids enrolled in a new school. And that is just the tip of the iceberg…I still had to worry about going to apply for medical assistance and getting myself prepared for school. Oh and I couldnt shake this fear of Riley’s new teacher not being patient or understanding of what he is currently going through. Sigh. Well, anyway…I got Liv and Riley enrolled yesterday and planned on getting Wendall enrolled today. That all went well except we were not given Riley and Livia’s teacher names until today while Wendall wont officially be enrolled until tomorrow.
When we enrolled Riley yesterday, the receptionist informed us that his teacher will be decided by the principal but she will recommened that Riley be put with the teacher who is also a doctor. The receptionist had observed Riley and his tics and felt that would be the best match. When we arrived at his school today, we got lost in the sea of families who were waiting for teacher assigments. Thankfully, the receptionist saw us and pulled us aside. She whispered that Riley got the Dr/teacher who was in room 40 and she then pointed us in the right direction. So, Riley was excited to be the first to meet his teacher but the introduction went by so quickly, I am going to have to email her to give her a heads up. I am quite sure she picked up on Riley’s eeking but what about his head jerk, or the scab picking, or the nose picking?! Yep, I am still nervous as can be.
After we got Riley acquainted with his school, I drove everyone over to Liv’s school. We got her scheduled and learned that she will be only switching two classes. Liv found her locker assignment as we were searching for her two classrooms. I think she was dissappointed about only have two classrooms that were right across the hall from each other. I told her, “At least you dont have to worry about getting lost. Oh look! The bathroom is right there too.” So much for her wandering the halls.
So, “two down, one to go”, was all that I could think of as we headed over to Wendall’s school. We were not so lucky with our previous up-front parking and we had to park in the far end of the parking lot. Now, if I were wearing shorts, this would not have bothered me that much. However, I decided to wear jeans today because I assummed we would be inside for the most part. Yeah. Needless to say, I was sweaty and embarrassed, However, embarrassment turned into something far more sinister once I realized the long line that awaited us inside. Thankfully, a parent volunteer took us under her wing and walked us through the enrollments steps. Im not sure if she was willing to do that because she knew that we were not going to be able to finish everything today due to a broken computer or because she was bored with helping the other whiny. over-heated parents. Well, whatever the reason, I am sitting here right now grateful as can be that I am almost done with enrollement.
So, I made a little progress this week with the kids enrollment. I also scheduled an appointment with the pediatrician so we can get a referral to a neurologist. Riley and Liv officially ended their counseling and all other dr appointments have been scheduled. Whew. Oh wait…I still need to apply for medical. grrrrr
Hindsight is 20/20
I am sitting here next to Riley, and watching everyone else just lounge around. It’s a much needed lazy day and Im enjoying every second of it. Well, except for the crying baby! I had a very exhausting day yesterday. Where one child told me she hated me, another smothered me with his love. I had chores to do and I still need to go school supply shopping. Oh, and I have to get the kids enrolled in school. And pray that the new school accepts Riley and his tics. I no longer call them new because I am looking back and remembering different things he has done that were brushed off as him being silly or gross. Like his scab picking. He has always been obsessed with bandaids, because he was always getting little sores. And now I realize he has been picking at his scabs. The one new thing he does is nosepicking. Yeah, every kids picks their nose but his is borderline obsessive. It is almost as if he cant breathe without his finger jammed deep into his nose! For someone who is excessively worried about how others view him, the thought of someone judging him has not calmed his now two-week long habit of nosepicking. Oh so, Becca woke up early this morning and wandered around the house. She said she watched Riley for a few minutes and noticed him doing his head jerk (from side to side). He then woke up and eeked because she scared him. So, I guess if I had been better educated, I could have possibly known that his strange little antics were actually tics. Sigh, funny how hindsight can make you feel like a failure.
Even though his psychiatrist knows of these tics, she didnt seem overly concerned. His phychologist wants to see him in two weeks while his regular therapist hasnt seen him in weeks so she will be quite shocked at the new developments at his next appointment. Soooooo Monday morning I am calling his pediatrician to see about an appointment with the neurologist.
