ObesityHelp

Brett, Don't even get me STARTED on vaccines. We are chelating my son and there is quite a bit of mercury (from the vaccine preservative thimerasol) that is showing up in his urine analysis. I just have been reading somewhere online that the CDC is not concerned about the current vaccine schedule flu shots that still contain thimerasol. It makes me ill. I am having surgery this summer (hopefully), too. My big concern right now is the risk of death. I feel like there is no one else in my family capable of managing my son if something goes wrong. I am wracked with guilt about this. Am I being selfish for wanting this surgery so badly? -BJ

Hi everybody, I'm new to obesityhelp boards and so glad to have found this special group! I have a 6 year old son who was once diagnosed with Autism/PDD (moderate) and now has lost his diagnosis. We've done a ton of biomedical therapies with him that have literally worked wonders. He now speaks in fluent, total sentences, and is attending a mainstream kindergarten class. His biggest area of concern now is lack of social skills, so we're hoping this exposure to "typical" children will be a good peer modeling opportunity. I look forward to conversing more with you ladies! -BJ in Annapolis, MD

I also have a son with Autism. He is now 27 years old. Unfortunately, Jaysen has severe autism/mental retardation. He is the love of my life!! He was diagnosed at about 18 months through D.E.C. here in Raleigh, NC. He entered the school program (autistic classroom) at about five years old and finished at age eighteen. I am fortunate to have such a great son..it was very challenging however, because he is still in diapers and doesn't talk (some echoalia) But as a whole, he was low maintenance, until he got sick. He now resides in Goldsboro and goes to a workshop every day. I also have a 31 year old daughter who works at UNC in Chapel Hill and am very proud of her!! Good luck to you and your children!!

I too have a son with Autism/MR. He is 27 years old and resides at a facility about 45 minutes from home. He is non-verbal and still in diapers at night. I have seen just about anything and everything, although my son was so-o-o easy. He started in the school system when he was three years old and fed himself for the first time. I feel so blessed to have him and always, always thought he would stay at home with my husband and me. However, three years ago, he was found to have hemmoroids and had to have surgery after treatment that proved to be unsuccessful. How I dreaded that. He had four hemmorids!! I don't know if you have had any experience with meds, but my son reacts totally opposite when given something for pain. After his surgery...( total nightmare for him and us) and he came home from the hospital, we had to eventually put him in the hospital again for pain management. Here they gave him morphine just so he wouldn't get out of bed or rip out his IV. Not understanding all that was happening to him, and always being healthy,the only thing for him to do was lash out...AND HE DID !! At this point in his life, it was time for us to make a decision we both thought we'd never have to make..and I have cried so much and missed his little noises and all the things he used to do. But we did what was best for him. He now has round the clock care and goes to a workshop everyday and goes on fun outings. We go and see him anytime we want and bring him home frequently. To anyone who has a child/children with autism, I commend you for your strength and ability to care for them. I was always told God gave children like ours to special people and now I can say I believe this. I know how much I did for him, and love him. I would do it all over again because it has made me a much better person. On the funny side, he pulled an elderly ladies wig off while standing in line at Golden Corral!! He has this thing of tugging on hair, especially women. She was so nice, but I thought I would die!! My mother was with me and after we got our food and got him fed (he was starving,) he was fine and mother and I just LOAO!! How funny was that? Take care and good luck to you!

So good that your daughter is doing great,hopefully you have Early Childhood Intervention in place in her life. Since your daughter have already been dx,have your son checked asap,the sooner the better for his educational placement and oppurtunities. Keep me posted,please. lps1951@aol.com

Hi, Deeann! I have a son who will be 17 on Saturday with autism. He's go a genius I.Q., extraordinary problem solving skills, but the emotional age of a preschooler. His communication skills are like a 2 year old. I've been told by a doctor who had worked with autistic children for over 20 years that my son has the most challenging mix of ability and disability he'd ever encountered and in the same breath said he prayed for me daily. It certainly has been interesting, to say the least. Right now he goes to a wonderful school and has a great teacher. Sarasota is one of the leading school systems for autism. I don't know how you manage with two. I have a 19 year old who does not have autism and it's hard enough dealing with him. He's a great kid and loves his brother, but he does tend to provoke his brother quite a bit. I call it "bear poking". Plus I've had to deal with a lot of,"How come I have to do this and HE doesn't?" It's been a real challenge trying to deal fairly with both according to their unique characters. How do you handle things like that? Debbie Sarasota

Hi DeeAnn, I just happened to find this by browsing and saw your post..... I have 3 children. My oldest has autism ( high functioning) and ADHD. He is very clever acedemically, however his social skills need some work. He is now 11. I also have another boy who is 10 and is diag. ADHD with ODD. My daughter is 8 and "normal". They are all great kids, but somedays I find my patience wearing very thin. I would love to swap stories. Would esp. like to hear how your boys are doing in their adolescent years as it won't be long before my boys are crossing that bridge. Are your boys in mainstream classes, get resource help? Would love to hear from you.... Sherri~