Thursday, June 16, 2011

Wheelchair Cleaning by Daddy

Dinner was delicious!
Riley could not get enough.
After having his fill he sat and contemplated his meal from the safety of his wheelchair.
Then perhaps dinner was not quite sitting right and back it came.
The first warning arriving when his leg tremors appeared to be motorized.
Everywhere!  Remember The Vomitorium from the movie Stand By Me.
The scene had horrified me, little did I know how close to my reality it would become.
Trying not to slip across the tile and spread the stuff more than absolutely necessary,
I rush Riley to the shower. 
Daddy has removed the wheelchair and all contents to the lanai.
Ronan has retired to a corner of the couch he hopes will not be reached by the shower Riley is causing, barricading himself behind the cushions and immersing himself in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien.
Soon, the floor is piled here and there with discarded clothes, burp cloths, towels, sheets and diapers.
The washing machine is again hard at work.  Daddy and Mommy run around in various states of undress.  Ben 10 gets a little louder.
The wheelchair is unrecognizable as each part that could be dismantled is strewn across the lanai.
The hose runs at full blast across the various pieces.
Somehow the stuffed frogs are spared.
 Riley's medications refuse to stay down.  By 4:35 am we are all worn out but still hear his reaction to a muscle spasm triggering seizure #81.  No stopping it now without anti-seizure drugs in his system.
Diastat to the rescue.  Event ceases by 4:44 am.
Riley finishes this with a great big yawn,
as if to say "Oh, glad that's over, I'm a little tired now."
Daddy goes off to a full day of work after this eventful night.
No idea how he manages that.
Riley has the muscle tone of a wet blanket.
Cancel ESY and horseback riding at NEC.
Waiting by the door,
Ronan cannot wait to get to Vacation Bible School.
Wheelchair needs to be reassembled.
Another day in the Life of Riley.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

wow....if you were my neighbor in Ky, I'd bake you a southern casserole and come sit with Riley and let you take a nap. Since I'm here, the best I can do is send you my prayer for rejuvenation. Poor Riley---it must be awful when his body doesn't agree with what he might want......hug him tight....blessings to you...

dawn said...

hi stacie....
thank you for your visit to my blog. and i am glad to have found your blog as well...i have two very dear friends who have sons with autism and i am a social worker and has worked with seniors in hospice for 12 years and now in a long term care setting. thank you for sharing you and riley's journey...this is a place of inspiration and strength. hugs. dawn

Chubskulit Rose said...

Hi Stacie, thanks for visiting one of my site. I admire you for your dedication and unconditional love for your son, very inspiring. I am now following your blog, feel free to follow any of my blogs if you please. God bless!

Karin @Mommy's Paradise said...

Reading your post makes my difficult day with my little one sound like nothing. Riley is very lucky to have parents like you by his side. Please give him a big hug, give both boys a big hug. :-)

Anonymous said...

You share a really difficult 'day' with such aplomb.

Thanks for visiting my blog, too.

Barbara

Patty said...

Reading this makes me want to slap anyone who complains about having a bad day or a rough week...myself included.

You share stories about Riley with such grace and so much love.

Katie @ Chicken Noodle Gravy said...

I'm with Patty. Reading this makes me mad at myself for ever complaining...

Riley is very lucky to have you, and it's obvious that you're lucky to have him even on those difficult days. Thank you for sharing your stories!

Kim at Let Me Start By Saying said...

I swear to you, I was watching Stand By Me last night because I wrote a post on Tuesday about how it inspired me to be a writer. What a coincidence!
And how disgustingly fresh is that scene in my mind! lol

This was a great explanation as to why you blog. With daily life like this, how could you not share these stories?

Came from TL&TLB linkup.