Rick and I decided to wait until the weekend to start his medication. That way, we could be there in case of any side effects.
On Thursday, Rick called to let me know that Pharmacy called and informed him that the dose prescribed was no longer available and that the doctor would have to re-write a prescription. So Rick called the doctor's office and got frustrated with their phone system, or lack of a proper one. He was also upset that the doctor didn't know that the dose she had prescribed was no longer available. I took it as he was just frustrated with the whole idea of giving Anthony medication, and then I was frustrated with him.
FRUSTRATED!!!! We talked it over and both mellowed out a bit.
Rick called again on Friday and was able to speak with the doctor. She told him that she would fax over a prescription for Anthony to take 1/2 of a 20 mg capsule of Vivanse.
Then the doctor's office called Rick and said that the pharmacy wouldn't take a faxed prescription, it had to be an original written prescription and one of us would have to pick it up before they closed that afternoon. We were both working and, again, frustrated. It turns out that there is a law that requires the original because of the type of medication it is. (Why didn't the doctor know this?)
We finally had the medication on Friday night. All we have to do is pour the capsule in to some juice and give him half one day and the other half the next. Easy enough, right?
We get up Saturday morning and I follow the doctor's instructions and empty the capsule in to 4 ounces of apple juice. The medicine settles instantly in the juice so I do the whole mad scientist thing where I am shaking it and pouring it back and forth between two cups, hoping it doesn't settle, but it just doesn't seem to work quite as well as I hope. So I gave him 2 oz of the tainted juice and hoped for the best.
Anthony, Our Awesome Kiddo
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Anthony's First Appointment
On March 2, 2011, Anthony met with the Pediatric Behavior Specialist. I was very impressed that she took so much time to meet with me and spent so much time with Anthony. She went through all of the paperwork that we and his teacher filled out, line item by line item, comparing our answers with hers. We were very similar in all of the categories. The doctor spent over an hour with Anthony, observing him, without him really knowing he was being observed (he thought he was just playing at a doctor's office and was really happy that he didn't have to get shots!).
By the day of the appointment, Rick and I were pretty set on holding Anthony back and having him repeat first grade. The doctor and I talked about it and she really opened up my eyes. She said that if there is a need to hold a child back, it is best to do it either in kindergarten or first grade. She mentioned that she had never heard a parent of one of her patients say that they regretted holding their child back. Then she switched gears and said that Anthony was very smart and while he may not complete his work, he knew all of the material, understood the math and was an exceptional reader. She then said "So, now if you hold him back, you not only have a child who can't focus, but who is also bored. That is even worse." She did say that nothing had to be decided today, that we could think all this over and do what ever we wanted.
Have I mentioned that we were completely against medicating Anthony? Absolutely not, that is a last resort, I don't want him to be a zombie, etc.
So, after spending all this time with the doctor, it was clear that he probably had ADD. It was not ADHD, as the reason he can't sit still isn't because he is hyper, it is because he can't focus. So, she mentioned medication. At that point, I thought I would run screaming from the office, but I didn't. I listened to what she had to say. She discussed the different types of medication and we reviewed what was covered by his insurance. She explained that he wouldn't be a zombie, that he would be the same cool kid, just a little more focused. I agreed to try it for 30 days.
As I left I was thinking, am I a bad mom because I walked out of there with a prescription in my hand? What will people think? You know what? I didn't really care. I was willing to try this to help my son. I talked it over with Rick and we both agreed that, for us, this was the right thing to do.
By the day of the appointment, Rick and I were pretty set on holding Anthony back and having him repeat first grade. The doctor and I talked about it and she really opened up my eyes. She said that if there is a need to hold a child back, it is best to do it either in kindergarten or first grade. She mentioned that she had never heard a parent of one of her patients say that they regretted holding their child back. Then she switched gears and said that Anthony was very smart and while he may not complete his work, he knew all of the material, understood the math and was an exceptional reader. She then said "So, now if you hold him back, you not only have a child who can't focus, but who is also bored. That is even worse." She did say that nothing had to be decided today, that we could think all this over and do what ever we wanted.
Have I mentioned that we were completely against medicating Anthony? Absolutely not, that is a last resort, I don't want him to be a zombie, etc.
So, after spending all this time with the doctor, it was clear that he probably had ADD. It was not ADHD, as the reason he can't sit still isn't because he is hyper, it is because he can't focus. So, she mentioned medication. At that point, I thought I would run screaming from the office, but I didn't. I listened to what she had to say. She discussed the different types of medication and we reviewed what was covered by his insurance. She explained that he wouldn't be a zombie, that he would be the same cool kid, just a little more focused. I agreed to try it for 30 days.
As I left I was thinking, am I a bad mom because I walked out of there with a prescription in my hand? What will people think? You know what? I didn't really care. I was willing to try this to help my son. I talked it over with Rick and we both agreed that, for us, this was the right thing to do.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Where Do I Begin . . .
My husband, Rick, and I are raising four children together - Kayla, age 16, Alyssa, age 12, Anthony, age 6, and Andrew, age 4. Kayla is our niece, who we have been raising for several years. Alyssa is my daughter from my first marriage. The boys are both of ours. Some would say we are a "blended family", but to us, we are just the Coonrod Family. All of them are our children and they introduce each other as brothers and sisters. Anthony was recently diagnosed with ADD.
