Please Don't Call Me Crazy but....

[DramaQueenLucy]

My Mommy instinct is telling me that the ADHD isn't the right diagnoses!

difficult child 2 has health issues as well that I want looked at:

1) Sleep Issues~even as a baby he slept longer and harder then most kiddos but it was hard for him to fall asleep. Since then there had been times that he has fallen asleep at strange places ie.restaurant, school, shower. He had a sleep study that said he had some soft tissue causing sleep apna. So we had his adenoids out again. He still takes naps and wakes up at night for hours (I find him in the living room watching cartoons) No matter how much I try to keep him on a sleep schedule it doesn't work due to him waking or not being able to go to sleep. I have set up another sleep study to check this.

2) Learning Disability (LD) Testing~He was only tested by the school system, they did it pretty quickly in my opinion it only taking 4 hours from start to finish. Yes I do think that he has some kind of Learning Disability (LD) but maybe there is more to it then the school noticed? He does have according to the school Working Memory issues.

3) Sugar~ his Bio-Father has diabetes and has since he was 8 or 9 years old. Lets check this boys sugar!

4) Thyroid disorders~We have tons of them in my family, so why not check it out and see.

5) Vitamin deficiencies~Isn't there a simple blood test that could rule this out?

6) Depression~Yes, there is depression in both sides of the family and on difficult child 2 Father's side of the family there is bi-polar, can't they check at least for some kinds of depression through blood work?

difficult child 2 was on Ritalin for 9 months with the doctor changing his dose and such with no results at all. I gave him an AMP (142mg of caffeine) this morning when he was at the bus stop and his behavior was worse at school today! The Psychologist that just tested him only tested for depression and ADHD nothing else, how can you make a determination with out looking to all the avenues, Know what I mean??

 

[smallworld]

My rule of thumb: Rule out everything physical before assuming it's psychological. Thyroid issues, for example, can make people depressed.

A complete neuropyschological evaluation would look at your son's cognitive and pyschological functioning, including but not limited to LDs, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), mood issues, etc. That should be the next step after all the medical stuff is checked out.

FWIW, ADHD seems to be the first diagnosis many kiddos here get, but it's often not the last one or the right one.

 

[DramaQueenLucy]

We are having medical doctor issues...been on the waiting list for a sleep study for 6 weeks still no openings...ggrr The blood work I had requested done at the last visit has still to be ordered, so I set another appointment with the doctor to get this done asap.

I have been trying different things like a 142mg of caffeine this morning, but he crashed at school today. I will try cutting the dose in half tomorrow and see how that goes. I am also going to pick up some melatonin and start that on Friday to see if there is any change in behavior if he is sleeping better.

We have an appointment with the neuropsychologist on Oct 13 for the paperwork visit and then on Oct 31th. I am hopeful that we can have all of the testing done by then and have the results. I know that I will have to push the medical doctor but if she done the testing when I asked her to then we wouldn't be rushed to get it done, Know what I mean??

 

[TerryJ2]

I agree. I had my son's blood sugar tested several yrs ago but we're keeping an eye on it. He's mildly hypoglycemic but he's got diabetes in his family history.
Most phosps do thyroid testing as a matter of course. I would order one for sure.
Vitamin deficiences have to be special ordered (they're typically not part of a CBC) but the pediatrician can do it.
Good ideas.

 

[susiestar]

The doctor should be able to order blood tests to rule out or in thyroid, vitamin deficiencies, and schedule fasting blood sugar tests very easily. PM me the clinic you are seeing and I will ask if I can find anyone of my friends who sees a diff doctor who does a better job. the fasting blood sugar tests should also include cholesterol jsut to check it. He can't eat after midnight, then they draw blood in the am. It shouldn't be difficult.

when they do thyroid, have them do the full panel. Include the anti-tpo test. This will show if there is any autoimmune problem attacking the thyroid (the problem I have with my thyroid). Soonercare should cover ALL of this, and quite easily.

Is he due a well-check? Often you can get this included as part of the well-check, even if you have to go back to get the bloodwork done before school a day or 2 later.

Does he freak at having blood drawn? If so, ask for a scrip for EMLA (also called lidocaine/prilocaine cream) to numb the area they will stick him. It needs about 15-30 mins to work, so if you put it on before you leave home, then it should help. Try to get to the lab for hte first morning appointment, to cut out as much of hte hungry-grumpy bear syndrome as possible (what we used to call my kids when they had a grump fit because they didn't eat). Take a Balance Bar for him to eat right after the test is done, so that he doesn't get all worked up over not being able to eat. Or a muffin, or whatever.

I suggest Balance Bars because they have protein to balance out the carbs. We find them VERY helpful with the kids, and my kids actually LIKE them. Or the Snickers Marathon bars are not bad, though VERY VERY chewy. They also have protein - but you should read the nutrition breakdown to see that you get one with as close to a 40-30-30 balance of carb-protein-fat. SOme of my son's classmates really go for the snickers marathon bars because they are "snickers" bars and the protein just slips in and really helps the mood.

Anyway, hugs.