Hi Sister, who would be the best saint for this whole situation. A sick child that can't communicate where his pain is (autistic), that is having almost daily bouts of awful pain by the look of it and is generally under the weather, doctors that seem not to be taking it seriously enough or don't believe me or are next to useless for whatever reason, long delays in getting to see anyone who could possibly help, or tests done (even with private health care we are still having this problem) and a parent reaching the end of her tether and, sorry to say, almost despairing. I really need some divine help here.
Saints, indeed. But also, some help from a social worker. Isn't bundling the latest thing in technology? Let's do some bundling and call out:
St. John of God, the patron saint of social workers and nurses. You need some muscle in your corner and autistic advocacy groups can help you get the help you need. The former Secretary of State once reminded us that "It Takes a Village" and was ridiculed for it. But it does take a village.
I think you should also turn to St. Gemma, a young lady who lived with horrible pain and paralysis for years on end, but who eventually had a miraculous cure. She knows about pain and patience, two things that, oh, so unfortunately, often must go hand in hand. You have to have patience for two, so Gemma is your girl.And let's not forget St. Joseph Cupertino, who I believe probably was autistic. There's a good saint bundle for you.
Let us know how you're doing! And get on the internet and find an advocate in your area.
5 comments:
There a lot of nonverbal clues when evaluating someone who doesn't speak or communicate.
Here are a few: pulling at an ear, rubbing his throat or not eating, banging or hitting the head, curling up in fetal position, rubbing the abdomen, splinting an arm or a leg, or limping.
It is sad when you know something is wrong but you can not identify it.
Thanks Sister for this quick response. We are now seeing the right person (I think) but things are still not moving as quickly as I would like. I will be making a complaint to the doctors if we ever get to the end of this as I think the initial delays were unacceptable. I did ask the advice of an autism support charity and they say what everyone does, be persistent and make a fuss. Believe me, I have been, but it's the same brick wall. Claudia, thanks, it really is not easy to tell this time, there are no straightforward clues, we are all just guessing and waiting for test results, now that they have finally been done.
I have done the rounds of useless medical professionals, so I sympathise. Fortunately in my case it was not a child I was dealing with, which would be so much harder, but myself.
I can't speak from personal experience, but have you looked at the GAPS diet and/or the work of Dr. McCandless (I think I spelled that correctly) and her great success with Low-dose Naltrexone and children with autism? I've heard great things about both those therapies. Not short term but maybe something (I'm sure you've been suggested to death. I apologize) to look at?
Thanks JP, it looks interesting and I will look into it more. The problem at the moment is he is not eating much these days and getting fussier, whereas a couple of months ago he ate wonderfully, including all the good, healthy stuff, (but also some less healthy stuff). Looks like we need an internal examination now.
It's so nice reading your blog, I like it.
-PatronSaintMedals.com
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