Miso-Insanity

One of the puzzling aspects of Misophonia is that of rage-control. We've been witness to the schizophrenic nature of this disorder. As I have mentioned before, it appears that the fear of public embarrassment keeps the rages in check. My son could be raging one minute but snap-to and appear normal the next. It's all about location and who is present.

Tuesday night was jam-packed. 

Colin had a cross-country meet and arrived home with about an hour to shower, eat and then go to piano lessons. It was a nice, cool, and sunny evening; perfect conditions for running. It was also a nice night for some of our neighbors to mow their lawns. Funny how the miso has made us painfully aware of what type of lawn equipment our neighbors own. My son came storming into the house while my husband was muttering disparaging comments about a neighbor four houses down who has a new riding-mower for a house on a half-acre lot. This mower had just created the perfect storm!

I was convinced that there was no way our son would be able to make it to his lesson but with seconds to spare, he took a quick shower, and gathered up his clothes and music. Wearing just his underwear and headphones, Colin wrapped himself in his blanket and hopped in the car. I let my husband take the wheel and I opted to stay home.

While the car ride was a bit "bumpy", as soon as they arrived at the teacher's house our son got dressed and snapped into his old, charming self. He appeared happy and engaging and had a great lesson. (for someone who did not practice all week).

Thursday night shuffle

Last night was another busy night. Colin had cross-country followed by swim team practice. My husband had a meeting to go to and my eldest was not able to go, so I had chauffeur duty. The ride over was punctuated with shouts of "Hurry" "Go Faster" "I hate you" with my 15 year-old who was riding shotgun, firing back with demands to "shut-up!" or the French version "ta toi". We were half-way there when my husband called to let us know that Colin took the wrong bag. He had left his swim bag at home. Fortunately there was time for hubs to drop that to the Y on his way out to his meeting.

The return trip went much more smoothly. The boys were relaxed and seemed happy when I came to pick them up. I've learned not to engage Colin and let him make the first move. Which he did, interrupting a conversation I was having with his brother. Colin actually directed his comments to me, "Mom"! He  told me about his muscles hurting. I told him that his body could probably use more potassium and he should eat a banana when we get home.

I couldn't make out what he said next but it appeared he realized he was being friendly with the enemy  and muttered something about not getting too happy and to consider his rare burst of conversation as "a gift".

When we arrived home, Colin asked if he could chill-out in my car for a bit. I agreed and brought him a Boost shake to go with some snacks that he had. I also gave him one of our cordless phones so he could page me if he needed anything. After about 45 minutes, I went to check on my son and he was fast asleep. I covered him with a blanket and towel and decided to let him sleep for a bit until my husband could move him.  We left him for 3 - 4  hours to get some much needed rest. Hubs kept checking on our son who would not wake up. Finally after midnight Colin ended up making it to the front door on his own. He was very agitated that he could not get in right away and had endured a few mosquito bites.

Thus, another rage. This one lasted for roughly 45 minutes to an hour. Colin was pretty angry and made some death threats. Lovely ones that mentioned stabbing us in our sleep. I've been sleeping on the family room sofa, around the corner from Colin's "B & B". I am a fairly light sleeper and am able to usually hear our son rustle around. I also have been able to wake up on the rare occasion the door opens in the middle of the night. While I've yet to see my son handle any of our kitchen knives, I have suggested to my husband that we put these away in a cabinet so they are not easily accessible. I'm pretty sure this is just the Misophonia talking and our son is still less than 90 lbs. soaking wet, but better safe than sorry.

We have a long and crazy ride ahead!

We are a work-in-progress.