Hello dear friends. So far I am liking 2010...I was hoping for a better year and so far I've gotten it. Adam is doing wonderfully on this new medication...part of me really thought by now the seizures would be back. They still may but so far so good still...about 3.5 weeks now and only 4-5 seizures and almost no pain. Amazing...I've never been a fan of drugs, especially anti-ecliptic drugs but the change in Adam is indisputable!! He's finally sleeping fairly well in his own bed...actually he's slept all night in his own bed since Jan 1~ so that means we're on day 10 and counting (and hoping and keeping our fingers crossed!)
I am keeping him on homebound for a bit longer to make sure he can handle going back to school. We are postponing the visit to the Neurosurgeon at Vandy to give this new medication a chance. We see the Neurologist at Vandy for a checkup in February so we'll see what he says. All in all things are good at the current moment...feels good to be saying that!
We continue to concentrate on the ABR therapy and we are very excited about some recent new advancements with the therapy program. We are scheduled to go for new exercise training over Memorial Day weekend in Chicago...this may or may not happen just depending on how much school the kids miss due to incliment weather. Emma graduates from 5th grade this year and we can't miss her graduation ceremony!
There is always a good balance that needs to be reached when raising children, especially more than one child. This is even more true for families raising special needs children alongside those who are typical. We have spent so much of our time and resources with therapy, equipment, etc...for Adam. We have to know when to back off a bit and make the things that Emma wants to do or have a priority....missing 5th grade graduation for a therapy appointment? Not going to happen.
This brings me to another point...I am so grateful we have the resourses available that we can hire help to come in and work with Adam. As every year passes I see more and more value in this. So many families I know who have special needs children who are now adults have experienced 'burnout' - it's physically and mentally draining at times. Having an extra pair of hands has made a huge difference for us. In addition we've been lucky to have found some great women who have a passion for our little boy...that makes even a bigger difference. Just how many people can be changed by a child? So far with Adam there's been so many lives he's touched...he's only 8 years old, what an amazing journey.
