OCD IV

We're still maintaining in the OCD symptoms.  The symptoms are seeming less severe, but still there.  Sami seems to be coping with them a little better.  Does that mean that she is getting better because of the CBT, or because she is waning (as opposed to waxing) in this bout of OCD? 

She was able to sit some today, but only on two chairs, my bed, and the kitchen chair if it was covered in a clean towel (the first two, she was convinced, had touched Lysol from the kitchen table.  Never mind that I didn't use Lysol).  She's been able to sooth herself and she is learning to wait out the episodes.  This is critical because it is a key factor in battling OCD.  Showers calm her down a lot, so I quit complaining at the length of her showers and I will just pay the increased water bills with a smile. 

Interestingly enough, I've been reading many OCD articles that also include Tourette's Syndrome and tics; OCD and Tourette's/tics are very closely related and many children have both.  After learning about tics, I think I've discovered what has been wrong with a couple of other relatives of mine.  I'm not a doctor, and maybe the fact that I've been reading so much about it makes me look for it in everyone, but there were so many dots connected that I swear I saw the picture.  

I'm looking forward to having a slightly normal homeschool schedule next week.  I think it would do us some good to get back into a routine, even if it has bumps. 

I do have some good news!  I've finally been successfully keeping other people's schedules out of our lives.  We've done a couple of things that we wanted to do, but we haven't been constantly running from here to there.  It's a good thing, too.  It's helped with Sami, and Sami's OCD has forced me to learn to tell people no just to help us have peace in our lives.  God shows us the way, doesn't he?