Hospitals, Doctors, and Tears. Oh My!

October 24, 2008

All is well here at Blue Duck. Please allow me to apologize for the lack of posts this week. My hiatus has extended much longer than I expected. For those who don’t know, I’ve had a busy week. Two family members had surgery this week, throwing me back into my former life as a Registered Nurse.

To add to the chaos of trips to the hospital, fixing meals, and doling out TLC, my son had his first appointment for ADHD management this week. Anyone who has been through the process of reading massive information about ADHD, trying various forms of diet and behavior modification, and endless discussions with teachers, knows how agonizing such an appointment is.

We finally decided to “try” medication after many discussions with the little guy. The first day was very productive and wonderful, until noon. Then the medication wore off with a vengeance. Following an hour’s conference with the teacher, I took home a tearful and emotional little one. (after a trip to Dairy Queen for ice cream)

My son expressed his delight at the way he felt during the morning hours, and was devastated when he felt powerless to continue to control his impulses and emotions in the afternoon. My heart broke for my boy and I began to doubt the decision to try medication.

Like most parents, I would rather pull out my toenails than watch my children suffer. But in the end, reason won out and after a call to his doctor, we agreed to continue the medication and monitor his behavior through Monday. One of the most powerful deciding factors was the look on my son’s face when he asked me to give him the medicine again the next day. He’d had a taste of so-called normalcy and wanted more. My heart broke once again as I stared into his eager, pleading face.

While this normally isn’t a parenting blog, I thought many of you might be able to relate to our story. I also felt I owed an explanation for my absence this week. Bodies are healing slowly and little lives are being changed in the Simmerman household.

I will be catching up my feed reader tomorrow and posting another round of weekly summaries late in the day. God willing, things will be closer to normal come Monday morning. Thanks for your patience, support, and emails. Each of you is more precious than you know.

Share and Socialize:

Posted by Jamie | Filed Under Odds and Ends

Comments

Jamie Simmerman

Hey Wendi, :D Hope you got your project in on time. Been there, done that.

I thought we could hold out, too. His grades took a nose dive few weeks ago, he jumped out of a tree at about eight feet, and walked into traffic, twice. It was time.

He is doing ok so far. Very productive at school, but the emotional issues have gotten worse. It's gonna be a long process.

About that heredity thing.... there's a dusty bottle of Strattera in my cabinet. :)
Wendi Kelly-Life's Little Insp

Jamie,

I'm sorry to not have been around when you posted this, i have been MIA due to writing a long piece of work that had a deadline.

My heart goes out to you. This is an area that I have decades of experience with. If you want someone to chat with, send an e-mail and I will listen and chat with any thoughts and comments you want to share. They first started telling me my Oldest son was going to be ADHD at eighteen months. I kept him off of meds until he was 13. I just couldn't see giving in. Only after serious trouble with the law (Impulse issues) did I give in. My second son, I gave in by third grade.

Then the doc turned and looked me in the eye and said..."Mom, you know, this is hereditary..."

I've been on meds for the last four years...I couldn't believe the difference. ..

<abbr>Wendi Kelly-Life's Little Inspirations´s last spectacular blog post..Teeter-Totter Tribulations</abbr>
Jamie Simmerman

Hey David, Yeah, we figured out he can't eat hotdogs or he gets a migraine, but other than than, we are clueless. I have feeling it's something more than that though, he was hyper even when I carried him. I was constantly worried something was wrong with or second because he moved so little compared to his big brother. :)

We see a specialist next month. Hopefully we can get the little guy back on track. Thanks for the empathy. :)
Blogger Dad

I missed this when you posted it. That sounds like an awful ordeal. I can imagine how difficult a decision it was for you.

I imagine this is a silly question as you probably already considered it or at least turned it up in your research, but on the off chance you haven't, have you looked into food allergies as a cause?

Best of luck to you and your son.

<abbr>Blogger Dad´s last spectacular blog post..Our baby story - part three: Everything changes</abbr>
Jamie Simmerman

Thanks for the encouragement Lance. We can handle the ups and downs, it's just going to be a rough go. I really appreciate your support. Parenting is never easy, but it's worth every minute and every pang.
Lance

Hang in there Jamie. Sounds like it's been a rough week for you and your family.

Last year, I had a boy on my soccer team, who I believe had ADHD. Sometimes he can be just normal and great, and other times he just melts down. We're still involved with his family through cub scouts, and I saw him again just last week for a project we were doing. And I ended up working directly with him one on one. And I really got to see what a nice person he is, how "normal" is for him - and when he's in that state - what a happy and caring young boy he is. I guess I can't relate directly to what you are going through as a parent, but in a way - I do understand. I understand what a great feeling it has to be to feel "normal". I'm sure these were tough decisions you were making this week, and ones that you didn't take lightly. Whatever you ultimately end up at, I know that you're doing that with a desire for the best possible outcome for your son.

<abbr>Lance´s last spectacular blog post..Life Balance: A Very Personal Pyramid</abbr>