so it's been a real long time that i've posted. it's been a crazy journey in our house since september. i am in awe of how well penny does on her blog...i can't even keep up my family's blog. so i don't really have an excuse.
the school year is going okay. other than jacob hating school. he's bored. he knows it all. and i mean that quite literally. so it's really rough on him. and of course getting a child with severe ADHD up and at'm in the morning is near impossible.
we have adjusted his medications 3 times since my last post. we started on a low dose of focalin, increased that does to 2x per day, went to stronger focalin XR 1x a day, then to 2x a day (with no interference of sleep), then stronger focalin XR...now we are on vyvanse 20mg. he's doing well on this. not his best, but he is doing well.
i get concerned sometimes because he can seem so sad at times, but he'll tell me nothing's wrong. he still has his violent streak, his growling at his brother for even looking at him the wrong way. but he doesn't act like that to anyone else that might bother him....just his brother (and sometimes sister). so this i chalk up to a sibling issue.
we went to the zoo yesterday. HUGE mistake. it was busier than the busiest day i've ever been. and i added on another 6 year old with us. i had 2 jacob's with me, and my jack and jordyn. luckily we met another mom from kindergarten class and it was alot easier on me. hard part was keeping track of all the kids. my jack kept running away and jordyn insisted on climbing in and out of the stroller herself...while jack was running away. the 3 5/6 year-olds were being boys...running, chasing, hitting each other with maps, picking up sticks. i did feel a lot better when i saw the other boy give his mom a hard time and have some MAJOR attitude with her. makes me feel normal. not that i like it...but at least i felt not alone for a brief minute!
i really just wanted to poke my head in here and quickly update. i'm exhausted from all the running around yesterday, and things i had to do today. tomorrow is Easter Sunday and i'm anxious to get it all done and over with already. i start back to school on Monday, to become a firefighter, so it's going to be a really rough 11 weeks around here.
happy easter everyone! be safe! love Jesus!
Showing posts with label medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medicine. Show all posts
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Monday, July 27, 2009
(for my ONE follower...if you read my family blog...
this is almost the exact same post from that site, too)
this is almost the exact same post from that site, too)
jacob started on medicine 2 weeks ago. focalin to be exact. 5mg. with any medicine for adhd we start out at the lowest dosage and hope the medicine works. if not, maybe we change the dosage, maybe we change the medication. it's kind of a trial and error, if you will.
so we started on this 2 weeks ago, and the first day was the BESTEST ever! the next few days were also really nice, but then they started going downhill. back to where we used to be. he would be in everyone's face. he would take the Golden Rule to mean "get even." jack hit me, so he must want me to hit him. retaliation was key in his day. he was loud, busy and sometimes downright mean. there weren't genuine smiles and happiness. there was much yelling and timeouts. it was very depressing to be in our house.
forward to today...i was supposed to call in 2 weeks to let doctor know how it was going. that would be tomorrow. it was all i could do to wait until today. i called as soon as their phones opened this morning. talked with the nurse and she said that since there was an improvement in the beginning, doctor would probably just change the dosage. she called back about 30 minutes later and confirmed that. i'm supposed to check in with her on friday again.
so today went very well. it went almost exactly how i would expect a day to go with 3 children. there was some fighting, there was some yelling, there were some timeouts. emphasis on the word SOME. it was minimal. we played. we cuddled. we loved. we smiled. we joked. most important...we had FUN! we went to bed on awesome terms. lots of kisses and laughing. just the way i think it's meant to be.
i know there are supposed to be struggles. siblings will fight. there will be anger. there will be sadness. there will be unhappiness. but you know what...above all, there will be love and happiness. THAT'S what i'm looking for. and today, we achieved it.
please pray that we have found the right dosage and it doesn't dwindle again. i tormented myself over whether or not to medicate him to begin with, but i don't like the idea of continuing to increase the dosage...but we will do what we have to do. and of course, we will be informed when it happens.
my life has become all about my children. that started back on october 1, 2003. the day i found out we were pregnant. someday's i question what God was thinking. i always quote "God will only give you what you can handle" to make it through the day...more so lately. but you know what...we are handling it. it might not be the "right" way. others might be more patient, and others just might be more mentally equipped to deal. but we're doing the best we can....and you know what...we must be doing something right because tonight (at VBS-Good Shepherd Little Lambs) jacob made an octopus and asked someone how to write, "I Love You Mom."
