Happy New Year, very late, haha. 

So Monkey, has finished speech therapy and physical therapy. We can have a doctor write another prescription, and she can go again if we ever feel she needs any more help. The medication has been amazing! We were so against medication at first without the doctor showing us some medical reason for it, but he told us to trust him and try it. We are so glad we did. She can handle social situations so much better. We went to a Halloween event with over 3,000 people, she handled it great!! She would have never been able to in the past, and we would have never tried it. She also was fine during birthday parties, Christmas holidays, and football parties. The best part is her appetite. She is hungry now. She rarely was before the medication. Since the speech therapy helped us with her aversions to food (texture, looks), now she is hungry and is eating foods and also difference foods she normally would not have tried.  (She loves barbecue chicken!) She has even grew a couple of inches in a few months! She was in the same clothes for nearly two years until this medication helped stimulate her appetite. We also noticed she is not licking things anymore. Grocery shopping is easier without being worried what she is going to catch germs by licking! It has seemed to help her OCD behavior. She does not have to touch things so much. Again, we are really happy with her medication.  She has an appointment this month to talk about her results with the medication.

Our eldest is still doing great. She is now testing on tenth grade reading level in school, but she is in fourth grade. Wow, she loves to read. She is very crafty, and is learning to sew by hand this year. I just wish she would clean her room! She would rather sleep on a bunch of stuff than clean it, or just climb over stuff to get to her bed! Unreal. 

I am going to make more time for my blog this year. I am going to actually schedule time to write for it. I think that is how I need to do it. I schedule everything else in my life! Since things are going better for Monkey, I can focus on some other things like recipes, and whatever pops in my head.

Diagnosis

So we spoke with the neurologist last week. He stated her EEG and MRI were normal. He ended up given her the diagnosis of developmental delay. Her IQ is good. She is just going to have to have help when learning new things. Whereas she has autism traits, she does not have enough to meet a diagnosis. She also has OCD tendencies and has sensory issues. She will continue with speech until most likely December (her speech teacher said she is close to dismissing her). We will continue working with her with problem eating. She will also continue with Physical therapy for sensory issues. I am not sure how long she will continue that, but she just started a few weeks ago. We just paid all of our deductible with the EEG and MRI so we will only owe 10% on each visit so that will help money wise. We pay out of pocket for speech. She was put on risperidone to help with her moods and meltdowns. We already see an improvement. She is also less wiggly when trying to learn something with this medication. Now, we go back to trying to get the school to do something for her since she was denied. We are happy with the diagnosis.

EEG and MRI

So this week, Monkey had her EEG and MRI. Since the doctor was running late, and he is the one that gives the sedation medication, the nurse tried to give Monkey her EEG without the sedation. Since the sedation would last so much longer than the MRI medication, this was a good thing. Monkey hated it, but she did much better than we would have thought. The nurse took it slow. She stopped many times. We watched the movie Frozen, and the nurse did not wrap her head since she has sensory issues. 

When it came time for the MRI, two nurses came in and gave Monkey her IV. It was very scary for her, but the nurses did awesome at it. They were so quick, and wrapped her hand in bright colorful tape and left her alone for a while afterwards. We watched more Frozen. They even bought her some matching cards that she loved. We had bought her a new Pinky Pie Pony to give her right before the IV so she had something to focus on. Eventually, we took her to the MRI room, and she was given her meds. The medication took effect so quickly. It was scary to watch, but the doctor told us how she would react (facial expression and eyes) and how fast it would be. We were very thankful for his conversation. MRI took a little over 30 minutes and then she was carried in. She slept without moving for about 20 minutes. This child is never still even while sleeping so that was a little nerve wracking. After she woke up she had to drink some Gatorade to see how she was doing. We asked her before her meds what she wanted to do when we left and she said go to Chickfla. 

So after she was released, we took her to Chickfla. She could barely ate without believing she was going to throw up, poor kid, but she ate a bite here and there. She drank some sprite and then played slowly on the playground. We stayed a few hours. 

After we got home, she started to act more like herself and finished her chicken nuggets. Before the evening was over, she was snacking on everything. She was VERY hyper, but other than that, was fine. 

We will find out the results next week.

PT

Monkey has been to two PT sessions because she is sensory driven. Physical therapist is sure she has sensory processing disorder. She also was put in a compression vest with weights and wore it to speech. She never moved. I have never seen her this still in her lifetime. It was quite incredible. I am looking forward to seeing if she has the same response next week. If so, I think, I am going to take the chance and buy one for her. They are quite expensive. PT thinks it would help her sit and learn her letters since she still struggles with this. 

Next week, she has her EEG, and MRI tests. 

Halloween is coming. Both girls are excited, then we have the local Fair, and all our birthdays. Of course, Thanksgiving, Christmas parties and then Christmas. Love this time of the year. Whereas it is fun, it is more time for Monkey to get upset because of all the sights and noises. I am hoping since we are all trying to figure this out, that this year will be easier for her.