survivormom1310
New Member
Always kiss your family in the morning.
Posts: 2
|
Post by survivormom1310 on Jan 29, 2004 16:02:17 GMT -5
TEXTTEXTTEXT :-*I am new to this message board , but I wanted to post and say Hello and how glad I am that I have found this message board, and I think this will be my salvation. I have a 6 year old son, with ADHD, and as all of you know that is hard to deal with, but we love our children, and we do deal with it. My child has so much energy he bounces off the walls sometimes until late into the night. I am so scared to put him on medication, because I work in the medical field and I talk to many different professionals and they all different opinions about what the meds do, and I don't like all the negative aspects of the meds. I need some salvation, bit I don't want my son to be a zombie...what is any of y'all opinion? I need some advice. You know one thing that I have found that has helped my child with ADHD is actually the computer, he will be quiet for hours when he is on the computer, so he will be getting his own computer soon, because not only is it educational it is keeping him calm.I am glad to be a member of this forum and i will talk with members soon.
|
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Jan 29, 2004 16:16:06 GMT -5
Hi and welcome...Giving meds is such a personal and hard decision for most of us.I felt the same way too,but once we tried the meds and saw how positive it effected all aspects of his life,we didn't look back.
If the dosage is correct,their won't be a "zombie" effect.
Some parents opt for diet changes instead of meds,and this is also discussed on the forum...so look around and read...read...read,and know you are not alone.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dad2Brooke on Jan 29, 2004 16:24:30 GMT -5
survivormom1310 welcome aboard!
Boy, did you come to the right place. I bet there isn't a person on this board that hasn't felt exactly like you do right now. I know that this place was a lifesaver for me when I found it 3 months ago.
ADHD can be so overwhelming for the child and the adult. The whole issue to medicate is such a double edged sword. D@mned if you do and d@mned if you don't.
Personally, the decision to medicate Brooke was so hard for me (as it is for everyone) But the bottom line for me was the fact that Brooke needed help in school and at home. The meds help her focus and calm down in school and it makes for a much better living situation at home.
Literally, my daughter was driving me crazy before meds. Now our home time is spent on funner stuff than yelling and jumping up and down (me not her ;D)
But meds work differently for all people and what works for some may not work for others.
However, there are other alternative than meds. This site has a very active and informative natural alternative section, so make sure you check that out as well.
Along with meds or natural alternatives, I have found that counseling is a boon to both the parent and the child. It helps the child and it helps you by giving you ways to cope and deal with the child.
Bottom line, there is much research to be done in order to help your child and yourself.
Don't forget yourself, you can't take care of your child, if you don't take care of you.
Long post, and I apologize for getting up on the soapbox.
Again, welcome aboard, we are happy you found us.
|
|
|
|
Post by catseye on Jan 29, 2004 16:50:01 GMT -5
 We finally descided to medicate when sd (step daughter) started school... We really felt there wasnt a choice anymore, it was affecting her education which we all know kids need... Our biggest fear was the zombie affect also (although I dont think they can MAKE enough medication to zombie my sd!  LOL)... My sd pretty much lost her whole first year of school, because it took us soooo long to get the right med combination for her... It just simply was a waste of time until we got her settled down enough to actually learn something... Sd is also fascinated with the computer, although her attention span does not sound as long as it is for your son... My sd has a great attention span with puzzles, so that is what we focus on the most for her... It is great that your son likes the computer so much, there is a wide range of educational tools available to him... In the natural alternatives section of this board, you will find posts with many other options, that you may want to try first... I really wish I had researched more, and tried the natural route first... Now since the meds are working, I am litterally scared to switch to something else... Life had not been a whole lot of fun before for all of us... Good luck & I am so glad you found us!!! cat |
|
|
|
Post by HooDunnit on Jan 29, 2004 16:51:32 GMT -5
Hi survivormom1310. We are so happy to have you here!! My feeling is that if they are bouncing off the walls, then that is what they need to do. It has been shown that exercise helps brain development. www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0942679261/qid=1075412685/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-0766508-0114418?v=glance&s=booksSo I put our severely-ADHD son in gymnastics and Hapkido and bought him a stunt bike. I also took him out of school for five years so he wouldn't be exposed to all the negativity that he was generating. Now he is in grade 11 at a private high school, and has an A average, He isn't hyperactive anymore. There are still some problems, but he's doing pretty well. When he was ten, we tried Ritalin with him, but he didn't like the way it made him feel. So we chose a different path. Good luck, Barry |
|
|
|
Post by catseye on Jan 29, 2004 16:57:46 GMT -5
ARGH!!  You just brought back a horrible memory for me!! My sd was asked to leave gymnastics, only about 10 minutes into her first 6 months session I signed her up for... They gladly gave me my money back  It was so painfull to watch.... |
|
|
|
Post by HooDunnit on Jan 29, 2004 17:01:35 GMT -5
What did she do?
