We've been home for 24 hours now. Our trip was amazing/ exhausting/ surprising/ relaxing/ fun/ frusterating etc etc. I'm really glad to be home despite going back to work. Chase really enjoyed Disneyland and Legoland.
A few more bits of wisdom from our trip:
*Legoland is really only fun for kids from about ages 3 to 6. If you are going to spend a lot of money, do it at Disneyland and NOT Legoland.
*A Guest Assistance Pass is easy to get at Disneyland with documentation from a doctor and/or medication bottles with side effects listed.
*Many of the rides can make adjustments for your sensory sensitive child. There are some play guns that are very loud on the Jungle Cruise. Make sure to ask the staff not to use them.
*Identify sensitivities and triggers before going to disneyland.
*Research each ride regarding those triggers. (Had I done so, we never would have gone on Indiana Jones and avoided complete panic)
A few thoughts on the Discovery Health program that features our family:
*The rages, aggression and violence are real for us. They are not constant by any means, but when things are bad...they stay that way for days at a time. One escalation to another.
*My daughter, Aimee, is removed from the situation when Chase becomes violent. She either is taken out of the house or goes to her room and shuts her door.
*The part where I am talking about his first episode of psychosis is kinda cheesy. The video of the car in the rain was weird and I didn't know they would do that.
*All of the families in the show are necessary and pinpoint a different aspect of bipolar children.
*Each child in the show was adopted or not being raised by their birth parents, except Chase. That was not mentioned.
*Chase was interviewed during the taping but it wasn't used.
*I sound a lot braver and logical in the show than I am in real life.
*I think I make physically handling Chase look easier than it really is. On that one particular day I was covered in bite marks and bruises from head to toe.
The show was real and raw and didn't sugar coat anything. Yes, it was missing pieces of the entire story but it would be impossible to cover everything in only one hour. The producers were both amazing and had the best intentions. They still email and check on Chase. Their goal was the same as mine. They intended to open up a discussion and begin to raise awareness to mental illness in children.
I'm going to bed now. Tomorrow will be rough at work and I need to at least be rested. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers that carry a burden that often seems too heavy. Keep going. You are stronger than you know.
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I watched the show last night. It was definitely intense! I really enjoyed seeing Chase playing in the stream and all. He's so grown up and handsome now!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they could have done a whole mini-series about any one of the families they featured. There were so many more things to talk about, and more questions to be answered.
I’m so thankful for both you and Chase taking this step to spread awareness about this awful disease. Thanks also for the info about the guest assistance pass, maybe we can take our kids to Disneyland someday! Happy mother's day!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to see the show but I think it's amazing and brave of you and your family to open yourselves up to try to help others. As for the guest assistance pass, you actually just need to have the person who requires assistance with you and be able to explain why you require the pass. You no longer have to provide a note or a prescription or anything else. They cannot even actually ask you specifically what the persons disability is (although you can offer the information if you choose). When we went in January 2009 we just explained why our son needed the pass. no further questions or proof were needed. It saved us from huge meltdowns especially when tour groups took all the fast passes at 9am right up to 4pm!!! that would not have been pretty!
ReplyDeleteHi you don't know me.. I actually found you by watching the show. I just happened to come upon it while looking up "Bipolar" on Discovery health. As soon as I saw Chases' video's I cried. It was as if I was watching my own son. My son Austin is 5, and he's been having these "rages" for about 2.5 years. I've known something wasn't right since he was about 7 months old, but the symptoms of things and different disorders keep snowballing. When I watched the show I felt like you were showing my life. I just want to thank you for doing the show. We still don't know what's going on with Austin besides ADHD, learning disorders, and speech delay but I hope to find out soon. But Bipolar disorder sure is what it looks like. Thank you. =]
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