dsummersill

Sorry to read about Dan. My family is praying for you and your families.

I am glad to hear that you finally got what you deserved for fighting for our country. I too have PTSD but they learned that it came before the military. The judge who saw to my SS claims couldn't believe the military let me in with all the problems my childhood caused me but like they say "don't ask don't tell". They surely didn't ask and of course I didn't know to tell them.

You know I get so many people on here who tell me what a great job I am doing with Cayden but I think I have it so much easier with Cayden because his stroke happened before he had his own personality and I get to see him for who he is but to listen to yall having had a person with a certain personality and the stroke change them I think yall are the best people. To stay with the loved ones and care for them and continue to love them no matter what. Being a caregiver not just to my son but as a career I see too many family members leave the people they are suppose to love because of a personality change whether due to stroke or alzheimers. Caydens grandma's on both sides of the family are missing out on a wonderful boy and I think your spouses are very lucky to have such loving people to stick by them. I wouldnt be too hard on yourselves I know it cant be easy all the time but love is worth it right?

Yes Asha I am teaching him Math. He is adding and subtracting and soon will be doing fractions. He can add and subract to ten right now. I want to wait a little while before I do adding and subtracting double digits. He loves math and he is also doing language arts. He even can write a story and we are learning verbs and others that even higher grades are doing right now.

Cayden is actually the bully in school and no he is big for his age just smarter because he has been in school since he was 17 mos old. We decided to homeschool more because of his health issues with regulating his temp. more than anything else.

I know what you mean I too have learned alot about strokes but its hard to use it in my case because Cayden is so young. I know it is so much easier for Cayden to recover because he never learned anything to begin with yet but I know sometimes he has to wonder why his buddies are doing things that he cant but I havent seen him get too sad for that. In fact his friends seem to be more jealous of him than he is of them.

But I love him and very proud of him and all of the survivors on here. I cant forget the caregivers who have made the choice to stick by their loved ones even in this sickness.

My family left us because of Caydens illness......because of his stroke he wasnt good enough for them. Well TOUGH they arent good enough for my lil miracle.

Cat,

The females are correct in this one I believe. I am a caregiver tho my stroke survivor is just a young child. I am at a crossroads in my life as well when it comes to taking in other children. My husbands cousin has had two children taken away from her do to drugs as well and her parents are not doing to well and she wants my husband and I to care for two children who are way younger than 11. The two kids in this scenario are 2 yrs and baby at 7 mos. I would love to take these small babies in but as my blog says I am way too busy. With all the things I have to do for Cayden at 5 yrs of age I can just imagine what you have to do to help Mike out with. I know how hectic being a caregiver can be. I know with us not having the stroke it is hard for us to understand what our loved ones have to go through that is what I like about this site you get other peoples sides to this stroke issue not just caregivers but what our loved ones may be going through.

I think with your sister taking your granddaughter in you can still make sure she is in a more stable environment and still care for the man of your dreams. But this is just my opinion and you need to do what is best for your family and your life

GOOD LUCK

Dyan

Hi Catebeleu,

Sorry to here about your man.....Asha is right tho, you will find a new "norm". My new norm started the day after my son was born. My son had his stroke before he was even born so all he knows is "post stroke" life. We try not to make a fuss over him even tho there are things he cant do that other kids his age can do. We have been talking about the use of his leg and now he wants a cane so he can walk better. He walks just fine tho when he gets tired he will start to limp. One piece of advice that I have heard from alot of different people is not to compare his recovery by others.....everyone recovers in their own time......I will pray for you and your man

Best wishes for the both of you,

Dyan (caregiver of 5 yr stroke survivor)

The girl is a volunteer at the horse therapy....She too adores Cayden and he is very popular there being the baby of "Horse Play". The pic is of his first day at therapy.

Try three is a bust.....He was up all night last night and when his friends got here he didnt like what he got for his birthday and then he wanted to send his friends home. He hadnt eaten since breakfast and unfortunately that is one of the side affects of this med. He then didnt go to sleep until 9 last night and got up at 11:30 and didnt go to bed until 2 this morning and then got back up at 5 am. I ended up having to call the doctor and they took him off this one and they put him back on number 2 until thursday.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!! Cayden will be celebrating his 5th year anniversary in Feb. I cant really say for sure when exactly he had his stroke but the docs think it was about the 10th of February because he was born on the 17th and he already had had his stroke.....They are assuming the day I quit feeling him move was the day he had it.

Dyan

Thank you everyone for the advice and I wish I could give him Pop the Pig but I wrapped it with other gifts together but we have some small gifts that we are going to let him unwrap on monday because it is his fathers birthday so we always give him a gift on everyone elses birthday so he doesnt feel left out. His sister this year let him open all her gifts and I took pics of them together her looking at the gifts right after he opened them.

Hopefully that will hold him over until Christmas

Dyan

Kathy,

Thats for sure but Im not sure who is going to be stronger me or Cayden.....LOL. The longer this goes on the more I get irritated.....He's even asking complete strangers for "pop the pig'!!!!!