Sunday, July 19, 2009
losing effect....
so...the medicine seems to be working pretty well. wednesday when we started it, he was fabulous. he was a different kid. sometimes throughout that day i found myself missing my "old jacob"...thinking, he's just not himself, he's losing sense of himself. i was deeply saddened for this loss.
but, by the end of the night, i knew this was not the case. instead, he has "found" himself. he has found a person he can love and be happy with. he has found the person who can listen, follow directions and get into less and less trouble. he has found the person he can live with, i think.
i can't believe that a little pill can make such a difference. we are SOOO much happier here throughout the day. we still get into trouble. we still make our siblings mad. we still have a short temper (but i think that was inherited). but it's not every 3 seconds (and don't even think i'm joking about that time frame)
i was worried about a lack of appetite. it seemed the very first day that this side effect rang true. but as of today...he has a normal appetite, in addition, he sits through his meals. this morning, he had a pudding and 2 pieces of toast. that's a good breakfast for him.
here's my question (and based on some other ADHD websites that i'm following, i think i already know the answer): is it possible for a medicine to work well at the beginning and to slowly stop working as well? and how quickly can this happen? he is still quite more well-behaved than he was a week ago, but i see subtle differences of the "old jacob" coming through. i'll still take who we have now over who we had then (but i'd never give either one up...ever!!!)...but, at what point do i question it? at what point to i talk to the doctor?
i know these questions are too early for me...but i'm preparing myself. we talk back with the doctor in a week. i'm charting how the day goes, and really, it's still so much better than it was...but i'm just worried that it's slowly losing it's effect.
but, by the end of the night, i knew this was not the case. instead, he has "found" himself. he has found a person he can love and be happy with. he has found the person who can listen, follow directions and get into less and less trouble. he has found the person he can live with, i think.
i can't believe that a little pill can make such a difference. we are SOOO much happier here throughout the day. we still get into trouble. we still make our siblings mad. we still have a short temper (but i think that was inherited). but it's not every 3 seconds (and don't even think i'm joking about that time frame)
i was worried about a lack of appetite. it seemed the very first day that this side effect rang true. but as of today...he has a normal appetite, in addition, he sits through his meals. this morning, he had a pudding and 2 pieces of toast. that's a good breakfast for him.
here's my question (and based on some other ADHD websites that i'm following, i think i already know the answer): is it possible for a medicine to work well at the beginning and to slowly stop working as well? and how quickly can this happen? he is still quite more well-behaved than he was a week ago, but i see subtle differences of the "old jacob" coming through. i'll still take who we have now over who we had then (but i'd never give either one up...ever!!!)...but, at what point do i question it? at what point to i talk to the doctor?
i know these questions are too early for me...but i'm preparing myself. we talk back with the doctor in a week. i'm charting how the day goes, and really, it's still so much better than it was...but i'm just worried that it's slowly losing it's effect.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
developments...
there has been a LOT of thoughts going through our minds for a while now. we met with our pediatrician this week and his recommendation was Focalin. i had spoken to him on the phone a couple weeks ago and asked him IF we chose medication, what one would he try first. this is the one he highly recommends starting on. and of course we would start on the lowest dose possible and only increase if we had to.
so daddy and i talked and talked. and while medication was our last step, after speaking with the doctor, i really felt that this was the way to go.
our doctor spent a lot of time talking to us (over an hour-sorry to all the people behind us), and if i haven't mentioned before, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE our pediatrician. i truly would follow his advice every time (maybe with a little research if needed). i have the deepest trust with him. we are very fortunate to have found him.
anyway, our pediatrician spent a lot of time talking and answering our questions. i asked him about non-medicated treatments and he said there are dietary changes that people insist work on their children (as they bounce around the room like a ping-pong ball). he stated that there has been little actual research done on dietary changes for ADHD.
i went over jacob's ADHD testing with him and asked questions about some of the other results (mild bipolar, high impulsivity, etc) and he said that most of the "mild" issues stated were the result of the ADHD and if we get that under control, the rest will follow.
i asked him about side effects, and the information on the internet stating than any of the meds i looked up weren't recommended for those under the age of 6. he pointed out that most medications are that way...take for example Prevacid. and we gave that to 2 of our children. a good point. why wouldn't i have looked up that medication before giving that to our kids? why is this one any different? i had 3 pages of questions to ask him, most of which i had answered before i even asked. i'm sure i'm not the first parent to ask a load of questions. i know i'm not the only one who doesn't want to medicate their child. but truth be told, the first time i took him in to the counselor i told her that either he or i would have to be medicated because i was at the end of my rope. i was medicated shortly thereafter...and it wasn't enough. i still couldn't deal with the problems all day long.
