Update on difficult child - Happy Post!

[Andrea Danielle]

Well, at long last, we have taken the step on putting him on Risperdal. We are finally comfortable enough with the diagnosis of Tourette's Syndrome and BiPolar (BP) and have had a CAAT scan, EEG, blood tests and have a BiPolar (BP) Specialist who is closely monitoring things. It has been two days on the medication and so far, so good. We are in a good place right now. We have excellent medical support!! The Tourettes Clinic which he goes to is the best! We see the Tourette's Syndrome Occupational Therapist, the Tourette's Syndrome Specialist, and the psychiatric who is part of the team and coaches us on how to implement the Explosive Child techniques. We get to go to her every 2 weeks and give her scenarios that have happened and ask how we could do things better using the CPS model. Everyone on the team speaks the same language, gives us consistent advice and is there for us. Ahhhhh, I am so happy.
difficult child is doing much better these days. He is happier, explosive at times but we know what to do and most of all, we aren't questioning ourselves the way we used to. We know it is not our fault, it has finally sunk in. We have enough professionals who tell us that regularly. I am still not ready to go off the Celexa myself, because it is all still emotionally very difficult but I will get there.
The school is still causing us a lot of stress because they just don't get it and have no interest in learning. They don't accept his diagnosis and still think it is our fault for not being firm enough but I am trying to just survive the next 4 months. He will go to a great school in September.
That's it for now.


Andrea

 

[totoro]

Fingers crossed!!! I am so happy for you... I really do hope this works for as long as possible... maybe forever!!!
It is nice to hear that you have a great team that is so hard to find, hang on to them!

As for school, just hold on until September, we are in the same boat... difficult child does OK in her pre-school right now but they don't acknowledge disorders... in the fall she will go to a public school,( I think)

Keep us posted... I don't know if you have been keeping up with our drama... but the Risperdal worked pretty well for about 8 weeks. But difficult child did start having some adverse reactions recently. Drooling, toungue thrust, mouth hanging open, extreme agitation, More so than usual... We ended up having to add Trleptal and Cogentin. We will probably switch AP's after the Trileptal has fully kicked in.

I really do hope this does work for you... I was just thinking about you...

 

[pepperidge]

Great news.

It must make such a difference to have a supportive team with a philosophy that you believe in and constructive suggestions on how to manage.

While I know the last year has been stressful for you, the stress will diminish now that you feel more in control of the situation--not that you can or wish to control your child, but you have a plan and it is working. That is huge.

I'm ready to move!!

Let us know what works, I am also curious why kind of advice you get about implementing the explosive child, particularly the plan b part. Part C is easy, it is the rest that is hard!

 

[Andrea Danielle]

Hi Totoro and Pepperidge,

Thanks for your replies. So far, so good with the Risperdal. It has been one week and he seems a lot less explosive and aggressive but otherwise himself. Sorry to hear that after 8 weeks you started to run into some problems Totoro. I will keep close watch over that! I hope things are improving for you.

I found out that the psychiatric who is helping us with the Explosive Child techniques even does work/research with Ross Greene. Wow, I am so excited. It was great to meet with her, it confirmed that a lot of our instincts on how to deal with difficult child have been correct. I keep tracking my new issues so that I can bring it to her for her advice.
As for the school, we have our second meeting with them today. I am sick about it, so stressed. I might actually pull him out, I found another Special Education school which will take him so depending on how today's meeting goes, I might be pulling him out! I hate to move him at this point in the year but this school staff is appalling! I will let you know!

Andrea