I got an email today from social services. I had turned in additional paperwork a couple weeks ago to see if that changed Holland's denial status. Today the gal said that she wanted to let me know that they finally received Holland's hospital records from San Diego - the ones that mysteriously disappeared and then were found.
It's good news and bad news. The records didn't change his status for denial, BUT...
they are requesting additional testing! Yea!!! This means (I think) that he will have some kind of neuropsychological testing done - hopefully on their dime. Months ago I had filled out paperwork to have neuro testing done, but it was just overwhelming what needed to be acquired to even be put on the wait list. So they are putting the process on hold until additional tests are done and looked at. I'm hoping this also means we can be pushed to the front of the line and don't have to wait months to be seen.
So thankful that we are still going to be considered for disability. This is the only time that you hope the tests turn out bad!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Feed the Homeless
A few weeks ago, a friend came to me and said her son wanted to make sandwiches to feed the homeless in downtown Portland. Last year, he earned money and bought the stuff he needed and made about 100 sandwiches. His parents drove him around Portland and he handed out sandwiches.
This year, he wanted to do something more. So they decided they would get donations from people at church, make sandwiches and put them in H2O bags. About five years ago, two of the pastor's daughters came up with this ministry to homeless by providing them with a lunch sack with a non-perishable food item, socks, water bottle, Gospel tract and Rescue Mission meal voucher. The girls sell the bags at church for $3 and this year some of our Treasureland kids are going to make sandwiches, purchase these H2O bags and give them out to homeless in Portland in Februrary.
This morning's service was a combined service with both of our church locations in attendance. We meet across the street at the West Linn High School to accommodate all the people. We arrived early and Egypt and Romania and 5 other kids stood by the doors as people came in. They held signs and coffee cans with information about their project. The kids did a great job and in just one service, raised close to $75 (which is probably a very low estimate!) Next week we'll take the kids to each church location and ask for more donations to be able to buy as many H20 bags and sandwiches as we can. In February around President's Day, we'll make sandwiches and then head out to downtown and let these kids minister!
This year, he wanted to do something more. So they decided they would get donations from people at church, make sandwiches and put them in H2O bags. About five years ago, two of the pastor's daughters came up with this ministry to homeless by providing them with a lunch sack with a non-perishable food item, socks, water bottle, Gospel tract and Rescue Mission meal voucher. The girls sell the bags at church for $3 and this year some of our Treasureland kids are going to make sandwiches, purchase these H2O bags and give them out to homeless in Portland in Februrary.
This morning's service was a combined service with both of our church locations in attendance. We meet across the street at the West Linn High School to accommodate all the people. We arrived early and Egypt and Romania and 5 other kids stood by the doors as people came in. They held signs and coffee cans with information about their project. The kids did a great job and in just one service, raised close to $75 (which is probably a very low estimate!) Next week we'll take the kids to each church location and ask for more donations to be able to buy as many H20 bags and sandwiches as we can. In February around President's Day, we'll make sandwiches and then head out to downtown and let these kids minister!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Cleaning Fool
Everyday after getting the boys off to their different schools, Egypt asks me if we can do something "fun". Somehow we always end up baking. I'm not sure how that happens. When Holland was home schooled, we were always disassembling things. We took apart an old electronic typewriter so he could use the motor (remember the motorized sit and spin? or the make-shift weed eater?); he had me build a pit kiln in the backyard so he could make his own nature print tiles; he made robots out of IKEA boxes, electricity wires, motors and thing-a-ma-bobs; he made a luge out of boxes and two skateboards. So I thought with Egypt home, things would be low-key.
Nix that idea. We've been baking, cleaning and puzzling for about two weeks now. Every day for about 10 days, we made muffins, bundt cakes, cookies, gluten free cookies, brownies and bread. Then I would bore her with "school". She kept complaining that she wanted to do something fun. I told her we couldn't bake all day, but I was happy to do that for one project during the day.
That desire to bake has been replaced by the need to clean. And more specifically, iron. She loves to sweep the kitchen floor, wash windows, vacuum, and straighten up the boys' rooms. This morning after the boys left and she had her bath, she starts trying to convince me we need another project. She wanted to do something "fun". I said I needed to finish some laundry organizing (Super Hero built me a new shelf and clothes rod in my tiny laundry room) and then iron a few things. I said we could do some school and then she could pick something to do. It had to be "fun". I asked her what "fun" was. She said, "like ironing!"
