Thank you @Kareness and @foxy8 for sharing about the special child in ur life. My son is 7 years old and is a medical kiddo. Even though he doesnt have an intellectual disability, he does have a physical one. My son was diagnosed with a rare brainstem tumor at the age of 2. This required him to have a tracheostomy (device in his neck to help him breathe), a gtube (device in his belly to allow him to eat) and uses a wheelchair/walker to get around. He requires 24 hour awake care. Its tough being a medical or special needs mom. For many years i put myself on the back burner. It felt like i had lost myself in a sense. I dont know if either of u can relate. In a way that is what was needed at the timeā¦ my focus needed to be on my son. But now its time to look after myself. Not just being clean and sober but also taking care of my health so i can live a long life for my son.
My son has been thru soooo much stuff medically in his 7 years of life. Hes a brave warrior for sure. Has definitely taught me alot about life also 
One now 21 y/o girl with severe adhd and a possible development disorder. They ended that valuation when she turned 18 and got to choose for herself. She lives on her own but still need daily support. With she partly gets from the social service unit (Those are the ones who care for those things here)
One 14 y/o boy with autism/tourettes (he is High functioning even of some things definitely doesnāt work, he doesnāt sleep, canāt be alone and barley eats)
One 12 y/o with adhd/ dyslexia.
Thatās all Folks.
Iām so glad I found this thread here! Iāve got a 3 year old daughter with hidden disabilities - epilepsy and hydrocephalus caused by intraventricular hemorrhage after birth. She is shunted at 3 months, so her fluid drains in the peritoneal cavity. We did a lot of PT and OT during the first year and she is currently in speech therapy because she got a bit delayed in speech last year, seizures and a shunt revision because of shunt malfunctio were the cause. I am really proud of her, she is a wonderful soul and gives my life a true purpose.
Iāve been a gambling addict since 2016, and Iām almost a year into my sobriety. Since her birth I got depressed, her father left the family when she was still a baby and my addiction got completely out of control up to the point where I no longer wanted to live on this planet.
Iāve been coping pretty well in the recent months. We are currently co-parenting and I am slowly getting back to my old positive habits like travelling, going out with friends, hobbies, etc. At the end of the day, my daughter is a superhero and a true role model and inspiration to me when it comes to overcoming obstacles. So she set a good example for me, even without knowing it.
