AFLAC!!!

Today we went to AFLAC Cancer Center. It is her 6 month check up with the Survival Clinic. We have no results back. Totally stinks. Hopefully tomorrow we'll have some of it, although a few of the tests will take longer to come back.

HOWEVER, I had to brag a tiny bit. Elise actually allowed some things she usually bucks horribly over. At the Cardiologist, she willingly let them put on sticky tabs and wires on her for the tests, and she let them use the ultrasound goop and wand on her chest all of which usually makes her five shades of crazy.

THEN following up with the oncologist (cancer doctor) she let the nurses take her blood pressure which has been a BIG FAT FAIL, every 6 months, for the last 3 years. She screams and wiggles and messes up the electronic reader, and the nurses have given up after 5 or 16 tries (depending on their persistence). She also has been irrationally afraid of the height measuring tape, but today she stood up against it, adjusting her feet and head the way she was requested, completely cool with it.

You may look at the list of the victories and roll your eyes at me. But I assure you that this is a big stinking deal!!! There is usually MUCH screaming, spitting, and growling by the Baby Girl, which necessitates me utilizing advanced wrestling techniques to pinion her.

I got a comment on my last post from "RXRAD" saying that they "didn't know autism was in the mix"...Simply put? I have no idea if it is or not. Sometimes, I will confidently say that it's not. But we have indisputable sensory issues (defensiveness and craving repetitive and pressure input), impulsivity, inappropriate social interchanges, aggressive behavior, freaky obsessive organization/categorizing of toys and groups of items, lots of activity repetition, her speech is seriously delayed, and she has extreme sensory soothing behaviors... These all could contribute to a spectrum diagnosis, but because she is also developmentally delayed, some of them could be explained away by that...But in the service dog situation, an autism dog trained to handle her behaviors is what is necessary to meet her needs...

A VERY organized Puppy Parade

However, today after her blood draw which ended up a two part attempt requiring 2 nurses and me all but sitting on her, she found a Bic Pen and clamped down, craving the input for self-soothing...There are certainly some behaviors that make me continue to keep a watchful eye on it...

As soon as it was over, screaming and biting and bucking aside, she hopped up blowing kisses and hugging her nurses...she had forgiven them and she never holds a grudge against her medical professionals...no matter the dramatics that take place.

Amelia came up to me and told me that I smelled like the doctors this afternoon, reminding me of my own associations to the hospital soap...I wonder how her scent sensitiveness will impact her own memories and reactions...

I will let you know how the labs turn out, but I wanted to celebrate some of her maturity from today! Cheer and hoot and holler when you can, Folks!!! :)