Nix that idea. We've been baking, cleaning and puzzling for about two weeks now. Every day for about 10 days, we made muffins, bundt cakes, cookies, gluten free cookies, brownies and bread. Then I would bore her with "school". She kept complaining that she wanted to do something fun. I told her we couldn't bake all day, but I was happy to do that for one project during the day.
That desire to bake has been replaced by the need to clean. And more specifically, iron. She loves to sweep the kitchen floor, wash windows, vacuum, and straighten up the boys' rooms. This morning after the boys left and she had her bath, she starts trying to convince me we need another project. She wanted to do something "fun". I said I needed to finish some laundry organizing (Super Hero built me a new shelf and clothes rod in my tiny laundry room) and then iron a few things. I said we could do some school and then she could pick something to do. It had to be "fun". I asked her what "fun" was. She said, "like ironing!"
Thursday, January 13, 2011
He's Alive!
Well, it appears that Holland was born afterall. I finally got my act together and went to Social Services to turn in more paperwork for my appeal. In case I forgot to mention this before, the application for Holland's disability was denied. I've heard this is very common. They want to weed out all the flim-flam and make it so difficult to get any assistance and hope you'll give up. I can see why people do give up. Navigating this system has been horrible. No one wants to help you, you get misdirected answers, and people generally feel all you want is money.
After I got the denial letter, I immediately got on the phone with Oregon Disability Rights and talked to someone about what to do. I sent them a bunch of paperwork on past testing. But they didn't get the last two pages of something we had done 5 years ago. The psychologist that did the testing is impossible to get ahold of and hasn't returned either phone call from me. So I'm still waiting to get them what they need.
In the meantime, someone from Social Services (probably the state level at this point) calls me and asks me a bunch of questions (but I wasn't given the chance to ask any) and says basically we will have a conference call on a specific date to talk about the appeal. It was irritating that he wouldn't give me any other information. So the conference call came and they told me why Holland wouldn't qualify. I told them repeatedly that I understood he wouldn't qualify from the bipolar diagnosis. I told them his learning disabilities were going to prevent him from functioning as an adult. They told me his IQ was too high. I pointed out that the testing they had was not the entire picture. The testing they had was from the current IEP, which wouldn't have been a problem, except that Holland had had testing back in February of 2010 and I was told at that meeting that he was "mentally retarded". Something very hard to hear that I actually fought against putting in his IEP. I requested more testing since I didn't think those results were accurate. The testing was done under stressful circumstances, in long sessions and with a person he'd never met and had trouble taking instruction from. In both testing situations, he scored "extremely low", "very low" and "below average" on many things. He had a few jumps in scores that showed he was above his age for logic. The thing the conference call people said was his "overall" picture was that of a kid with learning disabilities, but not developmental disabilities.
I said I also was trying to get ahold of his birth records from San Diego where he was born. I had been told that the hospital could not find those records. I knew he was exposed to drugs and alcohol during pregnancy and it was a matter of finding those documents. I called our lawyer and asked if she had any records that would indicate drug use. She actually had paperwork from a social worker in San Diego that showed birth mom admitted to alcohol and meth use during her pregnancy. The records indicated that she was "clean" at the birth, as was Holland. But she had been in the hospital for three weeks because her water broke early. So of course she wouldn't have drugs in her system at that point. The fact that she admitted to it was a big plus. Although I don't think it shows the true amount of what was consumed.
The conference call people said I could ask for an extension and get those documents and have them faxed to them. So yesterday, I had social services fax those papers and when the gal was giving me back my copies, said "You must have put pressure on the hospital for those records." I told her that the socialworker paperwork was actually from my lawyer. I didn't get what she was talking about. She explained again that the hosiptal did in fact have his records and needed another request sent out and they would send them to her. I couldn't believe it. How did they find them when they were adament about not having them? Someone, somewhere put pressure on them to look harder. The social worker told me it was really good I had documents proving that birth mom abused drugs and alcohol.
Now I just have to wait for the appeals people to call me back. Hopefully with good news that my appeal has been accepted and we can move forward.
After I got the denial letter, I immediately got on the phone with Oregon Disability Rights and talked to someone about what to do. I sent them a bunch of paperwork on past testing. But they didn't get the last two pages of something we had done 5 years ago. The psychologist that did the testing is impossible to get ahold of and hasn't returned either phone call from me. So I'm still waiting to get them what they need.
