Zismom, would you have a Autism support group close to you or ask your Dr if there is an organization to join close to you.. and do you have friends, or family that are supporting you emotionaly? can you share with someone ? Designate a Go to person someone you can report to daily sort of like an accounabilty partner.. Carve out time for you, if you need to get sleep aids give your self permission to do that, your not super mom, all of us know what this is like ! . if you must have someone come in a few nights, to night sit so you can have SOLID sleep,that is and idea

lets talk about worry.. Parents of Autistic children are just as prone to extensive worry as anyone on the planet our minds can wander all over the place even more so due to we are experiencing autism with our children, your child is not the only one who suffers. Sometimes there symptoms are distressing.. Worry will cause more harm than good on your body. take every day days in a step by step, one foot in front of the other pace.Keep your thinking positive.. this will pass I can ask more questions and try more things. you and I have no control over tomorrows, However we can build our circle of influence today. find people to help you be stronger and that is the sence of care and love you are looking for it gives you peace knowing there are others to help lift your load with you.. We are all pulling in one direction the "My Autism TEAM" Focus your attention on those around too Focus on the seeking out help , and friendships,you build a loving life for you and your son.Yes there will always be challenges and you will have more exhausting days but train your mind to..RELAX this comes from inside too even when all around you seems to be chaos, know you are in control of some things. Prayer is a good meditation. Music will help too and have some things that help you calm you too... I have learned to see others reactions now differently and know my self and children in another perspective..Many times Others don't have a clear understanding of autism, I find I must dismiss there behavior and pre judgements (they don't come home with me so they don't have a clue to our reality). God bless you and give you some peace, know others are Thinking of your struggle and have struggled with you.

I am always overwhelmed with my son's issues and then when I do go to the doctor for me it is always something huge! I had a knee replacement this summer, and the knee has progressed and I'm bending it amazingly way more than my other knee replacement two years ago, but the quad muscle won't hold and they sent me to a back doctor. I have a ruptured disk in my back. I had the MRI on my low back and I did one on my neck at Christmas when I had one elbow cubital tunnel surgery (Like carpol tunnel only elbow, I had carpol tunnel on both hands too.) and when the back doctor looked at that, he said my neck is worse than my back and I should go to surgery there first. Both my nerves in my arms were blocked in the elbows and you can't do the surgery at the same time so I have that scheduled next before my back...because I am still stuck on these crutches and hate being so helpless. I just had a bout of diverticulitis this past week. (I had my thumb joint replaced a year before my other knee replacement.) I had diverticulitis just prior to that and then again just after. I had to have a colonoscopy to determine if they would remove my section of colon. I had scheduled my son to have his tonsils out 6 weeks after my knee replacement and I had my heart race so fast I could not sleep and I was having chest pain and thought it was a heart attack but I made it to the surgery for him and called my doctor who checked me for a pulmonary embolism but couldn't find anything. They sent me for EKG, cat scan, and did an ultrasound on all my organs. I had a gall stone the size of a golf ball and had surgery for that too. Well, the good news is I have utilized my insurance and any more surgery this year is all paid for. The other good news is that I only have two knees. Now, I have heard about bionic technology and I'm waiting for mine to kick in!!! My son has been to so many doctor appts. and missed school and it is always something...if not one disorder, then two things are happening at once. He is sick every month at least and because of all the sleep disorders he is wiped out most of the time...not like a little cold most of us push through.

It's easy for us to only focus on Autism because it takes up such a large part of our lives. And the reality is that unless we get help, its impossible to find balance in our lives. I don't know what resources you have but if you haven't yet applied for supports then you should do this immediately. Then after you get the caregivers trained and everything, its time to try to focus on other things once in a while. I have found that if I'm helping someone else or involved in other things, I do better because I'm not focusing on my son and his problems all the time.

I have heard of stress and losing weight but I also heard it is not the best choice to lose weight when you are wanting to lose weight.ha! I admit being overwhelmed is an understatement but I have not lost weight. I know most people say they do not deal with their own issues until last and it may be too late. I believe it takes it out on your body. It is not good to have sleepless nights and poor nutrition, and when we pay for it is gradual and we don't see it as immediate and we don't associate it with the original cause. I'm dealing with my son and have been overwhelmed for way too long and my own issues with surgery are overwhelming so I am sure it takes it toll but I can't pin point exactly how.

Absolutely, my wife and I were always putting our needs aside for the children, I even put off eye surgery for a year because I had to use all of my time off for the appointments we had to go to. On top of that the lack of sleep is very rough and if you throw in the stress it makes it really difficult.

My daughter went into residential 4 months ago and things have been much easier just having her home on the weekends, and the help they give us with her appointments is great as well. We can now feel at ease because we know she is safe and well taken care of and we also can get regular sleep. The best part is that she is getting the around the clock care she needs and she is flourishing, she is also able to enjoy her childhood more