Diva Girl, Unplugged
I don’t want to say that Diva Girl is a different kid since our first visit to Dr. G, because she’s really not. She’s still the same sparkly, energetic, enthusiastic, dramatic daughter she’s always been. But she’s also more than that–in a good way for once.
Lord knows she’s always been “more,” but lately her “more” is also “less.” She’s more able to settle and focus and less willy nilly and restless than she’s been in the past. As counterintuitive as it sounds, I think that by making her “less more,” the drug she is on is allowing her to be more herself, and not less.
Since she’s been taking the meds, she’s brought home level 4 math tests, mastered her math facts, had a perfect reading assessment, and had her teachers–who don’t know about the diagnosis or the medication–go out of their way to tell her what a great day she’s had at school.
She’s even reading now. She’s always liked books and stories, and she’s always had the ability to read, but she could never settle in and just read a book before. Now she reads 150 page novels in one sitting. And then goes looking for more.
It’s not perfect. There are still moodswings and meltdowns. Some pretty epic meltdowns, actually. And giving a lifelong insomniac and incredibly picky eater a medication that lists its most common side effects as sleeplessness and appetite suppression definitely isn’t ideal. But even with these drawbacks, it’s been worth it. Watching Sabrina finally have the chance to be who she is has been worth the sandwiches that come home at the end of the day untouched, the dinners she doesn’t want to eat, and the long, long nights we endured while she was adjusting to the medication.
Comment by jess
It’s good to see you posting frequently again. Glad Bree is adjusting well. Jon returns to public school this fall. I hope it goes as well for him as it has for Bree.
Posted on June 18, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Comment by leslie
I’m glad she’s doing so well. I’m glad you are doing so well. I’m hoping that helping resolve issues with the diva will help you resove issues in yourself.
Posted on June 18, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Comment by Lori W
I remember being so FRUSTRATED when Brina wouldn’t eat. Her doctor gave me two insights into my Sabrina that helped my patience level so much.
First: The best way to describe ADHD she said was to turn your favorite radio station on, the untune it by two degrees. You can still hear your radio station and your song, but it’s pretty darn hard to appreciate it, or concentrate on it, because there’s so much static, and bleed over from other stations and other stuff. That’s what an unmedicated child has to deal with.
Second: As for loss of apetite, she said it’s more than that. The meds can make your child feel like she’s just sat down and had an entire Thanksgiving Dinner. It’s not just loss of apetite she said, but the feeling of ‘over full’. So putting food on top of that can be daunting. Yet we as adults, always find room for a slice of pie, even when we are full. Find her ’slice of pie’ and feed her that.
When Brina went away to horse camp we had to have a SIGNED doctor’s note to inform that that it would be FINE if she chose to live off of buttered bread for the entire week. They weren’t allowed to try to make her eat more. I know it worried the counselors, but no one FORCING her to eat meant that after the 2nd day she was willing to try a few more things.
She’s 18, 120 curvy pounds, and healthy as an ox. Nary a vegetable or fruit went into her mouth for many of her formative years. Your Sabrina will eat enough to stay healthy, I promise.
So glad you hit a jackpot on the meds the first try! Good Mom! Go Girl!
Posted on June 19, 2008 at 9:26 am
Comment by Kira
Glad she’s doing well. Caleb had a difficult time with coming off his meds at first, but the dosage was a littl ehigh.. oce we found the right dosage we were good. Good luck with it all.
Posted on June 19, 2008 at 10:46 am
Comment by LadyMac
My boy’s on ADHD medicine - a new one called Vyvanse. It’s been excellent for us. Hopefully the one Sabrina’s on will continue to work as well for her. Fingers crossed!
Because of the appetite suppression the meds cause, my boy eats his big meal of the day at breakfast. He’ll devour 3 or 4 bowls of cereal, plus fruit and toast. Sometimes we mix it up and he eats lunch or dinner food as breakfast ~ just to keep things different. Then I make sure in the evenings when he’s less hungry that he has a couple pieces of cheese or yogurt plus fruit and milk.
Good luck! I’m pulling for you!
Posted on June 19, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Comment by landismom
Glad to hear that she is doing better, as a result of the diagnosis and treatment.
Posted on June 22, 2008 at 9:16 pm