In the meantime, someone from Social Services (probably the state level at this point) calls me and asks me a bunch of questions (but I wasn't given the chance to ask any) and says basically we will have a conference call on a specific date to talk about the appeal. It was irritating that he wouldn't give me any other information. So the conference call came and they told me why Holland wouldn't qualify. I told them repeatedly that I understood he wouldn't qualify from the bipolar diagnosis. I told them his learning disabilities were going to prevent him from functioning as an adult. They told me his IQ was too high. I pointed out that the testing they had was not the entire picture. The testing they had was from the current IEP, which wouldn't have been a problem, except that Holland had had testing back in February of 2010 and I was told at that meeting that he was "mentally retarded". Something very hard to hear that I actually fought against putting in his IEP. I requested more testing since I didn't think those results were accurate. The testing was done under stressful circumstances, in long sessions and with a person he'd never met and had trouble taking instruction from. In both testing situations, he scored "extremely low", "very low" and "below average" on many things. He had a few jumps in scores that showed he was above his age for logic. The thing the conference call people said was his "overall" picture was that of a kid with learning disabilities, but not developmental disabilities.
I said I also was trying to get ahold of his birth records from San Diego where he was born. I had been told that the hospital could not find those records. I knew he was exposed to drugs and alcohol during pregnancy and it was a matter of finding those documents. I called our lawyer and asked if she had any records that would indicate drug use. She actually had paperwork from a social worker in San Diego that showed birth mom admitted to alcohol and meth use during her pregnancy. The records indicated that she was "clean" at the birth, as was Holland. But she had been in the hospital for three weeks because her water broke early. So of course she wouldn't have drugs in her system at that point. The fact that she admitted to it was a big plus. Although I don't think it shows the true amount of what was consumed.
The conference call people said I could ask for an extension and get those documents and have them faxed to them. So yesterday, I had social services fax those papers and when the gal was giving me back my copies, said "You must have put pressure on the hospital for those records." I told her that the socialworker paperwork was actually from my lawyer. I didn't get what she was talking about. She explained again that the hosiptal did in fact have his records and needed another request sent out and they would send them to her. I couldn't believe it. How did they find them when they were adament about not having them? Someone, somewhere put pressure on them to look harder. The social worker told me it was really good I had documents proving that birth mom abused drugs and alcohol.
Now I just have to wait for the appeals people to call me back. Hopefully with good news that my appeal has been accepted and we can move forward.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Holding My Breath
How is it that a month goes by without me blogging? A year ago that would have seemed impossible. I think I had something important to say every day! Yeah. I wish that were the case. But I have some relatively good news about Holland. We switched him to a new med. Well, not entirely new. He's been on it before and beats me as to why we took him off it. But another med he was on caused a 15 pound weight gain in a month and a half! Doc thought it was probably a combination of a growth spurt and the medication. But once he was taken off it, in less than 3 weeks, he had dropped five pounds. And I really think it was making him all wonky. He just didn't feel good and the medicine was making it worse.
He's back on Abilify for three weeks, and I've been noticing things over the past 8 to 10 days that have been very encouraging. I've always known he's got a very caring heart. He truly wants others to feel comfortable and be happy. And he's really been able to do that. If one of his siblings is hurt, he's running around looking for bandaids or a blanket. When I was sick on Christmas Eve, he brought me ice water with a straw. One time he made me scrambled eggs. And he's controlling his temper so much better. His tolerance for frustration is showing signs of improving and he's able to switch activities and not come unglued.
This is a far cry from just a month ago when things were so bad I was considering some pretty drastic measures. Praying that we can keep him on this med for awhile and he can be successful. And we also need to find a new doctor. Super Hero's insurance changed again and our current psych isn't on the list. It's either find someone else, or pay $50 each visit! Yow-zar!
He's back on Abilify for three weeks, and I've been noticing things over the past 8 to 10 days that have been very encouraging. I've always known he's got a very caring heart. He truly wants others to feel comfortable and be happy. And he's really been able to do that. If one of his siblings is hurt, he's running around looking for bandaids or a blanket. When I was sick on Christmas Eve, he brought me ice water with a straw. One time he made me scrambled eggs. And he's controlling his temper so much better. His tolerance for frustration is showing signs of improving and he's able to switch activities and not come unglued.
This is a far cry from just a month ago when things were so bad I was considering some pretty drastic measures. Praying that we can keep him on this med for awhile and he can be successful. And we also need to find a new doctor. Super Hero's insurance changed again and our current psych isn't on the list. It's either find someone else, or pay $50 each visit! Yow-zar!
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