Amen Dr. - YAY!!!!

[buttercup]

Yay, today I met with a new p-doc. Dr. Rudolph in San Diego.

He was a referral from the Amen Clinic website. Luckily, I was in one of my worst moods so that he could see the real deal. I was in no mood to try to charm or be on good behavior because of it being a novelty situation.

I have had NOTHING but trouble from doctors...unknowledgeable, bad people skills, condescending--you name it. He was quite different. For one thing, he didn't sit there with a pad of paper taking notes while acting like he is listening. He really seemed to be interested in ME. He was very normal and even made jokes. I couldn't believe it. I was so comfortable being there.

I even argued with him about meds (he suggested Paxil and/or Straterra). He didn't take a "this is my opinion and you will do it" attitude with me. He said "meds won't hurt you long term." And I said, "Can I have that in writing and will you back it with money cause I am going to need my brain to support myself--I don't have anyone else. I can't afford to get Alheimer's or anything." He was like "Ok, you got me. What do you want to do?"

So, he suggested I try an elevated dose of 5-HTP for depression, etc. and then I asked to try Adderall. He said 'sure' but said that he wants to try to target exactly the area where I am having the most problems in my brain, otherwise any stimulant could be a waste of time...will keep me stuck on overfocusing on stupid things. Will only give me more energy to stay stuck.

He said, "I am very persistant. I want to get to the bottom of this." I really liked that. He recommended that I get another EEG right away to give him information about my petit mal seizures, and he really hoped I would go and get SPECT imaging done, but said he will probably be able to tell a lot from the tests that I took that I could barely manage to get through without wanting to lie down and take a nap over.

Overall, I really liked his manner and knowledge. I felt very good by the time I left. He seemed to have a knack for diving right into the things that hurt the worst, and had me crying, but I felt it was his way of finding the trouble areas so that he could solve it.

So far, I give him a good rating. I will keep you posted. Have another appt. in 2 weeks. Too bad he doesn't accept insurance though. Ugh.

[HooDunnit]

Yes, I would think a spect scan might be a good idea. Do they cost about 2500 dollars? That is quite a bit, but maybe only one would be necessary. Good luck with it buttercup, and please keep us posted? Have you read Dr. Amen's books?

[buttercup]

Yes, they cost $3K, plus other misc. costs.

I contacted my insurance, and apparently these tests are covered by insurance, but have to be pre-authorized. I'm busy with work now, so I'm going to deal with this next week, but I'll keep you posted.

[rosyred45]

Sorry I missed this for so long Buttercup.

Glad to see that the ball seems to be rolling the right way. And especially that the insurance would cover a scan.

Keep us posted

[ohmama]

The brain scans from the Amen Clinic were $1,000. each. These were SPECT scans. My insurance didn't cover the cost but some insurances will. I had two scans and the complete evaluation for a total of $3,000. The first scan was a base line or resting scan and the other was a concentration scan. When compared to each other they showed what happens when the child trys to do something that requires concentration. With my boy it showed the harder he tried to concentrate the worse it was for him. If this is the case it is of no value to tell the child, "just try harder". It doesn't work that way.

I am so glad I had this done for my boy. Dr. Amen's books point out the value of getting this done along with a complete evaluation for accurate diagnosis. See www.amenclinic.com for details and more information.

[AnneM]

Buttercup it really sounds like you are heading in the right direction with this new doctor ... As everyone else says please keep us posted and GOOD LUCK!

Oh Mama ... This is really interesting! (re: the harder they try to concentrate the worse it is!) ... Is that the same for all add/adhd'ers or more particularly for certain types? I have a feeling it might be across the board ... I just never realised it before ... it sure makes me question all those times I have said "Just listen and try to concentrate" (or words to that effect) ... in retrospect they were probably futile (and very possibly counterproductive!) words!

[ohmama]

Anne,
I think it depends on the specific type of add/adhd and the brain areas that are affected? That's what I liked most about the clinic. Even though there are some "universal" symptoms of adhd the clinic looks at the whole individual and puts it together that way. Obviously our kids are all individuals and sometimes have overlapping symptoms that need to be taken into consideration.

I remember one of Dr. Amens books said something about this problem of when you concentrate it gets worse but I don't remember if it applies to adhd in general or is more of a specific condition. That was one of the benefits of getting two scans, so they could see what happens by comparing them and could then determine if this was a problem.

[rosyred45]

That is a neat aspect. Growing up the more I was told to try harder, the worse I would get.

I alaways say that if I'm thinking too hard I need a break.

[lisle]

Yes, Oh Mama:
I remember this from Amen's first book on adhd--the poorly edited one. He called it "frontal lobe turn-off" and I have never seen it described anywhere else, but I am certain my son has it. He is constantly lying down or putting his head down or saying his head hurts from this. I can't understand why nobody but Amen has mentioned this phenomenon.
lisle

[ohmama]

Lisle,
I also posted what I thought about that teacher punishing your son for this in another thread.

I think Dr. Amen is ahead of his time in figuring out these problems. He has the advantage of seeing the brain, and can therefore make sense of the related behavior to the findings on the scans. With this insight I guess it helps to sort out the reasons why.

It is sad to think how often people blame and critisize our parenting and our kids actions without realizing what is causing it. We can't deal with problems if we don't know what the cause is. I hope more doctors will gain this insight soon. It makes so much sense.