side effects are mostly the same with all the ADHD medications:
lack of weight gain, height gain
lack of appetite
inability to sleep
stomach pains (usually due to lack of sleep)
high blood pressure (which is why it is monitored closely by the ped)
i asked about the high blood pressure and his heart. he told me that we could request an ekg to be done before he started the meds and have one done after he's on the meds and that he would prescribe one, and that the insurance would pay for it, but that it really is a non-issue with children/adults that have no heart problem history. daddy and i will talk about this to decide whether we'd like to have one done. right now, i'm leaning toward "no".
i asked about the depression as a side effect and how do we actually tell when a 5 year old is depressed, and he told us that we would definitely know. he'd be really lethargic, talk about hating himself, hating life, etc., not eating at all, not caring about anything else. i showed him some of my research that stated that Focalin is actually used in some patients as an ANTI-depressant. he told me that this was true and should not be an issue with this medication.
he'll be checked in a month for blood pressure and height/weight. then in 3 months.
our ped told us to call him in 2 weeks to let him know how it was going. i asked him how long for it to take effect, and he said immediately. it lasts 8-10 hours, so night time might be back to the way things usually are.
i just have to say, after all the deliberation and questions about medicating him, while i'm glad we tried many other things first, the first 2 days have been AWESOME!!!
i'm so happy, as long as it stays this way, that we (hopefully) won't have to change or up his medication any time soon. he has been a delight the last 2 days and has been completely focused on things. the first day i was worried about his appetite. but really, he did eat normal. except he didn't eat breakfast. lunch and dinner were the same.
today was about the same. he had his milk (which i have switched to whole milk) and then had a snack, a big lunch and big dinner. so far, not much of an appetite change.
he has not gotten any "x's" today, and at this rate we'll have to re-examine his rewards (as he has the ability to earn $.50 every AM and PM) so that we don't go broke paying him and he have too many toys because he'll be buying them every week. maybe we'll start a savings program with him and he'll have to save 1/2 of it and he can spend the other 1/2. hmm...thoughts thoughts thoughts. also, i have only had to "count" to him 2 times (both were after 6pm, which his medication was probably starting to wear off). and both times, he didn't make it to 3.
his frustration still shows through, but that's normal i think. it usually passes and he's fine again. what i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE best is that we get along. he smiles and laughs way more than he has in a long time (so long i don't remember). tonight he told me that he "hated this part of life." when i said, "what are you talking about?" he said, "i have 2 new toothbrushes and i hate that i can only open one of them." then quiet...then, "but my favorite part is that i get to choose!" a few days ago, he would have been bent out of shape for the rest of the night over not being able to open both.
he's more cuddly, and loving toward all of us. he's more appreciative, thankful and polite. and it's only DAY TWO!!!
yesterday, we went out to lunch and he asked me, "can i be excused?" he knows he's supposed to ask that...but he NEVER does.
i am simply amazed by my little boy who was there this whole time and just needed help to come out. yesterday he also said, "i guess this medicine really does chill me out."
seriously, i just can't believe the immediate changes. and there's no zombie. he still plays, talks and interacts. just now he loves his life and i love that he's loving it. i love that smile....the one i didn't see every day all day like i do now.
dear God,
thank you for pointing us in the right direction.
thank you for making me realize that it's okay to help my children through medicine. thank you for the creators of this medicine. please, keep this medicine safe for my son to take and keep him healhty for his life. do not let this medicine, which is providing us with a wonderful life together now, cause any problems with his future.
i ask this in your Son's name,
Amen!!!
so daddy and i talked and talked. and while medication was our last step, after speaking with the doctor, i really felt that this was the way to go.
our doctor spent a lot of time talking to us (over an hour-sorry to all the people behind us), and if i haven't mentioned before, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE our pediatrician. i truly would follow his advice every time (maybe with a little research if needed). i have the deepest trust with him. we are very fortunate to have found him.
anyway, our pediatrician spent a lot of time talking and answering our questions. i asked him about non-medicated treatments and he said there are dietary changes that people insist work on their children (as they bounce around the room like a ping-pong ball). he stated that there has been little actual research done on dietary changes for ADHD.
