Can We Please Call This Week OVER?!?!
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| Thu, 05-24-2007 - 10:58pm |
This has been one of those "I've been hit by a Mac truck" kinda weeks.
Monday- Took Noah to the doctor's office to be seen by the CNP who specializes in asthma. Came home with a Dx, and four new prescriptions. YIKES! Of course, only one of the four is a short-time med. The rest will be added to his daily routine. Had to make up a spreadsheet just to keep track of all of it!
We had no more than left the office when Claire's 1:1 called, in tears. Claire's meltdowns were so severe, and she was so out of control, her poor 1:1 didn't know what else to do to help her. Evidently Claire spit in her face and tried to bite her. When I got to school, the 1:1 and I sat in the hallway and cried together. This was the first time EVER in her entire life that Claire had shown any type of agressive behavior. So we quick called the ped. pysch. to schedule an emergency appt., and started considering the possibility of a co-morbid pediatric bipolar disorder. (Not because of this single incident, but because of a family history, and a build-up of symptoms over the last several months as they corresponded to the Zoloft she started on in November.) Thank GOD for Dee and her knowledge, insight, and willingness to lend an eye to my e-mails.
Tuesday and Wednesday are a blur of online research (school districts in potential relocation areas and pediatric bipolar disorder) and preparing for this weekend's neighborhood garage sale.
TODAY~ DH took the day off and we trekked 45 minutes to the ped. pysch. who, while stopping short of officially diagnosing Claire with bipolar, agreed with our concerns, and now we're stopping the Zoloft and starting her on Risperdal. It's not that I'm unhappy about the medication, I just hate having to do it. It scares the living crap out of me. If she could communicate enough to tell us about any side effects, I'd feel different...but she can't.
This afternoon we took her to see the dermatologist for the molluscum (sp?) TALK ABOUT A DISASTER! They were running behind (what else is new) so DH left to pick up the two older kids and go to his haircut appt. I was stuck dealing with Claire's aversion to doctors. Needless to say, it was a complete waste of time because she went into full-out catastrophic meltdown before he so much as looked at her "rash". They would be able to treat the molluscum, but in order to do so they have to put a painless chemical on each individual spot, and she has well over a hundred of them. Three of us tried to hold her down, but the doctor finally gave up. Can't say that I blame him, either. He suggested we talk to her ped. about a Rx for Xanax (or something similar) to calm her down before trying again. *sigh* She screamed the entire time we were checking out, and I would've given ANYTHING to have had a dozen of Dee's cards or (at the very least) an ounce of the strength she showed last week. I sat in the check-out gals chair and cried while she tried to bribe Claire with candy. (NICE TRY lady, but the child won't eat candy, so your solution to the problem is without merit.)
NO REST FOR THE WEARY...we got home, I cried like a baby, got mad, then got up and started working on the garage sale again. And now, I'm drinking. Will it make me feel better? Probably not...but at least I'll sleep tonight.
If you made it this far, thanks~ If you didn't, I don't blame you! ;-)
Amy


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Oh Amy!!!!!!!!!!!
My heart is breaking over hear for you. I felt the tears as I read..............
First off, are you ok?
Second, how is Clair since you got home?
The whole not knowing when the sh*t will hit the fan with our kids is the hardest part.
There are no set triggers and happen at the drop of a hat.
As for the meds.........good, it will in the long haul give ALL of you piece of mind.
All parties involved this week, I pray this was the peak of it and now it will calm back down.
As for Noah and the asthma, it's funny cause we just had Adam at the doc for his new meds and got 4 new ones himself. He has childhood asthma eviromental induced. We also did blood test for the pollen, mold, dander kinda test too....
He's only 3 and takes more meds than me and dh combined!!!!!
Have a couple of drinks (you deserve it)
Work on the garage sale (redirect your mind)
(((hugs)))
Nora
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/irishwildrose/pp2.jpg
OMG first off amy, I'm sorry I left chat. My son threw his shoe and it hit the cord going into the computer and I lost connection. Eventually figured it out lol.
First I have Asthma, but its something I can control with just abulteral. I know my son-in-law has a more advanced form of asthma but he uses something everyday and it helps immensly. I don't need it as I only need the inhaler occasionally. Yikes, does he really need 4 meds?
I'm not a doctor, and of course I don't know you son (you do, I don't) but maybe you can research more into this? I mean hey if I am out of line (cuz I very well could be, cuz I only have mild asthma that developed with my pregnancy when I was in my 30's... weird huh? LOL) but you could still get a second opinion. But then I know that breathing is important and you just may agree with the doc 100 percent....
Now for the Risperadal... It has been a godsend for us. I didn't want to do it either. I was really scared. I was talking to a family member and found out her husband has been taking Risperadal for the last 4 yrs and it has helped him immensly. He has no side affects, he is back to normal and life is good for him. It felt great hearing it from an adult's point of view, cuz some of our kiddos can't communicate as well as an adult.
Chris started on .05mg. We eventually raised him up to 1 mg. He is doing great now, no more rages and his perservering on food is so much lower than it used to be. He might get stuck on a subject, but we notice it doesn't go on and on like it used too. We can put him into bed without the violent rages, to were he's banging his head, screaming, biting, head butting, taking shoes and breaking the glass on picture frames ect..... God Its been wonderful! At first it did seem to raise his OCD up the roof, but the doc added prozac, and it seems to help.
