A New Page: A (Seemingly) New J

 * Okay, so some of you may have read this one already. I'm cheating a little today, but this really is what I'm thankful for today. J still is doing well and I'm very, very thankful for this.
  On this Tuesday, as every other Gratituesday, I invite you to share what you are thankful for as well as to see what others are grateful for. Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!


 J had a psychiatrist's appointment today. It's just a routine thing for him, mainly because of the meds he's been on to help with his behavior. It was more of an intake this time however, because we missed an appointment or two. And missing the appointment led to going off one of the meds. Am I sorry he did? No way.
  On the medication, J did fairly well. He was on an even keel most of the time, although he could still get loud and boisterous from time. But not having that little pill exactly on time could be disastrous. He'd be starving all the time on or off the meds, and could get angry and rather animalistic  in behavior --biting, tearing his clothes, being destructive. So we kept up the medication.
  Shortly before that medication ran out, his neurologist suggested another medication to help him focus. The Hubby and I were a bit reluctant to try the new med so we kept putting it off. Seeing that J was getting a bit hard to live with coming off the other med, we decided to try it. And promptly hated it. J went from being loud and boisterous to quiet, tired from not enough sleep, and tearful. He even regressed to combative behavior once. And only once. He was too quiet, and would barely eat, so we dropped the new med to once a day. And J did somewhat better, but still too quiet for my taste. Still had to remind him that he needed to eat. So we made the decision to drop the pill altogether unless we thought he needed something. You know what? He hasn't needed it.
  During the intake, the therapist noticed the difference between J today and J in May. Huge, huge difference. J was engaging in eye contact, showing appropriate behavior, was smiling, and even laughing some, but was never too loud.  He signed the paperwork that needed to be signed, albeit hand over hand and with several prompts to "focus". ( Because J is legally an adult and we have not gone through court to become his legal guardians, J is required to sign the paperwork there. Gotta love beaurocracy, right?) 
   As I have stated before during this week, I'm liking the changes we are seeing. He's sleeping better. His eating habits are stabilizing. His personality shines through more and he engages with us more. In fact, if he sits for too long without someone talking to him, interacting with him, or at least listening to music, he gets bored. He wants activity these days.  Staying on task for more than a few minutes is hard for him, but we can work on that. 
    Naps have pretty much gone out the window these days. Gone are the long naps in the afternoons. But although I could use one now and again, I'm happy he's not sleeping the day away. He sleeps better at night, no giggles at three in the morning , showers at five AM, or roaming the house at midnight.  I'm liking this a lot. 
  Will this behavior stay? Will it get better? I don't know. He hasn't been completely off behavior meds long enough to really tell. I hope and pray it stays this way, though. I'm happier, The Hubby is happier, and most importantly, J is happier. 

 * Okay, so some of you may have read this one already. I'm cheating a little today, but this really is what I'm thankful for today. J still is doing well and I'm very, very thankful for this.
  On this Tuesday, as every other Gratituesday, I invite you to share what you are thankful for as well as to see what others are grateful for. Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!


 J had a psychiatrist's appointment today. It's just a routine thing for him, mainly because of the meds he's been on to help with his behavior. It was more of an intake this time however, because we missed an appointment or two. And missing the appointment led to going off one of the meds. Am I sorry he did? No way.
  On the medication, J did fairly well. He was on an even keel most of the time, although he could still get loud and boisterous from time. But not having that little pill exactly on time could be disastrous. He'd be starving all the time on or off the meds, and could get angry and rather animalistic  in behavior --biting, tearing his clothes, being destructive. So we kept up the medication.
  Shortly before that medication ran out, his neurologist suggested another medication to help him focus. The Hubby and I were a bit reluctant to try the new med so we kept putting it off. Seeing that J was getting a bit hard to live with coming off the other med, we decided to try it. And promptly hated it. J went from being loud and boisterous to quiet, tired from not enough sleep, and tearful. He even regressed to combative behavior once. And only once. He was too quiet, and would barely eat, so we dropped the new med to once a day. And J did somewhat better, but still too quiet for my taste. Still had to remind him that he needed to eat. So we made the decision to drop the pill altogether unless we thought he needed something. You know what? He hasn't needed it.
  During the intake, the therapist noticed the difference between J today and J in May. Huge, huge difference. J was engaging in eye contact, showing appropriate behavior, was smiling, and even laughing some, but was never too loud.  He signed the paperwork that needed to be signed, albeit hand over hand and with several prompts to "focus". ( Because J is legally an adult and we have not gone through court to become his legal guardians, J is required to sign the paperwork there. Gotta love beaurocracy, right?) 
   As I have stated before during this week, I'm liking the changes we are seeing. He's sleeping better. His eating habits are stabilizing. His personality shines through more and he engages with us more. In fact, if he sits for too long without someone talking to him, interacting with him, or at least listening to music, he gets bored. He wants activity these days.  Staying on task for more than a few minutes is hard for him, but we can work on that. 
    Naps have pretty much gone out the window these days. Gone are the long naps in the afternoons. But although I could use one now and again, I'm happy he's not sleeping the day away. He sleeps better at night, no giggles at three in the morning , showers at five AM, or roaming the house at midnight.  I'm liking this a lot. 
  Will this behavior stay? Will it get better? I don't know. He hasn't been completely off behavior meds long enough to really tell. I hope and pray it stays this way, though. I'm happier, The Hubby is happier, and most importantly, J is happier.