Long time no update

I know I know it has been a loooooong while since I have posted on here. Please dont think it is for lack of info to share... more like lack of energy or gumption to put it on. And sadly the reason is because I am tired of explaining to people that these issues are partly due to being a teen and partly to having a TBI. I am tired of people saying "oh that is just normal teen behaviour" or "all teens go thru this". I just want to scream and smack them! Then this past weekend we were at a family dinner and 2 family members were trying to put alot of the crap that was going on with ALL the kids on Sam. I do know that he is not perfect but with a TBI when there is energy and hyperactivity it can feed Sam's responses to things... so I tried  be polite and just made the observation that "it is all the kids that are 'feeding' off of each other and thier attitudes" the reply I got was"ya but it is so much easier to blame it on Sam... right Hannah." I mean seriously!!! WTF!?! It was a good thing that I was in a seperate room when that comment was made or I may be typing this from a cell.

I have been working on getting off of the pariet pills (for my GERD) and am now on day 2 of no pills and week 2 of no coffee (real coffee I mean-- de-caf is in my morning routine) and a pile of other foods that are out of my diet. (it seems that tea will be out of it too after this cup I just had-- major burning going on right now!) So with all this detoxing going on in my system it is no wonder I got sick on Friday with a lovely chest cold that is moving into my sinuses. I have been on the couch for almost 4 days straight, sleeping and resting, folding a bit of laundry and a bit of houseowrk here and there.... and slowly getting WORSE! Wednesday we are off to Wpg to take Sam in for another neurologist appt. We have to inform the doc. that Sam is back to a 4 day week and there was a huge improvement in him once we changed back to this.  SO we will see what he says about it all. And to really make it a memorable trip, we are driving in and out in one day! I was hoping to get a room at the Ron. MacDon. house but there is no room, so Sam will be in fine form by about noon. (it is a 3 hour drive each way) and we try to make use of the time and do some shopping at Costco anad Value Village while we are in the city... There will be lots of prayers sent up for our trip!

This week is exam week for the highschool and the boys write one today and one tomorrow. And trying to get Sam to remember things again (like books to study with or review sheets) has been a HUGE battle for Dennis and I. There was a blow up last night about math studying and routine and trying to get him (Sam) to understand that this is important for him to remember-- SO USE THE iPOD!!! Cross your fingers for a better semester next term.

I just cant seem to get my thots down on here straight, there is so much to say and nothing really. It all sounds so trivial and to be honest I couldnt handle another 'just a teen thing' from anyone. I honestly had expected us to be in a different place with all of this by this time, not crying daily about something Sam has done or said to me, or something someone else has said to me about it.January was not a great month, so maybe February will be better.