Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Updates

The Boy

The Boy has a MRI scheduled for Monday morning. He isn't sure he wants to do it, he says that he won't do it, but he said the same thing about the testing he had at the CDRC. We had his IEP meeting yesterday. He is still on level for reading, but seems to be starting to have trouble. He can read a story of nearly any length at grade level, but he can't always tell you about what it is he just read when the story is longer than a couple of paragraphs. He is doing okay in math, he's behind a little but his teacher thinks he can do better he just has a problem demonstrating that he can do it. He still needs social support to understand non-verbal cues, how to join a group that is already playing, and a few other things other kids seem to know. He is going to stay in his classroom next year. Now that we know more about what kinds of problems he is working with we can work out things that will help him with things, and hopefully in a year or two he can join a mainstream class with just a few adaptations. They agree with the CDRC's recommendation that we look into a non-school related OT. I'll have to call insurance and see how much they will cover and see what we can do.

Weight Loss

Monday was the begging of my third week doing the 6 week challenge. I think there is something wrong with the way the balance board weighs me. Two weeks ago it said that I weighed 301 pounds, on Monday it said that I weighed 317 pounds. I know that a pound or so might have been because I'd just finished my workout, and there might have been some swelling in my muscles because of that. There might also be a pound or two extra due to water retention or bloating. But I don't think I can account for 16 pounds that way. Maybe I didn't do it right the first time, since my bathroom scale was about that far off the first weigh in. I guess I should weigh myself with the bathroom scale again and see where it puts me.

I'm feeling kind of bummed. I'm working out 4 days a week, about 20 to 45 minutes a day, it's still a little bit difficult for me, it gets my pulse racing and I sweat quite a bit, I haven't really changed my eating habits much since I started working out and what I've done has been to reduce calories. So you would think I'd see at least a few pounds lost. Messed Up Daddy has been very sweet about it all, he has encouraged me to work out when I've felt less than excited about it, and he's listened to me when I've complained and supported me through this as well. He keeps reminding me that I was such a couch potato before I started this that I had very minimal muscle tone, so maybe it's all gained muscle that is keeping me from loosing weight. Maybe I've lost some pounds of fat, but gained more pounds of muscle. I do know that my hips are a little slimmer, and my upper thighs are smoother.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

EA Active More Workouts.

Today was my second day using the More Workouts "game". I used the balance board, so yesterday I imported my avatar from the other one and it had me weigh in. I think I like the balance board better than my bathroom scale, because it says I weigh 301 pounds while my scale says I weigh 317 pounds.

Anyway, the workout was fairly hard, both days. My stomach muscles are not used to curl ups or curl punches, so that's an area that is feeling a bit sore right now. My legs, well my thighs anyway, are sore too. Squats and lunges and a new obstacle course with running and some other things worked them out more than they are used to. I'm liking this new work out, it has better warm up routines and cool down routines with stretching. It's a 6 week challenge so we will see how it goes. I'm still on the lowest level.

Messed Up Daddy says that if I will get up an hour earlier he will work out with me. I'm not sure he's really ready to commit to it yet, and I don't want to give up my much needed sleep. We will see if he will change his mind and work out with me anyway.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Where I am in my battle with my weight.

Okay, so Monday was my last day of my third 30 day challenge. Things are getting easier, I'm not so out of breath when I walk up my stairs. I'm making it through the exercises quicker and with less breathing problems. I weighed myself Tuesday and I weighed 320 pounds, so that's 2 pounds less than last week, and 6 pounds less than when I got the scale.

I'm thinking about what I'm going to do next. I got the More Workouts from EA Active, it has some ab workouts and I've heard that the warm up and cool down exercises are better than the one I've been doing. So I think I'll start a 6 week challenge either Sunday or Monday. I want to add an afternoon workout as well, but I'm not sure I'll be able to stick with it. I want to do the Wii fit Plus games with the kids, because they are a workout, and the kids and play with me. I'm just not sure I'll actually do it. It's hard for me to change my schedule for anything, and if it's something I'm not really excited about, it's much easier to find a reason not to do it. I'll keep you informed on how that works out.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

After the evaluation.

I'd hoped that we would have some answers after The Boy's evaluation. We don't. We do have some ideas, a tentative diagnoses of Cerebral Palsy, a very MILD case. It effects his mouth, so he drools. It effects the way he puts words together so he seems to be a bit behind in the way he communicates. It effects the way his body moves, so he's a bit awkward when he runs. It effects his hand-eye co-ordination so catching a ball is difficult for him and it effects his hands and fingers so his writing is and will probably always will be difficult.

We need to get a MRI to find out more and to clarify for sure that it's C.P. and not something else. We have an appointment with his Doctor for April 23rd, we will discus the reports from all the specialists who saw The Boy on Wednesday and she will then refer us to the MRI clinic. Hopefully it will only be a day or two from his appointment with his Doctor. And then we wait for the results to be sent to the Doctor, who will call us to make an appointment to discuss the results. From there I don't know what we will do. I'm not sure of treatments or therapies or if he would be a good candidate for any of them. I do know that it will help his school to help him so he can find the ways he learns best.

There is a medication that the Developmental Pediatrician recommended that would help with the drooling. It limits the amount of fluid his body produces. So less spit, less tears, less liquid in his intestines. Which also means that he might have severe dry mouth and eyes, not be able to cry tears, sweat less and it could cause constipation as well. I'm kind of torn about the medication, it would make things at school easier for him if he didn't drool. But the thought of medicating him twice a day ... not a good thought for me. The side effects could be a problem, and he doesn't take medications well. Maybe we will let him know it's available to him and when he's ready he can choose for himself.

Right now I'm feeling a little ... scared, frustrated, in a hurry to find answers, happy we have some kind of answer, and yet unhappy that it isn't THE answer. This boy is so important to me, more than I thought possible. Not more than my other boys, including my Grandson, but just as important in a different way. Probably because I'm older, and I think I'm more knowledgeable about things, I feel I'm doing a better job of being a Mother this time around. I don't think I was a bad Mom before, just young and inexperienced in life.

So, we haven't received our copy of the report, I'll post what that says or at least how I understand it when I've had a chance to read it. I may have misunderstood what the Doctor and the Social Worker said.

Messed Up Daddy doesn't want to believe that it could be C.P., I think he envisions someone who has Spastic C.P. and perhaps has some retardation, and he can't reconcile that with who The Boy is. He will have to learn the different types of C.P. and how they effect the person who has it. C.P. does not mean retardation, it is brain damage but that doesn't always affect learning and mental ability.

I'll stop rambling now. I'll be starting a new exercise session in a couple of days. I got 2 new "games" for the Wii, the Wii Fit Plus with balance board, and EA Active More Workouts. I think I'll do the More Workouts, it has a 6 week challenge, and do the Wii Fit Plus in the afternoons and on rest days because it's more like playing and the kids can do it with me. I'll post more later about everything.