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Artena,
Thanks for the support. I'm praying this weekend is a success.

Lauren,
We have not had the skin tests done. With ds's hypersensitivities and over reactions, I think it would be a nightmare. We had to have blood drawn once, and it was insane. The thought of going through any sticks just might send all of us over the edge. I guess ds needs to get used to this kind of thing sometime, but he's petrified of shots or anything to do with needles. I'd hate to go through the testing and not have any answers.

When he was younger, ds had eczema. It's better now, but he still has very sensitive skin. It will flare if we use anything other than the dye- and perfume-free detergents. Perfumed lotions make him itch like crazy, and we have to use Dove or Ivory soap. He also has a runny nose almost all of the time, and when he's introduced to a new environment (like a new classroom), his runny nose becomes almost distracting. The teachers always think he has a perpetual cold. Like I said, the Nasonex helps a little, but I do often wonder if there is some other kind of trigger other than environmental. He had allergy testing done at age 2, and they said he had no allergies. I've heard, though, that testing done that early is often not reliable.

My good friend was over today in tears over one of her three children. It seems that we all have some sort of issue with our children. I have very few friends who don't have significant concerns about their kids. What is going on? Are we exposed to more pollutants or hormones in our foods? Have we just become helicopter parents worrying about every little thing? Do the kids not get as much exercise as we did? Too much TV? I guess there are no really good answers, but it's certainly strange that the prevalence of disorders such as ADHD are on the rise. I used to think people just jumped to that conclusion b/c it was convenient. Now I know that it is very real and just how debilitating it can be.

Lauren,
If we are all crazy, should you be asking us? LOL

I'm sure you're right that a big reason we see more cases of ADHD is just better identification and understanding of the disorder. We're lucky that it is treatable considering when we were kids we had to just figure it out on our own. Not that my life was really bad, but I think a lot of things could have been different if I'd been diagnosed. I feel sure that I have ADHD. I cope well, but life can be frustrating at times. It's always been that way. I always made straight A' in school and tested in the top 2% of the nation on standardized tests but I never attended any gifted or advanced placement classes. My strengths were never realized or identified, probably because I was always in trouble for talking, impulsivity, and as a teenager, for being rebellious. I still remember not being able to go on the 7th grade trip to Washington D.C. even though I made straight A's the whole school year because I had poor conduct grades for talking too much in class. I'm not bitter or anything though. ; ) LOL I was so devastated and remember being completely shocked. I was unaware of how severe or disruptive my compulsive talking was. I do remember being told to be quiet (again) and thinking, "I can't believe I was talking AGAIN!" I would get really frustrated with my lack of self control.

Anyway, I hope it's true that we're not seeing an increase in the incidence of ADHD and just an increase in proper identification. I keep wondering what I've done wrong or if I've contributed in some way (other than unfortunate genetics). Tonight was a rough night at basketball. DS was completely unfocused to the point that I noticed other parents shaking their heads at him. The coach was very patient, but he must have said my son's name 400 times during the 1 hour practice trying to redirect him. It was all I could do not to cry in the middle of the gym. Hopefully things will look up when we start the medication on Saturday. I feel so bad for my son. He's really struggling. I know it could be so much worse, and I really need to count my blessings. Sorry for the pity party!

I have found writing here helps vent some of the stress. Writing also helps to think thru your situation. Kids in general are a lot of work. Then put being gifted and ADHA on top of it and WOW. Post what ever you want because that why this is here.

Hugs to you.

Thank you!

I am so frustrated right now. We were all set to start the medication tomorrow, and the prescription didn't come in the mail today! I'm so bummed. It's like I've been keyed up over it all week, and now that we're finally setting a plan into motion, it gets delayed! I know it'll probably be here tomorrow, so we can probably start the medication on Sunday, but I was really glad we were going to have a 3 day weekend to observe ds on the meds. Now we'll only have 2 days, and if it doesn't get here tomorrow, we'll have to wait another week. Ahhh! Just venting as usual!

It will be alright! If you call the doctor's office and offer to come pick up the Rx, a) will they do that, and b) can you get it picked up?

Best Wishes,
Grinity

The doctor is about 2 hours away, and they are already closed for the weekend. I left a message asking if they could just call it in and maybe the pharmacy could fill just one or two pills to cover the next day or two. But, the office closed at noon, so I probably won't hear back from them. Because it's considered a controlled substance, I guess they usually don't allow it to be called in. The pharmacy requires a written prescription.

I called the post office, and they said it should be here tomorrow. They were surprised it didn't make it today, but said something about having bad weather. We've had lots of rain, but should that slow down the mail from a city 2 hours away? I guess we'll just have to wait a day unfortunately.

Lauren,
DS's school is actually really great about keeping in contact and observing his behavior. She gives me a detailed report at least every few days but never dwells on the negative. She's very objective, and we are pretty sure we're going to keep ds at the school next year. We've been wavering on that, but considering how supportive and loving they've been to him through this transition and diagnosis of ADHD, I can't imagine finding anything better. At least for now, it's working, and ds is even starting to like school more. Finally, when I pick him up he says his day was "great." Plus, I think the consistency will do him some good. He's had so many changes already.

The prescription just got here a few minutes ago, so I'm going to go fill it now. The doctor told me she would mail the prescription separate from the report so it would get here quicker. Whoever mailed it put the Rx in with the big package containing the report, so I guess that's why it took an extra day to get here. Oh well. We have it now, and luckily it's a long weekend. We will have 2 days to observe before sending him off to school Tuesday.

Thanks for all the support. I've really needed it this week. Have a great weekend, and I'll post an update in the next couple of days.