THINGS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE CRAZY FOR THE
EVANS FAMILY LATELY. TREATMENT IS {HOPEFULLY} COMING TO AN END HERE SOON BUT WE
STILL HAVE SEVERAL THINGS UP IN THE AIR. DAYS ARE CRAZY AND STRESS IS AT AN ALL
TIME HIGH AND POOR LITTLE LADYBUG HAS REALLY BEEN STRUGGLING WITH SOME ANXIETY
LATELY. ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE TRIGGERING SOMETHING INSIDE OF HER,
A FEAR WE CAN’T GET TO GO AWAY. THERE HAS BEEN A LITTLE ACTING OUT BUT MOSTLY
THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF TEARS AND FEAR.
RUNNING ERRANDS THE OTHER NIGHT SHE BURST
INTO TEARS, SCREAMING AND BEGGING US NOT TO TAKE HER TO THE CLINIC. “NO POKES!
NO POKES!” SHE KEPT EXCLAIMING. WE WERE IN NO WAY HEADED TO THE CLINIC, JUST
SIMPLY DRIVING BY ON OUR WAY TO THE STORE. A COUPLE DAYS LATER, WITH TEARS STREAMING DOWN HER FACE, AFTER
I PICKED HER UP FROM SCHOOL SHE ASKED ME TO NOT TO TAKE HER BACK TO THE DOCTOR.
IT TOOK ALMOST THE ENTIRE NIGHT TO CONVINCE HER WE WERE NOT GOING TO THE DOCTOR
FOR A COUPLE MORE DAYS AND TONIGHT SHE JUST GOT TO HAVE FUN. SHE’S REACHED HER
BREAKING POINT. SHE’S DONE WITH DOCTORS, TESTS, AND POKES!
TO BE HONEST WE’VE ALL REACHED THAT POINT. WE’RE ALL JUST
AT A LOSS. WE’RE TIRED, STRESSED, AND JUST DONE! WITH AT LEAST 3 MONTHS OF
TREATMENT LEFT AND QUITE POSSIBLY A LIFETIME MORE OF APPOINTMENTS WE KNOW WE
HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO WORK ON THE WAY WE ARE ALL DEALING WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS.
SINCE HER DIAGNOSIS WE HAVE BEEN ON THE GO, NEVER REALLY TAKING A MOMENT TO
STOP AND WORK THROUGH HOW ALL OF THIS HAS CHANGED OUR LIVES. WE HAVE JUST BEEN
GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF LIFE, TRYING TO HOLD ON FOR DEAR LIFE…
AFTER MEETING WITH THE GENETICIST AT LADYBUG’S
ANNUAL EXAM A FEW WEEKS AGO WE BEGAN RUNNING THROUGH DIFFERENT SCENARIOS TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT WHY HER SLEEP HAS BEEN SO OFF LATELY… IS THERE ANOTHER
MEDICAL ISSUE TO CONSIDER? DOES SHE HAVE SOME SORT OF SLEEP DISORDER? WE WENT
THROUGH A FEW DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND AFTER TALKING WITH A FEW OTHER NF
FAMILIES AND DOING A LITTLE OBSERVATION OF OUR OWN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT
MAYBE SOME OF OUR ISSUES MAY BE THIS SITUATION, DEALING WITH THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN. THESE LAST
FEW MONTHS HAVE BROUGHT A LOT OF CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY TO OUR LITTLE FAMILY. IT
IS HARD PROCESSING ALL OF THIS AS AN ADULT, AS A TODDLER… YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW
SCARY THIS MUST BE FOR HER. WE HAD A FEW SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO SEEK OUT A
PLAY THERAPIST, SOMEONE THAT CAN PLAY WITH RYLIE AND HELP US TO FIGURE OUT THE
BEST WAY TO EXPLAIN THINGS TO HER WITHOUT COMPLETELY FREAKING HER OUT. WE WERE NOT COMPLETELY SOLD ON THE IDEAS AT
FIRST, MAINLY BECAUSE WE DIDN’T KNOW A LOT ABOUT IT. SO, WE DID SOME RESEARCH… READ
ABOUT PLAY THERAPY, LOOKED FOR REFERRALS, AND CONSULTED OUR MEDICAL TEAM. MORE
AND MORE THIS SEEMED LIKE AN OPTION WE SHOULD CONSIDER. BASICALLY, PLAY THERAPY
IS A FORM OF COUNSELING THAT USES PLAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH AND HELP PEOPLE, MAINLY CHILDREN. IT IS USED TO PREVENT OR RESOLVE PSYCHOSOCIAL CHALLENGES. IT
IS THOUGHT THAT THIS TYPE OF THERAPY WILL HELP THEM TOWARDS BETTER SOCIAL
INTEGRATION, GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND EMOTIONAL OR TRAUMATIC RESOLUTION… THIS
WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP US ALL TO BETTER DEAL WITH THE STRESS TREATMENT
BRINGS. IT’S SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP RYLIE DEAL WITH
HER DIAGNOSIS FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. GIVING HER A SAFE PLACE TO RELEASE HER
EMOTIONS, THOUGHTS, AND FEELINGS.
SO, WE CONTACTED A PLAY THERAPIST IN OUR
AREA THAT CAME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, SPOKE TO HER ABOUT OUR SITUATION, AND DECIDED
WE SHOULD GIVE IT A TRY. SO NEXT WEEK WE’RE GOING TO DO JUST THAT… WE'RE GOING TO TRY... TRY TO KEEP AN OPEN
MIND, TRY SOMETHING NEW, AND SEE IF IT HELPS US ALL TO FIND A BETTER WAY TO
DEAL WITH A TOUGH SITUATION. IT MAY NOT HELP, BUT THEN AGAIN IT MAY. FOR OUR GIRL ANYTHING
IS WORTH A TRY!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PLAY THERAPY VISIT THE ASSOCIATION OF PLAY THERAPY
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