and so... a new journey begins

it's been quite some time since my last posting, so i feel an update is required. for those of you who may not know, spiderman, also known as z and whom this blog is about, has been diagnosed with ADHD.

per our neurologist there can be mild, moderate, and severe cases of ADHD. z is said to be on the "severe end of severe."

prior to this journey, i was an ADD/ADHD skeptic. believing it to be over diagnosed, (still do) and easily used as a label for any behavioral issue.

z has always been active, some would have considered him to be an over-active toddler and child. even from a very young age, prior to his first birthday, we never failed to attract attention anywhere and everywhere we went. comments and staring just became part of normal life. "boy, you sure have your hands full with him!" was a phrase i heard almost daily from doctors, nurses, family and friends, as well as from strangers and passersby.

z attended a private pre-school and his teacher was an absolute blessing. there were only 9 children in the class so she was able to spend a lot of one-on-one time with him, and she did. she also agreed to tutor him during the summer before he entered kindergarten. she came twice a week for two months and reported that she was amazed at how intelligent z was, because she could not get that kind of performance from him in the classroom.

his main problems have always been listening to and/or understanding direction, completing tasks, and staying still.

though i was potentially aware of the disorder in pre-k, i decided to wait and see how things worked out in kindergarten.

z's first week of kinder, his teacher called me to discuss her "serious" concerns. he was unable to sit during circle time or maintain focus on any given task throughout the day. they move from task to task every 20 - 30 minutes as it is, and he couldn't maintain self control for even 5. he would roll on the floor, sit underneath the tables, blurt out random off-topic thoughts, become easily frustrated, wonder off, and as his teacher described it just "wasn't present".

after a series of school administered tests and multiple visits with teachers and administrators, the results were taken to z's doctor, who then referred us to a psychologist.

the psychologist worked with z for one hour and informed me that she had no doubt that he had ADHD, and saw immediate and immense manifestations.

i was completely turned off by this refused to believe that even a PHD who specialized in the disorder could possibly know so quickly. i did, however, allow her to work with him for the following three months. gradually her reports began to make more sense to me, and i could tell she really understood my child and the disorder. i agreed to allow z to be put on ritalin.

the effect was immediate and amazing. z was given 5mg of ritalin each day. prior to taking the drug, he could not sit still and focus long enough to write his name. on his first ritalin day, he wrote his name with amazing skill and completed all his assigned tasks.

at five years old, he began to ask me if he could take his pill even on weekends, because he could feel the positive effect it had on him. he was able to clean his room, and think the way he wanted.

eventually the dose needed to be increased, as the effectiveness decreased. and of course, we put in to place many behavioral modification techniques as he began treatment with a neurologist.

as kindergarten continued, it didn't take me long to realize we were again blessed with a wonderful teacher. though now in public school, with a classroom of 23 children, she was still able to spend much needed one-on-one time with z. she put in to place many behavioral support materials, and communicated daily with me. z did show vast improvement,compared to his non-medicated self, however the symptoms were still there and sill considered enough to interfere with his social and educational needs.

when first grade began, he was placed on focalin, a slow-release form of ritalin. he has had continued behavioral issues all year mostly manifested from impulse control. however, the drug did seem to assist with his ability to focus and complete tasks. though the effectiveness was random as he would do very well for periods of time, and then have days of complete disorder.

then, over the christmas break, the side effects began. severe headaches were the starting point. after er visits, phone calls to on-call physicians, and many sleepless nights the decision to take z off focalin was made.

the result was a week of absolute chaos. every day he was being sent to the principals office where he spent more time than in the classroom that week. heartache best describes that week.

so, we began concerta. another form of extended release ritalin.

as there are not that many options when it comes to ADHD medication, and he showed such vast improvement when first put on ritalin, it seemed the optimal choice.

after about 20 days on concerta, with symptoms ranging from chest pains, rapid heartbeat, blurred vision, seeing spots, nausea and of course another er visit... concerta was discontinued.

and that is where we are today.

z's neurologist has taken him off medications for another week and plans to begin adderall.

after prayerful consideration, meditation, and more sleepless nights, i have decided otherwise.

based on the fact that he is still manifesting major disorder symptoms, even on the drugs; and the drugs are posing a health risk... it's just not adding up for me.

i've been on both sides of the argument. withholding a medication that he seems to need couldn't possibly be the answer, right? but giving him a medication that is causing severe health problems couldn't be the right thing to do either, could it?

no one with authority on the subject wants to weigh in. all three of his doctors say, it's parents choice.

well, with that being the case. i've chosen. and we're going holistic.

i never really imagined myself saying that, but i'm finding myself open to all possibilities. and the fact remains that even on the drugs, z has been having regular behavioral and learning manifestations of the disorder. the administrators and teachers at his school have my cell on speed dial and call multiple times each week, sometimes multiple times in a day. we've had meetings upon meetings to address nothing other than z's disorder and behaviors. so i have to look at the question: are the potential health risks worth the effectiveness of the drug? my answer is easily no. even if the drugs were working wonderfully i could not continue, given his side effects.

so what does holistic mean exactly? well, for starters, a change in diet that includes no dairy, no breads, no food colorings, obviously no junk foods and sugar, no processed foods, nothing in a can, a box, or pre-packaged, unless that package says ingredients: chicken.

so, how does this vary from what we already do? cutting out the sugar and junk, even the bread is not that big of a deal around here. but my sin is processed foods. just about every recipe i cook includes opening a can, or sprinkling on a chemical filled seasoning. i'm not sure how to make chicken and rice without a can of cream of chicken soup... so some food preparation research will be required.


so, for now, our endeavor is to eat only what God made in its absolute most natural state.

goodbye packaged food

i'm looking forward to this and i pray, i sincerely pray that this will help.

i know it won't be the complete solution. we will of course continue our behavioral therapies, seeing our physicians and therapist, and there are supplements and therapeutic instruments that will be added throughout this process. but, this is where the journey begins.

your prayers for my sanity, and my sons health and well being are deeply desired.

and away we go.

carrie