La La Land

When you tell most people who have recently had surgery to "take it easy, take naps, no running, lifting,or fast movements" you will get cooperation. Most people can figure out how to veg while their body heals, but that is not the situation at all with FASD. Hanna was having one heck of a melt down when our pediatrician and her other doctor showed up the morning we were scheduled to leave the hospital. The two of them a nurse and I left to the room to discuss the situation while two other nurses very patiently, calmly, worked with her.

After talking things over we decided that we needed to stay there an extra day while they came up with a cocktail of medication that would keep her calm enough to go home safely. I don`t think she realized that we were staying there longer then had been planned. None of us was going to bring the subject up with her unless she asked and she never did. The fact that she does not understand the passage of time helped us out here.

Now we are home and she is not going back to school because we have to keep her is la la land in order to allow her body the time it needs to heal.

She gives us a little attitude running her mouth so we get some walking in or maybe get her showered and changed and then her meds kick in and in a matter of minutes she falls asleep, (the kid can actually sleep). She sleeps for an hour and a half or so and then slowly wakes up and is a really good kid for about an hour during which time we can play a board game or two, read, watch TV, do some craft, or her favorite, color. Then the attitude starts over again so we re medicate to start the cycle over again.

We will be running this six hour cycle 24/7 for two weeks. I have two PCAs helping me so I can get in six to eight hours of sleep. I do not function well without sleep. We go re-evaluate the situation at the end of that time and I hope things are going well enough to take her out of la la land and get her back doing the things she is used to doing.