First, for the not so great. He has lost another 2 pounds... :(
His Dr. is very concerned and wants to keep a close eye on his weight. But at the same time, he always wants to "hang out" with his friends. He says that he feels good, but as a mother, I am very concerned! This is new territory for me and when do I say no to his self prescribed healing (Lara...maybe you can help me with this...).
Also, Dane got invited to his first Girl's Choice Dance tonight, and was feeling well enough to go. I think he will have a great time. They had a good time on their "Day Date" and headed off to the dance about an hour ago. Jess has been Dane's good friend for a while now.
I have also included a picture of Dane in his "Fallen" attire! He loves it...what a generous thing that the Fallen Co. has done for them. Also, the Twin Labs Gift Baskets they received are AWESOME! Exactly what his physicians have been telling him to take. And the personalized card from the staff at Twin Labs was so sweet and sincere! We very much appreciate your concern for our boys! THANK YOU EVERYONE, for everything!!! (especially Prayers!)
I love that lightning hat! Where did it come from? We all need those now! I hope that the weight issue is a short term thing, if not, maybe you can find a way to market it as a new diet! Those Biggest Loser folks can get a leg up on their competition! Good luck! We're all watching how well you all handle this... Amazing Families! (great writers too!)
ReplyDeleteDane,
ReplyDeleteGirls Choice Dance?! In my day it was called the Sadie Hawkins and if I remember correctly (yeah, right) we all had to dress in flannel and overalls. (eew!) Your date, Jess, is beautiful! Her smile is infectious. I love it!
I am a huge proponent of self-prescribed healing … HUGE! Why? Because you, and only you, are in your body. Sometimes the slightest nuances – the ones that you can only sense and not yet feel – are the keys to getting better. In order to “hear” the messages your body is sending you must bring yourself to a place or state of quietness. You may need to slow your roll a bit and listen. My place and state of quietness happens in my living room, on the floor, in the middle of the night. It happens when my house is quiet and my family is asleep. I shove some Skull Candy in my ears and blast the musical delights of Linkin Park. It is in this loud and rocking place that I find my “quiet” and hear the messages my body sends. I tried many things and went down many dead end streets to figure out what worked for me. You must do the same thing, Dane. You have to find the right method for yourself. But, in doing so you must also admit when what you’re trying doesn’t work. Sometimes being so close to yourself works to your disadvantage – you can’t see what others can. This means you have to trust what they see. You are still losing weight and you’re scaring your mom. My advice to you is to NOT put your parents in a position to put a halt to your method of healing. Find the balance between your methods and the doctors’ methods. Take control of it and find the place where you can listen.
The first 18 months post strike is the most important with respect to healing. This is the time where you will make the most progress and where it will be the most rapid! This is the time where you will discover how to fix yourself to the best of your ability. I wasted about 12 months of this ever-important time acting like a baby, kicking and screaming, feeling sorry for myself, denying that I was injured, and being flat out angry. Those were the months where I should have been “listening” and learning. If I had control of the clock I’d turn back time and do it over again! (Well, I’d actually crank it way back to before the strike and stay inside on Oct. 1, 2007!) But, since I cannot do that, the next best thing is to try and help you make the best use of your clock.
I asked a good friend of mine what she would recommend for you. This is what she said:
Immediately get L-Glutamine and take lots on an empty stomach.
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-L-Glutamine-Powder-4500-mg-1-1-lbs
Then:
http://www.metagenics.com/products/a-z-products-list/UltraClear-SUSTAIN
Of course, check with your nutritionist/physician. We need to get some weight on you before you blow away!
Leslie,
From one mom to another – you’re doing the right thing. Dane is a teenager that just brushed up against death. He probably needs a lot of space, BUT he also needs to understand, REALLY UNDERSTAND that his future health is in his hands right now. He cannot go back later and relive right now. He needs to be ultra-mature and make use of his healing moment. That’s where you come in. He needs to understand that whatever he does or doesn’t do is for himself – not for you, his doctors, or his friends. Perhaps this is the time for me to visit St. George so that he CAN see me. You can point at me and ask Dane, “Is that where you want to live? In a place of stunted healing because you didn’t want to take the opportunity to do it right and make the best use of your time?” I would subscribe that he does not.
As always, give each other extra hugs every day. Be supportive even on the bad days. Laugh with each other… abundantly!