i went over jacob's ADHD testing with him and asked questions about some of the other results (mild bipolar, high impulsivity, etc) and he said that most of the "mild" issues stated were the result of the ADHD and if we get that under control, the rest will follow.
i asked him about side effects, and the information on the internet stating than any of the meds i looked up weren't recommended for those under the age of 6. he pointed out that most medications are that way...take for example Prevacid. and we gave that to 2 of our children. a good point. why wouldn't i have looked up that medication before giving that to our kids? why is this one any different? i had 3 pages of questions to ask him, most of which i had answered before i even asked. i'm sure i'm not the first parent to ask a load of questions. i know i'm not the only one who doesn't want to medicate their child. but truth be told, the first time i took him in to the counselor i told her that either he or i would have to be medicated because i was at the end of my rope. i was medicated shortly thereafter...and it wasn't enough. i still couldn't deal with the problems all day long.
side effects are mostly the same with all the ADHD medications:
lack of weight gain, height gain
lack of appetite
inability to sleep
stomach pains (usually due to lack of sleep)
high blood pressure (which is why it is monitored closely by the ped)
i asked about the high blood pressure and his heart. he told me that we could request an ekg to be done before he started the meds and have one done after he's on the meds and that he would prescribe one, and that the insurance would pay for it, but that it really is a non-issue with children/adults that have no heart problem history. daddy and i will talk about this to decide whether we'd like to have one done. right now, i'm leaning toward "no".
i asked about the depression as a side effect and how do we actually tell when a 5 year old is depressed, and he told us that we would definitely know. he'd be really lethargic, talk about hating himself, hating life, etc., not eating at all, not caring about anything else. i showed him some of my research that stated that Focalin is actually used in some patients as an ANTI-depressant. he told me that this was true and should not be an issue with this medication.
he'll be checked in a month for blood pressure and height/weight. then in 3 months.
our ped told us to call him in 2 weeks to let him know how it was going. i asked him how long for it to take effect, and he said immediately. it lasts 8-10 hours, so night time might be back to the way things usually are.
i just have to say, after all the deliberation and questions about medicating him, while i'm glad we tried many other things first, the first 2 days have been AWESOME!!!
i'm so happy, as long as it stays this way, that we (hopefully) won't have to change or up his medication any time soon. he has been a delight the last 2 days and has been completely focused on things. the first day i was worried about his appetite. but really, he did eat normal. except he didn't eat breakfast. lunch and dinner were the same.
today was about the same. he had his milk (which i have switched to whole milk) and then had a snack, a big lunch and big dinner. so far, not much of an appetite change.
he has not gotten any "x's" today, and at this rate we'll have to re-examine his rewards (as he has the ability to earn $.50 every AM and PM) so that we don't go broke paying him and he have too many toys because he'll be buying them every week. maybe we'll start a savings program with him and he'll have to save 1/2 of it and he can spend the other 1/2. hmm...thoughts thoughts thoughts. also, i have only had to "count" to him 2 times (both were after 6pm, which his medication was probably starting to wear off). and both times, he didn't make it to 3.
his frustration still shows through, but that's normal i think. it usually passes and he's fine again. what i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE best is that we get along. he smiles and laughs way more than he has in a long time (so long i don't remember). tonight he told me that he "hated this part of life." when i said, "what are you talking about?" he said, "i have 2 new toothbrushes and i hate that i can only open one of them." then quiet...then, "but my favorite part is that i get to choose!" a few days ago, he would have been bent out of shape for the rest of the night over not being able to open both.
he's more cuddly, and loving toward all of us. he's more appreciative, thankful and polite. and it's only DAY TWO!!!
yesterday, we went out to lunch and he asked me, "can i be excused?" he knows he's supposed to ask that...but he NEVER does.
i am simply amazed by my little boy who was there this whole time and just needed help to come out. yesterday he also said, "i guess this medicine really does chill me out."
seriously, i just can't believe the immediate changes. and there's no zombie. he still plays, talks and interacts. just now he loves his life and i love that he's loving it. i love that smile....the one i didn't see every day all day like i do now.
dear God,
thank you for pointing us in the right direction.
thank you for making me realize that it's okay to help my children through medicine. thank you for the creators of this medicine. please, keep this medicine safe for my son to take and keep him healhty for his life. do not let this medicine, which is providing us with a wonderful life together now, cause any problems with his future.
i ask this in your Son's name,
Amen!!!
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