What a Week

Its been quite a while since Dakota was physically sick-- I often find myself perplexed about this situation. Everyone has aches and pains both children and adults, yet it is a rare occurrence for Dakota to complain about ANYTHING. At least when it comes to physiological  maladies.

Dakota has what I consider a high threshold for pain . However one might assume that he feels the pain but DOES NOT  express his discomfort. With a diagnosis of autism it will always be a guessing game. He has speech and can express himself, yet when he is sick, his concern is more about how he wants it to go away and how bad he feels, NOT to tell anyone about it.

Surely he must have an pain in his leg, a headache, a cramp in a muscle or sinus pressure. Does he tell me??? NO  I cannot imagine going thru life and having these small ailments and not taking preventative measures. I can assure you that HE just does not let anyone know how he is feeling., That is incredibly frustrating.

I am sure I am not the only parent who has a kid like this. It becomes a guessing game to figure out why and what is happening. I have often remarked it is like having an infant. You rely on  your instincts and his behavior coupled with the physical  "traits". {is he hot?/ is he grabbing or rubbing a part of his body? and of course is he physically ill?]

Well this week it was a wild ride-- somehow, somewhere Dakota got sick --really sick.Funny thing is that he is so sequestered from "people" I cant even figure out where he got it--BUT HE GOT IT! 

The middle of the week he started with vomiting followed by diarrhea and before the week was over he woke up with chills and spiking temperature. OK so its not any different than anyone adult or child going thru  This is where I say "WRONG"  

Dakota not only absolutely hates to throw up but he hates to be anywhere near the toilet much less BEND OVER  the toilet--when he gets sick.Needless to say there was a mess everywhere. Hey that's parenthood. This is a kid who does not spit, does not blow his nose, does not swallow pills so why would I think that issues with the toilet are unusual?{smile} By the time it subsided I had plastic on the mattress, almost all the sheets and towels in the house either in the washer or the dryer or waiting for the laundry. Coupled with that about 10 showers to clean up the boy, it was circus .

I guess why I write about this, is just another observation about how different it is when you have a kid that has challenges vs a kid that has the ability to understand in a typical manor.I would venture to guess that some parents who have autistic kids may not  think about things like this. Dealing with the Autism is tough enough without adding additional care when they are sick. I just want to urge anyone caring for an autistic individual to keep a "keen eye" and "an ear to the ground". These kids could be telling us they are sick before the physical attributes show themselves.

All I can say is what a week !