Monday, August 25, 2008

What a Strange Day...


It started with my little guy who is severely autistic. Mom is moderately mentally impaired. Dad is paranoid schizophrenic. Let me tell you, visits to this house are ALWAYS an adventure!! My favorite was when Mom lowered her voice while Dad was in the other room and told me she needed to ask me something. She wanted to know if it was possible to get married from a dragon marking you, because Dad told her he got married when he was 13 to a girl in this way, and showed her the mark. So she's just wanting to know if it's possible that this is true. I kept a straight face and informed her that one gets married by getting a marriage license and having a minister or justice of the peace marry you. Mom replied, "Well then, he's married to me!!!" Yes... Do you see what I mean about these visits being an adventure?

After this little guy, I headed to a home where several people were on the porch cutting up peppers. The little boy and I went inside, and Grandma followed us in, telling me that it's a good thing she isn't cooking the peppers or she would have to ask me a personal question. At my quizzical look, she informed me that if someone is on their period, and you're cooking peppers, the peppers will spoil. So if she were cooking peppers, she would have to ask me a personal question, see, because she couldn't let me in the house if I were having my period right now.

Okay then.

My next house is a cute story rather than a strange one. It was this little girl's first session, and she has a 3 year old sister who wanted to know why I was there. I explained to her that I was coming to teach her little sister how to talk. Well, the 3 year old was being a pill and not allowing the baby to do anything or play with anything, so her mother took her out of the room. Fifteen minutes later, she walked back in. "Can she talk now?"

I do think I'm good at what I do -- but I'm not THAT good! :)

On my way home, my realtor called and said another realtor wanted to show the house at 4:45. Okay, I ran home, scrambled to wipe down counters and vacuum and be sure everything was put away, and went to Toys R Us to search for a birthday present for Baby Boy. I returned at 5:10, no cars in the driveway, I assumed they were done and went on in. At 5:40 my realtor calls and says the other realtor just called her and they're running late, they'll be here by 6.

SIGH. How annoying. I didn't find anything at Toys R Us, so this time I headed off to Target. I returned at 6:25, no cars, I went back in the house assuming they were done for real this time.

At 6:40 they pulled up in the driveway. ARRRGH. They'd better darn well buy it after all this trouble!

I HATE selling houses. I hate other people intruding in my house. I'm so ready to have it sold and done with. Then I get to intrude in other people's houses while I find one to buy. That's far more fun. :) :) :)


Updated to Add:

I forgot one incident. Last week I was at a team meeting for a new client. The child doesn't sleep. It takes her three hours every night to go to sleep, and then she wakes up crying EVERY HOUR. All night long. She's almost THREE. That is three very long years of sleep deprivation for her parents, let me tell you.

So we were problem-solving and Mom said the pediatrician had told her to give her benadryl. Ack. We all cringed. Yes, let's just drug the child... And Mom tried it and it didn't work, it made her practically climb the walls she was so hyper.

So we discussed the possibility of melatonin. And Mom was told to consult her pediatrician about dosage.

Well. The pediatrician called the coordinator today with his knickers in a knot over the whole thing. How dare we tell HIS patient to take melatonin, were we doctors? Did we have medical degrees?

Coordinator explains that we didn't tell Mom to give the child melatonin, we told Mom to consult with him about it.

"You let ME be the doctor," he says, and continues with a rude tirade about the whole affair. The coordinator was very polite and met his comments with factual statements about what happened, about melatonin in general, and about her own personal successful experience with giving melatonin to HER nonsleeping infant on HER pediatrician's recommendation, and all she kept getting in response was a hateful, "AS I SAID... you let ME be the doctor..."

And he is dead set against giving that child melatonin, and insists that it's Benadryl she needs.

Why is it that so many doctors are so insistent that drugs are the one and only way to go?? I HATE seeing kids given medicine, and even more so when it is so totally unnecessary. Maybe he gets a cut from the company that makes Benadryl.

Aargh.

4 comments:

Carolyn F said...

OMG you had me laughing! Melatonin was a godsend in our house. I'm sure you know as well, but routine routine routine around bedtime will help as well.

A Dusty Frame said...

What a bunch of stories:)!
Keeps life exciting huh?

I've had the same experience with a Dr. It seems some of them "must not be questioned"
Grr!

Ora said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ora said...

What I'm wondering, have you guys got a handle on what really is going on in the home to make the child behave so?
Is she having caffeine at any time of the day?
Do the parents know what is going on every moment of her day or does she stay with others while they work?
Is the home in a quiet down mode for a couple of hours, at least, before her bedtime?
Do they have noise like tv, etc., going on while she's supposed to be sleeping?
Does she share a room with a sibling that may bother her or snore, etc?
I don't believe melatonin is the answer for a child or an adult, for that matter.
Is she getting the proper supplements and foods that she needs?
I believe the family needs to work together closely in order for the child to live a normal, sleeping well, life.
Just my two cents.