Dyan

Will,

The toilet at school is different....it flushes on its own and believe me I am not going to invest in that one because he is afraid of it..lol

The reason he is going at school is because all the other kids are potty trained and he sees them use the potty and they have bathroom breaks where here at the house he doesnt have potty breaks and he rather play than use the toilet plus at school he doesnt sit on the toilet and he will pee but he is afraid to do anything else because he is afraid of sitting on the toilet.

ps glad your still in big boy underwear....I will let Cayden know I know another big boy who wears big boy underwear even at home......lol

Dyan

Asha,

Happy thanksgiving!!!!! There is alot I too am thankful for too and maybe I should try that journal as well because its hard to look at the good when your concetrating on the bad or what for me Cayden hasnt accomplished yet when I should concentrate on what he has and how far he has come since we were told he wouldnt live through the night.

Thank you,

Dyan

Orlando,

Lydia and Jaime are right. Your mom loves you and wants the best for you but it is between you and your body and God when you do each milestone.

I know me and my husband push our son too and that is wrong we keep getting into trouble by his psychiatrist about not pushing him he will do it when he is ready.....we really push this potty training and his psych told us that we will do more damage and he will lose his ground if we continue so we too have to show patience.

Yes the age difference is a big leap but not any different.....the more your mom pushes the more frustrated you get because your not on her time schedule. Dont listen to others when you are ready you will get it and that is what counts. You know what you need to do and you know what your body can handle so you know when you need to stop.

Keep up the progress on YOUR time

Dyan

Debbie,

Thank you so much for the advice and the suggestions. I know Cayden wants nothing to do with his class. He plays by himself tho in the vacinity of the other kids. He does talk to the kids in his play but they dont have to talk back to him. That is all fine with me but the major problem I have with him that we cant seem to get him to understand is he picks on one of his class mates. Its not the type like making fun of him just he annoys him and he knows what buttons to push to make this kid mad. I know that is a 2 yr old problem but I know bullies do that too no matter how old that bully is.

how do we get a 2 yr old to understand that bullying is wrong and it hurts peoples feeling? He doesnt act like he understands.

Dyan

Since the teacher started putting him in big boy underwear yesterday he has been dry. This is his second day in a row that he has been dry. He let me put him in his big boy underwear this morning and I am hoping that with time he will feel more confident about using the toilet. I have asked him since he got home from school if he wanted me to put him in a diaper and he said no. He has been telling everyone he is in big boy underwear and asking everyone if they wear big boy underwear!!!!

Debbie,

They are large-xlarge also known as 5t-6t.....lol.

No go tho. He is peeing in the potty at home now but still will not sit on toilet to use it to pooh.

Dyan

Host Dennis,

Thank you that is the one my dad used to make growing up!!!! I know Cayden will like that he loves apples and rice.

Dyan

Host Sue,

My prayers are with your family and Ray. Sorry to hear he is doing no better. I know what ya mean by acceptance and I wish I could accept the fact that Cayden may not wear big boy underwear or potty train. I know its not as bad as Ray but I want him to grow up and be able to live on his own and I am afraid that when he gets into the higher grades and still in diapers he will be made fun of. He has been through so much. I dont want him to go through any thing more.

Asha,

Thank you I would like to find one that he would eat because he had mashed potatoes for the first two yrs of his life and he sick of them. They have flavored ones if anyone has a good recipe for one of those. I am also trying candied yams if anyone has any other ideas for stuffing that would be great. My dad used to make one with apples and rice but he is not talking to me so if anyone knows other types of stuffing besides the bread one.

Dyan

Redriot,

He is allergic to dairy so any recipes that have dairy in them I just put his lactose free milk in. He has no more restrictions about chewing that is why I want to make this special for him.

No offense taken about the cooking nobody here knows me enough to know if I can cook but yes I do know how to cook the turkey and most everything-no deer meat-but am new to the rest of thanksgiving because always had to do it around Caydens needs.

Now its time to have fun with this dinner.

Thanks,

Dyan

Fred,

You are walking in Gods time and recovering in Gods time......Im so proud of what you have accomplished. It has takin me a long time to realize that when God is ready to heal my son he will. My father in law kept telling me God would heal my son and give him a new brain. I laughed at the time trying to picture God pulling Caydens brain out through his nose and shoving a "good" brain back in. I realize that what my father in law was saying was that what Cayden couldnt do then he would be able to do when God was ready for him to do it. I guess I had to learn patience for God.

We just found out that there is something new that they are testing out right now and Caydens doctor wants him to try it. I dont know exactly what it is she wasnt supposed to tell us but she said that if it works that it would retrain Caydens brain and it could truly heal his brain. Maybe my father in law knew what he was talking about after all. And people say that he wasnt in his right mind because he had alzheimers.

Keep up the great work and I will pray for your continued success

Dyan

Elondie,

You are absolutely right about the dentist and everyone involved with Tooties oral surgery....They all should have been in contact with others in her care. That is why I hate involving new people into Caydens care.....Even at school I make sure the next grade knows Caydens needs and that he gets them....I dont care who gets tired of hearing from me!!!!!

Good luck with Tootie and God Bless you Elondie

Dyan