Changing Seasons

I just realized that it's been 3 months since our last update. It's been a busy summer, and I've taken approximately 1,000 pictures. I'll spare you, and only hit the highlights.

First, Rachel got a tattoo. It means a lot to her, and she's so happy with it. She sees this as the foundation for a life story, all in little pieces. For someone with memory deficits, Rachel sees her tattoo(s) as a way to commemorate special times, and act as a reminder later on.

Puzzle piece tattoo

A week or so after Rachel got her tattoo, Stewie got his first hot spot. We got him treated, and the vet gave us a cone to use. Sadly, Stewie could not tolerate the cone, so we bought a blow-up Kong collar. The World's Most Flexible Dog (TM) was able to reach the spot anyway. When the second hot spot showed up just a couple of inches from the first one, we decided it was time to buy a puppy onesie. Stewie looks a lot thinner with all the fur bound up. The hot spots both healed, and the hair is growing back.

Stewie's puppy onesie

Since we've been working on letting Rachel do more of her own self-care, we bought a new med tray system, which she loves, and is easier for her to manage. She can fill as many as 31 days worth of meds, or just a few, at a time. Next we'll work on ordering refills and managing that part of the process.

New med tray system

The Oregon Zoo was getting ready to bid farewell to their polar bear cub, Nora, so we decided we'd better get up there and visit. Turns out that Nora loves dogs, or maybe it's just Stewie. She followed our progress throughout her entire enclosure and put her nose right up to Stewie's through the glass. Nora is being moved to a zoo in Utah, where she'll have a companion, and as much as we're sorry to see her go, it will be in her best interest. Nora is bored and lonely. Her new friend is named Hope, and is about the same age.

Nora the polar bear.

Now it's September, and we took a short trip to the coast for my husband's birthday. He went fishing, and I took Rachel and Stewart out to play. The weather was gorgeous, and we played all day. There was a lot going on, the days were long, and we didn't sleep well, but Rachel was a champ, and didn't have any problems the whole trip. It was wonderful.

View from the Umpqua Lighthouse

Summer is almost over, and Rachel has decided she'd like to return to school, so she signed up for an art class at the community college, with plans to return to her degree program winter term. It took some effort, but Rachel was able to get registered for class, and order the text book. She ordered and paid for the book online, and opted to pick it up at the school book store a few days later. It so happens that those few days encompassed our coast trip, so today was the day to go get the book. I drove Rachel to school, but she took Stewie in and I waited in the car. She came back with the book, and we drove back home.

Once we were home, I realized that she had actually purchased the book she had in her hand instead up just picking up the one she'd pre-ordered. So, she had paid twice, and had one book. Oops. So, we loaded up again, and headed back out to the school. Rachel was very upset with herself, and I could see that she was very anxious. We were almost to the school when Rachel indicated that she wasn't feeling well, so I pulled into a parking lot, and she tried very hard not to have a panic attack, but she ended up having a short meltdown. 

We're getting better at recognizing the difference between her panics and the seizures. We now have what we call the "go bag." It contains the magnet for her VNS, a vape pen, and rescue cannabis oil. We're also getting better at remembering to take it in the car. I was able to grab the bag, swipe the VNS in case it was a seizure, and put some oil in her mouth. A few minutes later she was able to focus and we continued on to the school. This time I went in with Rachel, and we got the book situation taken care of.

The "Go Bag."

School starts on the 25th, and I'm feeling more confident in Rachel's ability to cope with the stress. She's interested in taking on more responsibility for herself, and is looking forward to getting out more, engaging people, and spreading her wings more. She knows there will be difficult days, and probably more panic attacks, but she is feeling more positive about her life, and that is the biggest thing.

Adulting Can Be Daunting

Soo booorrreeddduh!

Yesterday, our local epilepsy run/walk committee was holding an informal meeting at the Saturday market, and I invited Rachel to go along, which she usually enjoys. She declined, so I took Stewie with me, so he could get some exercise and fresh air. When I got back, Brett told me that Rachel's friend had called, and invited Rachel to go out and do something with her. Rachel also declined that outing. 

Today Brett and I were both ready to order our new glasses, so we loaded up the kids, and made our way to Walmart. I decided that Rachel isn't really inclined to do much if we don't expect her to. We fully respect her decision to stay in if she's not feeling well, etc., but both of the outings she declined are things she usually enjoys very much, and we're afraid that staying in, and doing nothing but playing video games is too isolating, and she needs to do more.

I wrote a short list of groceries, items with which I know Rachel is well familiar, and handed it off to her, as Brett and I started shopping for frames. There was a short bout of sputtering, and self-doubt, but I reminded her that she is quite familiar with the layout of this store, she had her alarm, phone, dog, and emergency ID tag, and I fully expected that she was more than capable of completing this task. Within 15 minutes, Rachel was back, with every item on the list, pink-faced, but proud of herself. I was proud of Brett and myself, because we didn't check our watches or phones even once.

Two years ago, a regular shopping trip, at my side, would have been too much. A year ago, attempting to do this much shopping on her own would have meant a nap after we got home, and then a very quiet evening. Today, she got it done, and then sat and played her game while she waited for us to complete our transaction. Once my part was finished, I grabbed the cart and did the produce shopping (I'm picky, so I didn't expect her to do that part), and then I checked out the groceries, and we all went home.

Now, I know this doesn't sound like a big deal to most of you, but for Rachel, and for us, this was huge. The only time she usually goes off on her own is when she wants to shop for a video game, or something for herself. Rachel hasn't ever been sent off on her own to do shopping for the family, while using a list. She also had to visit the OTC section and find a specific brand and strength of a vitamin supplement she takes. She did a great job in both areas, and what she doesn't know is that from now on we'll be splitting the shopping list, and meeting in the middle. ;)

Adulting is sometimes hard for those of us who are neuro-typical. For the atypical it can be downright daunting to do daily self-care tasks. It's time for us to believe that Rachel has the ability, but we may need to provide the motivation until she believes it, too.