ADHD
Well, it is finally official, R has been diagnosed with ADHD. I am not sure where I sit with this, I have always felt that he had some form of attention issue, I know that he has all the signs, I also know that now that we have an official diagnosis the school HAS to make some adjustments...but I am also a little sad, I fear that this will color any future teacher's perception of how bright, funny and wonderful he is. I also fear that putting a label on him at such an early age is very likely a mistake...I just did not know what else to do, there isn't time right now to experiment with his diet, there are only a few months left in school and I want him to be able to focus on his studies rather than get so stressed out that he doesn't like school. I am afraid that if he doesn't start focusing the evil woman that poses as a teacher will flunk him...that would be terrible for his self-esteem and motivation. I guess the only thing I can do right at the moment is cross my fingers and hope.
He will start the medication (Strattera) on Wednesday, tomorrow he has an appointment to get an EKG done to make sure his heart is healthy...apparently the medication has issues if you have any weaknesses in your heart, that is for long term use, he (hopefully) will only be on it for a few months!
So I guess now I will educate myself and find as much information as I possibly can about the medication, ADHD, and other possible treatments.
I gotta get some sleep...another LLLOOOONNNGG day tomorrow.
C
posted by Chrissy @ 9:41 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
what ever you do dont give him a synthetic tell the doc you would rather try an all natural drug we have josh on focalin xr before we had him on the oter stuff it worked but he had no appetit theres alot of other stuff out there for ADHD but if you can DONT PUT HIM ON THE FAKE MAN MADE SHIT trust me on this if you need to call me and we can talk about the options we went through with are kid and the wife might have the names for the other drugs we used better yet i'll call you
Just remember that R is going to take his cues from you. How you handle this, is how he's going to handle this. I know it's a lot of pressure. I know there's a lot going on right now. I know that his teacher isn't being who you want her to be. However, YOU have so much control. Stop being sad for him. R is smart and funny and loving and cute as all hell. He needs you to be positive for him right now. Remember your last post about the ball game? You may be his only "clapper" right now, but you're the only one he needs. Get YOUR head in the right place and you'll be able to give him exactly what he needs. Help him understand that you love him and know that he's having a hard time at school so you both are going to be a team and make it better. Hell, this may sound stupid, but what if you tell him that taking the pill will give him a "super power" that will help him? Tell him that you're experimenting with super power pills and you want him to tell you EVERYTHING about how the pill affects him so that you can figure out if it's the right super power pill. My point is, give him empowerment. Give him the outlet to talk to you and you're going to be so much closer to where you want to be. I know it feels like you're going through this alone right now. We're all with you in spirit and I'm here if you need to talk. Just call me! Love you! xoxo
Oh, I can not tell you how very much I agree with what you've said here, all of it.
And, right now, it's the labeling that frightens me the most. My Cameron has issues with self-esteem I couldn't begin to describe and I'm afraid that once we get through testing (if we EVER actually manage to get through testing) to a diagnosis, the stigma of putting any kind of label on him will do more harm than good. It's a hard line and my fear of reaching the point where they HAVE to put a label on him that may cause him more pain has caused me to be more lax than I should've been.
And that doesn't even touch on my fear of the meds they use to treat ADHD.
I've tried altering his diet, cutting out practically all sugar and carbs, finding various outlets for his excess energy and reseraching until my eyes wanted to bleed but I was (very)reluctant to take that final step and start the testing. Actually, it wasn't until his teacher (who, to this point, has been very patient) finally pinned me down and insisted that it was time I stop taking the long way around and go straight to the point. So I have, but taking the straight route has been a testament to my patience and so far, gotten us nowhere. Insurance companies and their bureaucractic bullshit have made things difficult but I'm cutting my way through all the ridiculous red tape.
Anyway, after all that incessant babbling, what I really wanted to say is, though we don't really know each other, you and your R are in my thoughts.
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