Day 23: All's Quiet on the Emotional Front

I (Mark) should leave more often.

Katie is experiencing a remarkable turnaround that I have witnessed for over 24 hours. In that time, there have been zero...count them...zero meltdowns. No anger outbursts...no "I'm stupids"...no whining. I've always been anti-drugs, especially for kids, but the combination of clonidine, abilify and lithium seems to be a perfect prescription for our Kate-girl.

I can feel myself beginning to relax emotionally. The sense of dread and foreboding have diminished and I'm hopeful that Kate can lead a reasonably normal life (whatever that means). By no means are we finished, but huge progress is being made.

Perhaps is was all the Blue Bell I ate in Texas...

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Guess I should have eaten more Blue Bell.

On our way to church tonight, Katie began feeling "weird." She said "that talking thing" was starting again. Susan asked her why...she couldn't (or wouldn't) explain. She could, however, whine and complain about how bad she felt.

I was on a phone call when Katie asked that I take the freeway instead of surface streets. I chose not to (even though I heard her request) because it was faster to go via surface streets. Katie got very agitated and began mumbling "I'm stupid." She continued her grumbling the rest of the way to church. Once there, she seemed insecure...even keeping emotional distance between herself and Cheyenne (her BFFL...best friend for life). Katie buried her head into Susan's chest a few times before we walked away. As we left, we saw Katie in the parking lot with her teacher and a friend. Kate's disposition was better, but still not herself. Bea picked her up after church and Katie had returned to "normal." Go figure...

Mark