We set the alarm clock for six thirty, but Blake woke up about 5:45. We all got packed and ready to go. Eric checked us out of our room and brought our bags out to the van. We went to the restaurant at our hotel for breakfast. We figured it would be easier than trying to find somewhere to eat.
They had a buffet, so we all had that. Eric and I had some omelets that were yucky, but everything else was pretty good. Blake absolutely loved their toast. They were huge slices of bread, and I think he ate three slices. 
Ok, so after breakfast, the shuttle from the Marriott dropped us off at the door to the hospital. Blake is a little nervous about going to the doctor, so he was a bit clingy. Drew freaked out about going on the elevators. He has a love/hate relationship with elevators. Well, Drew's carrying on got Blake all worked up, too.
A kind nurse was going to suggest we take the stairs until we told her we needed to go to the seventh floor. There were four elevators, and when you press the UP button, the nearest elevator opens up. When the one Drew wanted finally opened up, he was ok with going.We waited a short time, and I talked to a mother who was there from Michigan with her teenage son with Fragile X.
Blake cried when Dr. Berry-Kravis came to get us, and of course, Drew squawked and flapped, but followed along. Neither boy cooperated to be weighed. Blake continued to cry for a few minutes and Drew hesitantly answered the questions Dr. Berry-Kravis asked. She was surprised that he could read the sentence she wrote for him. We will go to the zoo. But most of the time he was turned away from her, bent over in half, or getting on the floor. She said she could understand the school's difficulty in getting him to cooperate. When she was finished with Drew, he went in the hall and opened and closed the door of the next exam room. We were the only family there for two and a half hours, so she said it was ok if he did that.
When it was Blake's turn to answer questions, he didn't do so well. He couldn't identify shapes for her, or colors. He could recognize some letters, but not consistantly. She thinks that Blake is so easily overstimulated that he spends all his time being excited and can't think of anything else. He ran around a lot and by the end of the appointment he was hitting me and slamming doors. She said she felt this was more of an attention getting behavior than violent behavior.
We are going to increase Drew's Prozac to hopefully reduce his anxiety level enough to help him be functional, and more comfortable around people. Blake's Prozac is getting increased, and we are adding in Focalin XR, which is a stimulant. That should help calm him down some. (we went to the pharmacy today and they are out of Focalin XR until Wednesday, phooey!)
She was very nice and of course, knowledgeable. We left her office and went back to the hotel to get our van. We decided to go to the Navy Pier, which took us longer than it should have, thanks to faulty GPS directions. Drew did not like the Navy Pier at all, and cried and begged for us to take him home. We stayed an hour and left. Their stupid parking garage cost $24.00 for the privledge of parking there, whether you stayed an hour or 23 hours. Here's what it looks like when you attempt a semi-normal thing like a picture of Daddy with his boys:
We drove awhile and stopped in Michigan City, Indiana. We debated about staying there. We ate at Chili's, and was totally dismayed to learn that they haven't sold Awesome Blossoms there in over two years! I think the one we go to in Ohio still does. At least I hope they do. Anyway, then we went to an outlet mall and shopped for awhile. We purchased a new platter from Corelle and a 9x13 baking dish from Le Gourmet Chef. Oh, and the spur of the moment decision to buy the Thomas the Tank Engine book with CD. Not because we're such sweet and generous parents, but because Blake tore the packaging. lol. He was happy, though.
We decided not to stay overnight. We got home at almost one o'clock in the morning, and the total number of hours the boys slept in the van was one.
4 comments:
I'm pretty sure I had an Awesome Blossom at Chilis a few months ago. That is BUNK!
Oh, and your visit sounds kind of like ours (where Blake is concerned, anyway). Punkin tore all of the paper off the exam table and "hid" Woody underneath it. And then he started running....
Did she say why she chose Focalin? Just curious.
No not really, other than the fact that Ritalin and Adderal were shorter lasting, and had more ups and downs. He will be going to all-day kindergarten in the fall and she thought it might be better than having to redose him during the day and have to deal with the rebound effect.
It's interesting to see that the boys are on Prozac. I had here so much about Zoloft and then when "rachel" got put on prozac i was kinda thrown for a loop. So I'm glad to see other fx kids out there on it for anxiety. At first I didn't think it did squat but she's been on it for a couple of months now and I do see a difference. Plus we a seeing a counselor who specializes in kids to help teach her ways to work through her anxieties. :)
I'm glad that their is something to help the boys with their anxieties.
Jessica
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