Days 34 and 35

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

If there was ever any doubt that Josh's PNES are PTSD-related, today answered that question. Josh was getting something out of the pantry during dinner and he fell - it was sort of like watching a ball in a pinball machine - he bumped into the pantry door, fell back into the wall between the kitchen and dining room, then forward into the opposite wall, then back against the bookshelf in the dining room and down he went. He didn't get hurt at all - I didn't even see any mark that could turn into a black and blue spot, but he totally lost it. He went into a PNES that lasted over 5 minutes (the longest I've ever seen). Afterward, he kept needed reassurance that he was fine, that he didn't get hurt, and that sometimes people fall without getting hurt - he kept talking about his fall when he broke the leg and, eventually, he was OK. It was absolutely clear he was panicking about the fall and breaking something. Again, he was fine, but it was also so clear that the PNES was related to the fall last Fall.

Other than that, he had a terrific day both yesterday and today! I started using a chart to get him into the bathroom to pee. I made a picture of a railroad track winding down the paper - starting at a toilet and ending at a toilet, with railroad signs along the path and a stoplight at the beginning and end. Every time he went to pee in the toilet, and actually peed in the toilet rather than his depends, he would get a Thomas sticker for the sign and one for himself. He got three stickers today! And, when he had the bad PNES after he fell, he did pee in his depends - he got up anyhow and went to the bathroom. He told me he shouldn't get a sticker but he would try again "yater."

He had a great time with Gramma Bev and Boompah today - talking up a storm, playing with Gramma, asking Boompah questions. And, he is eating more and more on his own, and he even ate watermelon tonight - all on his own! He normally hates watermelon!

Tomorrow is school in the a.m. but no camp in the afternoon - I think we'll go someplace special to celebrate how well he is doing.

I upped the "dosage" of NV today - three scoops between the two servings. Eventually I'll get him up to the 4 scoops but I think I'll stick at 3 for awhile to see how it goes. We go to the dentist on Tuesday this week - need to give him the triazolam an hour before the appointment - we'll see how it goes - he's outgrown the papoose Dr. Fred uses with him!