Yep…
it’s a new tic. At first, he shook his head side from side only a few times the first day. Today is a different story. Not only is he “eeking” every few minutes, but now every few eeks is accompanied by his head shake. And I am finally noticing the arm jerk that Angie has noticed for a little while now. Right now, Riley is in his bedroom so he can play on his playstation. He is sitting alone and yet, he is still eeking. I keep fighting the urge to sneak into the hallway and watch his actions. Sigh. But I know in my heart that he is sitting in there, unable to control his little head shake and eeks.
So, the doctor gave Riley some medicine to help control his tics. I was hesitant on using this medicine in the beginning butneedless to say, he is now taking the medicine religiously.
**Crossing my fingers**
New Day, New Tic ?
So Riley had an appointment on Tuesday the 27th to check in with his psychiatrist. The day started out peaceful enough, considering where we were headed. However, once on the highway, I noticed white smoke at the back of my car but dismissed it because it disappeared a few seconds later (I really wish I had started writing a few months back, when my car really put on one hell-uva performance). However, as soon as I hit the city streets, I stopped at the stoplight which motivated my car to die on me. As if that were not enough, the hood of my car decided to cough up white smoke. Now, I know that I wasnt supposed to drive the car in that condition but I knew for sure that the car had not overheated so I decided to risk the 3 mile drive to Riley’s doctor office. Afterall, he had recently started eeking and I really needed to inform his doctor. Sometimes you must simply carry on. Well, funny how life happens because I made it 1.5 miles and then my car died. My heart sank because I knew I wouldnt try driving anymore that day. I got out of the car to reassure the gentleman with the honking horn behind me that I was unable to move my car. A moment of fear washed over my smile but then I realized that someone had stopped to help. As much as I was excited, I was more disappointed when I realized that my good samaritian had young children with her. I reassured her that we would be ok…and that was before I had noticed three guys across the street. Once I realized they were walking towards me, it took me two seconds to realize they had uniforms on, and two more seconds to realize that I had broken down in front of a car repair shop. Talk about good luck.
So, to make a very long and wonderful story short, the car was fixed and I was even allowed to pay half now and half later. I say “long story” because it took a full day (and a family full of patience) for the repairs to be completed. So, today was the rescheduled appointment and I prayed my car would get us to the appointment safely. Thankfully, I have stopped calling the car “Satan” so we did arrive without any issues.
The doctor listened to everything I had to say. Since she had already overheard Riley’s eeking, she decided to increase his doseage and provide some ‘eek-free’ meds. I really dont like medicine and she reassured me that I did NOT have to give him the medicine. I instantly decided that I wanted to do more research before I gave him anything else. Riley told me he wanted to take the medicine because he hates the eeking. He said, “What happens when I am a scientist and i still eek?” I tried to reassure him that even if he eeked as a scientist, his collegues would probalby just learn to tune out the noise. So, I decided to compromise and do some research as soon as I got home. Again, funny how life happens. On the way home, I noticed Riley started jerking his head from side to side. At first, I wondered if he was doing it because he was cold (he looked like he had the chills). However, he started jerking his head in his sleep. Sigh. So, now he rapidly blinks his eyes, eeks, and jerks his head from side to side. And guess who started taking his medicine tonight? So, tomorrow is a new day while tonight still holds all these questions and fears. Somehow, I am confident I will be saying the same thing tomorrow night, too.
Im not sure…
how all of this works. Blogging, that is. All I know is that right now I am typing and it feels great. Here it is 11:10 pm and I am laying on my bed, two hands on the keyboard and both ears cocked towards the door. I announced to my kids yesterday that today is the beggining of “school” routine. Tonight I am eating my words. After giving in to my urge for a “quick walk around the block”, I finally got the kids settled into bed around 9:30. Already off to a late start and here it is, a few hours later that I am praying neither one of them decides to wake up and pester the other. Scratch that. I am praying that neither one dedcieds to knock on my door. Where was I? Oh yeah, so I am unsure how this blogging works in the technical area but man it sure feels great to get my thoughts out. Okay, so I am making this really short “just in case” it ends up being wasted effort. I need to get to bed soon because tomorrow is right around the corner.