Barry
|
|
|
|
Post by catseye on Jan 29, 2004 17:06:14 GMT -5
Actually it was what she wouldnt do... Which was pretty much everything... LOL
Then when redirection was attempted, well lets just say another girl realized my sd is small but ferocious... That poor child just got in my sd's way... Talk about embarrasing!!
|
|
|
|
Post by HooDunnit on Jan 29, 2004 17:09:18 GMT -5
Did she thump someone out of the way?? A perfect candidate for a maritial art!!!!!!!!!! LOL (in every crisis is an opportunity!!)
Barry
|
|
|
|
Post by catseye on Jan 29, 2004 17:12:49 GMT -5
Yes she did! And no way do I want her to LEARN how to do it more effectively!!! LOL
|
|
|
|
Post by HooDunnit on Jan 29, 2004 17:32:30 GMT -5
Martial art training is mostly doing exercises and sparring occasionally. Students learn NOT to be impulsive, which is great for ADHD kids.
By the way 'survivor', how did you find us?
Barry
|
|
|
|
Post by Jorgy on Jan 29, 2004 20:02:47 GMT -5
;D Great to met ya and welcome!! My ds is 6. He is one of 4 kids. We live in a zoo. I think we were all there about meds at one time or another. Meds were our salvation! Right now he needs a med bump up so instead we are trying a natural alternative along with his current meds. Like everyone else has said read all you can on the forum. These people are all experts and will try to help you in any way they can. We like to be nonjudgemental and supportive of any decisions parents make. I'm starting to get on Ralph's soapbox! Time to get off! Sue
|
|
|
|
Post by loveforeric on Jan 29, 2004 22:13:32 GMT -5
Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!, We are glad you are with us. I have a 8yr.old with Adhd and it was definately hard to make the decision for Meds. however he needed help at home and school. The Nat. Alternatives section will give you great information so you can make decisions that right for you. Whether to use Meds. or to go natural. You have come to a perfect place for support and friendship. Everyone here has been so helpful and understanding. Such great people here... Again Welcome and have a Peaceful Day!!!! Christina  |
|
|
|
Post by midnightsable on Feb 1, 2004 20:05:10 GMT -5
Hi, I am new here as well, and really struggled with the decision of med's and like the others here saw a wonderful positive improvement in our sons life. Our psycholigist educated us about the "zombie" effect, in that "name brand " med is a stimulant, and given in propper doctor monitored doses, does just that it stimulates his brain to "complete the message" instead of it jumping off track. He has now been on med's for one year, and this is the first time we have had to change the amount of dosage, due to the changes in his growth. - All I can say is make your decision an educated one.
Next topic:
My eight yr old ADHD'r is extreamly into his computer, and we would only buy him educational and challenging games. But we found that even these are too much of a stimulus for him, and tend to feed his impulsivness - I can see him actually getting some type of "high" out of these programs, we stick more to grade school type programs, but he memorizes them and jumps around to find games or gives up on them. We even moved on to the next grade level to provide a challenge, but he then gets bored at school because as we all know eight year olds know everything ! (LOL) So for now we lay really low on computer time, and have brought out the more "old fashioned" if you will toys, LEGO, and Tinker Toys are the favorite, followed closely by puzzles. For Now this seems to be working, and providing lots of quiet time in our home.
Sorry for such a long letter, but I saw alot of myself in your letter, good luck and keep us posted. Midnightsable.
|
|
survivormom1310
New Member
Always kiss your family in the morning.
Posts: 2
|
Post by survivormom1310 on Feb 2, 2004 1:20:32 GMT -5
Thank you all for posting and I did not forget the message board...but you all know what a busy life we must all have when we have a family, a job , and then on top of it an ADHD child, so I had some quiet time and I decided I would say thanks for all y'all helpful advice, and I will look into all the advice, especially about the natural meds. It is so good knowing that I am not the only one out there struggling with a child like this, and we all know they are not bad children, they just don't know what to do with all that energy, and I try so hard to find thins and places to help him put his energy into constructive places. I found this message board actually through another message board, I was writing on another message board about my ADHD son, and one of the members from the message told me about this message board and I thought it won't hurt to try, and I am so glad I gave this board a try. I love it . I will write more later, it is really late and I have to get up early. Bye.
|
|
