Splendid Mayhem: Updates

Welcome To Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Updates

I posted the results of my head MRI a while back, remember? It was 'normal'. Well, my migraines are still persisting. I went back to my Dr last week. She put me on Topamax (1 daily for 3 weeks, increase to 2 daily and see how that works). She said it may take 2 months or longer to get the full benefits of the medication. She gave me some sort of pain med that is for migraines. I tried Imitrex- which did not touch my headaches (it's to the point where tylenol, ibprofen, RX naproxin are not working). However, the med she gave me hasn't worked either. I'm wondering if it's not migraines- if it's something hormonal? Or something else? Really... Why would I be having headaches that meds aren't getting rid of? Going to complete silence doesn't help, no lights doesn't help. My ears ring. It feels like an elephant is stomping my head. It hurts! So, thats whats new with me. My head hurts, which really isn't new at all.

We helped my Momma & Dave get moved last weekend. Oh, boy- that way fun. For some crazy reason they thought we could get packed & moved in 2 days. Well, we did for the most part- but, geez.. did we work hard!!!

The boys are doing well. All 3 of them. Logen is loving school. He threw a fit when I picked him up today. He did not want to leave! That made my heart smile. Parker did ok with Brian today and yesterday. He kept him while I did the ACC training. He cried alot yesterday. My littlest man is just not used to being away from his momma. Adam is working like crazy (which isn't new) Fed-ex keeps their employees busy!

Hugs!