Sunday, May 20, 2007

Day 18: Tails We'll Try Again

Michaela has had a weird couple of days. Absence seizures up to whazoo. Then plenty of the Wham Bang grand mal types when she's sleeping. This can sometimes leave her brain in a state of perpetual......perpetual-ness. Repetition. Continuous continuing.

Broken record syndrome.

Yesterday, it was some strange arm flapping, air guitar-ish type movements. Constantly. Over and over. And she seemed to like it. At least, she laughed when she did it. But then it appeared to overcome her, and she couldn't stop. So she'd walk around in circles, stopping avery 15 seconds or so to jam to the Santana in her head. Her poor arms looked like they would fall off after an hour long set.

Today, it's the word "Hi." It has taken me all day to figure out that she can't say much else. Other times when this has happened, Chris and I thought that she was just liking to say the word. Or that she forgot the response we gave her. But today.....today I figured out what's going on:

Oral aphasia.

She's responding to me, communicating with me, but only capable of using the word "Hi" (or the 2-3 other phrases that pop out intermittantly).

I was WONDERING why sometimes when she would come up to me and say "Hi", she would be to the point of tears....

I wasn't GETTING IT.

I wasn't reading between the lines.

Not that some of it ISN'T mindless repetition. I'm sure it's a bit of that as well. She's just saying hi too often for it to be communication all the time. But the times she would come up to me--addressing me, engaging me--it's those times where I'm thinking she's bogged down by the broken link in her brain. Because, if I hit the right answer, or ask the question she's dying for me to ask her, her whole face will light up and she'll blurt out "YAH!"

And poor thing, you'd think she was going to cry with joy when we finally respond correctly. She'll even hug us like we're leaving forever.

And I just figured this out.

***

Yesterday, she was playing Santana.....

Today, she's living it.....

Everytime I try to talk to you
I get tongue-tied
Turns out that everything I say to you
Comes out wrong and never comes out right
"Why Don't You and I" by Carlos Santana



Poor Boo. Always a roadblock. And sometimes, there's not even a road.

2 comments:

~*This Mama*~ said...

Head 'em off at the pass, friend!

No, seriously, I know kinda what you mean....Sunday's always throw me off with brad's meds. We get home from eating lunch, then all get ready to lie down for our much needed naps and then right smack-dab in the middle of that is his next dose time. Well, I'm never good about that...I try to give it right when I get up (I'm the first one up) and then he's usually fine...no problems...but then sometimes I forget and then get caught up in the church day flow of events, i.e. getting all the kids dressed, changing clothes 8 times...and completely forget.

Brad sits behind me in church and if he's not had those meds he pecks on me (sharply in the shoulder) with his pointy finger...talks....complains about some child wailing...or this one particular person who looks his way every once in a while. He absolutely freaks out.

So, I headed 'em off at de pass. I just moved him in front of me. Hahaha. This kept the talking to a bare minimum, there was no pecking and he knew he wasn't supposed to turn around so he couldn't see the certain person when they looked at him.

Well, I will be praying for you guys...

Love you, friend. =)

JSmith5780 said...

I was 'excited' to see that cartoon last week. Gives the normal person a peek into our lives. We went through this at times with Connor and his PDD and we know with Austin's new LKS diagnosis that this could be a reality for us. Nice to see someone recognizing what it's like to live this.