House..Lines in the Sand

"For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude."...Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Today my daughter is home from school with a cough and fever.  Something I am so grateful for is that both my kids, including my son with autism, have been able to tell me when they are ill, and describe to me their symptoms.  My son's verbal skills are very weak relative to his peers, but I do take comfort in that even when he was a little boy he could at least point to where he was hurt.  I am also very fortunate that he does not have any serious medical issues to deal with on top of autism, nor has he ever had anything more serious than a minor cut, bruise or common ailment.  My heart goes out to those families who have to cope with chronic medical conditions with their children, especially if they also cannot communicate the problem easily.  I can only imagine how stressful that must be to know your child is in pain, but to not know where, why or how to help.

As we can all relate, a trip to the doctor is not always the most pleasant experience either, especially when you are first faced with a long wait in a crowded waiting room full of sick people!  Fortunately for my son, the trip to the doctor so far has always ended with the doctor telling us what the specific problem is, thank goodness, and then sending us on our way with prescription in tow.  How worrisome, awful and frustrating it would be to not have that happen...what if the doctor could not find something obviously wrong and needed to send him to a specialist...a doctor unfamiliar to him?  To be honest, that is something I never even want to think about because it would be so incredibly scary for both him and me!

Writing about this now reminds me of a very well written episode of "House", from season 3 (episode 4), entitled "Lines in the Sand".  If you are unfamiliar with this tv show, "House" is an unconventional and misthanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians  at a fictitious teaching hospital.  He's got the worst bedside manner you could ever imagine!  I love this show, mostly because of the amazing talent of the star Hugh Laurie, and I especially love this particular episode, where House has a young boy patient with severe autism and very complicated symptoms.  I don't want to spoil it for you, but if you are able to find this episode somewhere from a fan who may have the dvd, I would highly recommend it - especially the ending - it's a 10, and when you watch it, you'll know what I mean by that!

I was unable to find a clip of the show on you tube, but here's the opening theme of House - it's got the coolest music going!!



I would love to hear about calming strategies you have used with your children at the doctors office, or any other experiences when your children are sick.

Cheers,
Linda