When Anthony was born, he was the ideal baby. By two weeks old he was sleeping through the night, he rarely cried, and he had the coolest little kid personality. We quickly learned that he was somehow different from other children, but in ways that couldn't be explained. At around six months, Anthony would sit in his high chair and continually move his hands in such an unusual way, we called it "Conducting His Orchestra". As he got older, he just didn't seem to be like other children. Sure, he played and laughed and threw temper tantrums, just like other kids his age, but, again, there was just a feeling I had that he didn't quite fit. We just considered him unique and figured that was just who he was, and that was OK with us. All of us are a bit quirky.
Fast forward to Kindergarten - Anthony's first Parent/Teacher Conference was a bit of a surprise to us. It turned out that our fun, smart, happy boy did not play with other children and that he couldn't work on any assignment for very long. She described his play as parallel, meaning he played alongside the other children, but didn't play with them. The teacher said it was because he was so young. When we talked to Anthony a bit, he thought he had a lot of friends and so, if it didn't bother him, we weren't going to worry about it. By the end of kindergarten, his teacher told us that he was making real progress.
Our first Parent/Teacher Conference for First Grade was interesting. His teacher kept asking us questions about what he is like at home. Does he do his homework, does he play with other kids, etc. After we left, it started to sink in that she was trying to tell us something. Yes, he does his homework, but it does take a long time. He is constantly up and down from the table at mealtime and he can not complete anything without us having to tell him what to do every step of the way.
Rick and I talked it over for a while, as he was having a hard time admitting that something could be wrong with our boy, but Rick took the huge step and talked with his teacher one day when he picked Anthony up from school. (It turned out that the hour it was taking each night for homework was not the norm!) She was really quick to suggest we talk with the school nurse and our pediatrician, and was very encouraging. She has always been encouraging and we could tell that she didn't want him to be labeled as a bad kid.
We met with the nurse, who was a huge source of positive information and she was very supportive. One of our fears was that the school would try to force us to medicate him if he was diagnosed and she straightened us out on that bit of misinformation.
Our pediatrician referred us to a Pediatric Behavior Specialist. After completing several pages of paperwork for them, sending it out, and then waiting a few weeks, Rick contacted their office. It turns out that they were booked for the next six months and we might have an appointment in approximately eight months. EIGHT MONTHS!?!?!? I took matters in to my own hands and found a doctor who could see him in a few weeks.
We, again, had to fill out a large packet of paperwork, and have his teacher fill out several pages as well. By this point, we were considering holding Anthony back and having him repeat first grade, because he just was not where he needed to be for his grade level. He scored low on tests, and rarely finished assignments, but when we worked with him at home he knew all the information. We didn't want him to fall even further behind and never be able to get to the level he needed to be at, so maybe we should hold him back and give him the chance to catch up. So many decisions!!
Anthony's first appointment with the Behavior Specialist was scheduled for March 2, 2011 and I was getting really nervous, but I will have to post that next time as it is getting really late.
When Anthony was born, he was the ideal baby. By two weeks old he was sleeping through the night, he rarely cried, and he had the coolest little kid personality. We quickly learned that he was somehow different from other children, but in ways that couldn't be explained. At around six months, Anthony would sit in his high chair and continually move his hands in such an unusual way, we called it "Conducting His Orchestra". As he got older, he just didn't seem to be like other children. Sure, he played and laughed and threw temper tantrums, just like other kids his age, but, again, there was just a feeling I had that he didn't quite fit. We just considered him unique and figured that was just who he was, and that was OK with us. All of us are a bit quirky.
Fast forward to Kindergarten - Anthony's first Parent/Teacher Conference was a bit of a surprise to us. It turned out that our fun, smart, happy boy did not play with other children and that he couldn't work on any assignment for very long. She described his play as parallel, meaning he played alongside the other children, but didn't play with them. The teacher said it was because he was so young. When we talked to Anthony a bit, he thought he had a lot of friends and so, if it didn't bother him, we weren't going to worry about it. By the end of kindergarten, his teacher told us that he was making real progress.
Our first Parent/Teacher Conference for First Grade was interesting. His teacher kept asking us questions about what he is like at home. Does he do his homework, does he play with other kids, etc. After we left, it started to sink in that she was trying to tell us something. Yes, he does his homework, but it does take a long time. He is constantly up and down from the table at mealtime and he can not complete anything without us having to tell him what to do every step of the way.
Rick and I talked it over for a while, as he was having a hard time admitting that something could be wrong with our boy, but Rick took the huge step and talked with his teacher one day when he picked Anthony up from school. (It turned out that the hour it was taking each night for homework was not the norm!) She was really quick to suggest we talk with the school nurse and our pediatrician, and was very encouraging. She has always been encouraging and we could tell that she didn't want him to be labeled as a bad kid.
We met with the nurse, who was a huge source of positive information and she was very supportive. One of our fears was that the school would try to force us to medicate him if he was diagnosed and she straightened us out on that bit of misinformation.
Our pediatrician referred us to a Pediatric Behavior Specialist. After completing several pages of paperwork for them, sending it out, and then waiting a few weeks, Rick contacted their office. It turns out that they were booked for the next six months and we might have an appointment in approximately eight months. EIGHT MONTHS!?!?!? I took matters in to my own hands and found a doctor who could see him in a few weeks.
We, again, had to fill out a large packet of paperwork, and have his teacher fill out several pages as well. By this point, we were considering holding Anthony back and having him repeat first grade, because he just was not where he needed to be for his grade level. He scored low on tests, and rarely finished assignments, but when we worked with him at home he knew all the information. We didn't want him to fall even further behind and never be able to get to the level he needed to be at, so maybe we should hold him back and give him the chance to catch up. So many decisions!!
Anthony's first appointment with the Behavior Specialist was scheduled for March 2, 2011 and I was getting really nervous, but I will have to post that next time as it is getting really late.
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