Hey, you can always try it, and take it off if you just can't see a difference or feel comfortable with it.
My opinion on the dermatologist..... the risperdal will help calm her. And if not, hey consider having your doc prescibing something like a one time valuim or something (like the xanax that he suggests). That is what were going to have to do with an upcoming dentist appt because they don't offer gas.
The thing about xanax thou is I have found it to be weird. I started taking it when lexapro didn't work for my panic attacks and boy was that weird. But you know it made me very sleepy and I fell asleep and had really weird dreams. It might not be so bad with the valiuam.....
Good luck sweetie, I know how you feel about a bad day.
Lainie
Yup...It's over. Don't want to highjack your post...but I agree. Enough of this week.
hugs, Sidney
Hey Lainie- no problem with the "chat" thing. I really needed to head to bed anyway.
As far as the asthma goes, I should've been more clear. Noah's only on one med for the asthma (Advair). The other two are for allergies (Nasonex & Singulair) to help prevent the need for other asthma meds. Make sense? #4 is an antibiotic because he managed to get an ugly sinus infection along the way. My DH has had "significant" asthma most of his life, and Noah thinks it's cool that he and Daddy are taking the same medicine for their asthma.
It's been a huge relief to hear some "mom's I know" have had positive experiences with the Riperdal. We're lucky enough to have a ped. psych. who actually gave us the option of whether or not to put Claire on any med. at all. (Yes, I know as the parents we're always in charge, but our doctor has never tried to push us into medicating our kids and has been incredibly open and honest about the successes/failures she's seen, the side effects, etc.) I also appreciate the fact that she didn't want to add another label until after seeing the results of the sleep deprived EEG. (I neglected to mention that in my original post.)
I'm not excited about future dermatologist visits...with or without the medication. It's going to be hard to return to that office, with my head held high, after yesterday's outburst.
To add another knife in my side, our friends & neighbors across the street (the people who asked us to be their son's Godparents) are expecting #4 in December. I so desperately wanted another baby before all this stuff with Claire started. But now I'm back to thinking I'm simply not strong enough to take on another child. *sigh*
Amy
Amy,
I'm so sorry you had such a horrible week. (((Big hugs))) On another board I frequent a mom just posted her success treating molluscum with a supplement after 5 dermatologists couldn't cure it. Let me know if you want the info.
I hope next week is much much better++++++++++++
Samantha
(((((((Amy))))))),
I am so so sorry you had such a crappy day.
visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
(((((Sweetie)))))
I understand those weeks; it seems like you're just holding it together on a regular basis and then the weight of anything extra just makes you buckle! Know that you are carrying so much right now, the stress of an impending move alone dissasembles most people.
As for the risperdal; Liam really has ahd good experiece with it, we did think his recent weight gain was due to it, but I'm beginning to think the switch in stimulants actually may have contributed more. I am glad to hear you removed the zoloft. It does have a history of stabilizing anxiety for a while in children and then kind of has a back reaction where it actually triggers mania/ and or worsens depression. Have you also tried an omega 3 supplement? I'm thinking one of the more higher grade ones (Nordic Naturals etc), as the store ones often just do not have th right amount of EPA (you need above 500mg per day to see any real change in mood).
As for asthma, yup, Liam is also on Singulair as it helps control reactive airway and sinus infections. So know you're not alone there, (actually I think Liam is on 4 meds himself right now).....reminds me I need to refill singulair rx....
Enail or call if you need to.
(((HUGS)))
Dee
btw: I am anything but patient, I threw a plastic sippy cuup at the wall two days ago out of frustration and now there's a big white dent on my nicely painted kitchen wall. (I was semi- aiming it at Liam, who was upstairs but see, I actually have a very short fuse;)
OMG Amy! this is way too much to handle. I hate the days when my son has a full blown meltdowns. I am so sorry. Since the weekend is approaching everything will calm down. As for Claire's procedure, can you apply when she is watching TV? Sravan had an outpatient procedure and the doc. said that they do with general numbing in that area, I said that is impossible for my son. Then he read his Asperger chart and decided to do a gas mask and finish the procedure quickly.
take care,
Anandhi
(((((((AMY)))))))
Not much time to write, but I am so sorry to hear about the rough time you have been having. So many children with communication difficulties seem to really have more trouble starting around this age.
In a funny way, our situation has worked out for Malcolm because by pulling him home, his stress levels have way lowered and he is back to what he can handle. And we can orchestrate his challenges to within his reach more. Zoloft has had time to help his brain focus and therefore he can learn, but as his rages were escalating when we first put him on it, for us it would have been easy at that point to take him off the Zoloft, we were SORELY tempted. If and when Malcolm goes back into all day stressful situation again (known as school) we will have to see what is needed then.
But we know another child who went from drug to drug, the best of parents (like you) and doctors. And actually now, like Renee's Mike, is finally off all drugs. And we also know many children doing well on Risperadol.
Damn it, what a crazy life we lead.
I missed it, where are you moving?
Hang in there, more (((((hugs))))) and good wishes for light at end of tunnel and ways to make everything better right now.
Sara
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