Bugaboo's Latest Antics

Bugaboo has had a complete personality change the past two weeks. Gone is the smiling, happy and active little boy. In his place is a miserable, screaming imp. We do not like the newer version of Bugaboo and would prefer it if the old Bugaboo came back to us. Have you seen this child?

Seriously, though, the past two weeks have been difficult for him medically. He had a wicked ear infection a few weeks ago, got an antibiotic shot and it cleared up. Then he started with horrible tummy troubles. We started on the new tummy meds, things started to clear up and the screaming began. We ended up back at the doctor with a raging ear infection, resulting in both of his ear tubes being projected out of his ear drum. With some drops he has been doing much better, the Motrin helps the rest. This weekend we chose to stop the laxative, as he was going SO often that it seemed to hurt him.

Big mistake. Since he arrived home from school today he has cried, bitten his hands, screamed, run around screaming, run around laughing, destroyed half the house and has been giving us massive drama about going to bed. We started the bedtime routine at 7:30. I am posting this at eleven and DH finally has had the last straw and is taking him for a ride. We've tried warm baths, hot compresses, rocking and pacing, cuddling, singing, feeding, drinking, he just won't settled down. He screams so much he is closing his eyes (pure exhaustion) and still screaming. Something is just not right.

I know he needs to go to the bathroom but that cannot be all that is wrong with him. Couple that with the fact that he just cannot explain how he feels and the fact that he must be frustrated being belief, and you have a recipe for disaster. This child is at his breaking point. He is angry, frustrated, moody and sad. He is not the child that I know. I am hoping that this anger will lead him to the place we need him to be. None of us can take much more! We are ALL tired and depressed about it. We just do not know what the next step is. I have prayed and prayed and cried and cried. I need answers for him.

This evening he tried to run himself a bath. I was cutting out paper dolls with my little neighbor girls (we were sitting RIGHT under the bathroom, mind you) and the water must have been running for ten minutes. Little Miss and Middle Girl asked me to print out more doll clothes so I sat down to print them and he came running into the room crying. Middle Girl kept trying to tell me he was wet and I brushed her off, my eyes still looking for paper dolls. I figured she meant like his diaper was wet or that he was playing in the sink again. She said, "No! He is REALLY wet. I mean REALLY!" I turned to look at him, noticed he was fully clothed and completely, soaking, wetter-than-a-fish wet. I also saw a trail of puddles through the kitchen so I went up to the linen closet to grab towels to dry him (and the floor) and only then did I hear the tub running, drain closed, showerhead partially on. The water was freezing cold and up to the top of the tub. I caught it just in the nick of time.

I am sitting here right now emotionally and physically drained. I am sore from rocking his thirty-six pound body. I am tired from not sleeping a full night for two straight weeks (and six straight years) and for not sleeping a wink for two nights. I am weary because I feel defeated and trodden upon. Tonight Autism is winning and I do not want to let it. I refuse to have this take over my child and change him. I want better than that for him. But I am oh so tired...Shhhh...Shhhh...

They are back. Please pray he is asleep. Please pray that he is better tomorrow. Regardless, I will be calling the doctor and staging a sit-in until someone figures out what the hell is going on.