Take Care, Caretaker: A Mother's Musings: Autism, Back Pain, Migraines, and a Chipped Tooth

By Page Pulliam

A mother's musings on autism, back pain, migraines & a chipped tooth. After a very painful back injury, this collection of journal entries and Scripture meditations resulted. Back pain healing accompanied a heart pivot in responsiveness to life and, most especially, my son's progress in battling autism.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Apr 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781977264527

Page Pulliam

<br />Page Pulliam hails from Mobile, Alabama where she lives with her husband Todd and homeschools their son Robert. She is the Alabama State Captain for Americans for Homeopathy Choice Action. Page is a 2003 graduate of Rhodes College (B.A., History, <i>cum laude</i>) and 2007 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law (JD, <i>cum laude</i>). She is a member of the Alabama State Bar Association, Alabama Real Estate Commission, and Mobile Bar Association. She has previously served as a deputy district attorney for Tuscaloosa County and the director of admissions for the University of Alabama School of Law. The Pulliams transitioned to homeopathic medicines in spring 2018 for their son's autism battle. The entire family has experienced significant health improvements with homeopathy, and Robert continues to progress developmentally.  <i>Take Care, Caretaker</i> is a compilation of journal entries Page wrote while recovering from an impinged disc with antalgic gait while Robert dealt with migraines and discovered a chipped tooth.  <div data-test-id="message-view-body"> <div></div> </div> <div data-test-id="toolbar-hover-area"> <div data-test-id="card-toolbar"></div> </div>

Book preview

Take Care, Caretaker

A Mother’s Musings: Autism, Back Pain, Migraines, and a Chipped Tooth

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2023 Page Pulliam

v4.0

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Outskirts Press, Inc.

http://www.outskirtspress.com

ISBN: 978-1-9772-6452-7

Cover Photo © 2023 Page Pulliam. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Outskirts Press and the OP logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Restored through Repentance

Renewed by Responsiveness

Hope, Helped by Homeopathy

To my Todd and our Robert

"...my cup overflows." (Psalm 23:5)

With special thanks to

Kari Kindem, our homeopath

Dr. Robert Stewart, our chiropractor

Grace Community Church

Americans for Homeopathy Choice Action & Homeopathy Action Team

&

my absolutely terrific parents, Robert’s doting grandparents – truly, gifts from God

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission: lockman.org.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Take Care, Caretaker: A Mother’s Musings: Autism, Back Pain, Migraines, and a Chipped Tooth

Foreword

WHEN PAGE FIRST told me she wanted to write this book, my first thought was Why? Why would you put yourself through that? My second thought was to wonder who would want to read such a book. When she told me that she wanted to do it to help others in our situation, that answered both questions for me. After revisions, she asked me to read it and offer some comments, so I did:

Well, Sweetie, I think you need more of an introduction, you know. Instead of just jumping right into it, maybe write an overview to give the reader a better idea of who we are and what it’s all about. And with that she gave me a great big Southern Belle smile and looked me straight in the eye while she asked me to write this foreword. So here I am.

Page and I will have been married 18 years on our next anniversary. We both grew up in small towns in Alabama with the values you would expect. We both have families that love us and took care of us. Neither of us ever really wanted for anything. We have been blessed with a good home, good educations and opportunities that some others don’t have. We are fortunate in many ways. From a distance, we are not the kind of people that inspire sympathy.

Our son Robert struggles with autism and has his entire life. He is 11 years old and it has been a hard road for all of us, especially him. As the parent of an autistic child, you suffer when they suffer, and they suffer quite a lot. You are grateful for the good days and learn to deal with the bad ones. You eventually fall into a routine to help you take it one day at a time. But that only allows you to exist, not to heal.

About 5 years ago we discovered homeopathic medicine. At first we were just looking into it out of desperation since none of the conventional wisdom had helped. But as we used the remedies on Robert and ourselves things started to change and life began to get better – much better over time. We have more recently incorporated sound resonance files into Robert’s treatment, which is having a very positive impact. But there was never a simple solution. There was no big golden button you can press to make it all okay. We are still on a journey of healing, and we don’t know when it will end or how things will look when we are finished. All I can say is that things are getting better, even if the road is bumpy from time to time.

My wife is an amazing person with a long list of accomplishments. Among many other things she is an attorney and holds a real estate license. But she made the decision to be Robert’s primary caregiver and teacher when he was born and has been in the trenches ever since. I am very thankful for her and the sacrifices she has made. She is also a person of tremendous faith in God.

In early 2023 Page suffered a low back injury at the gym. As part of her therapy she has undergone multiple sessions of spinal traction (if you have never had this experience, be thankful). The pain was very intense and for weeks she was forced to slow down from her normally busy schedule. During that time she began a journey of introspection that continues now.

This book consists mostly of journal entries she made while she was healing from her back injury. We spent a great deal of time talking about the things she wrote in these pages. Most of it is about what we have been through with our son, but she also details things reaching back into her teenage years that affect her still. She has been very open and honest. It’s pretty raw stuff.

As stated above, Page wrote this book to help people who may be going through the same things we have been through. I hope it does, but mainly I’m just proud of her.

Todd Pulliam

Mobile, Alabama

March 2023

THE CRUX OF this was written from mid-January 2023 to early March