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Post by AnneM on Nov 2, 2004 12:50:05 GMT -5
I went with Sam for his physical check up today with the nurse ... (male nurse) ...
It was very interesting ... Sam had not had his meds today (he has cut down considerably in the past couple of months and doesn't take them every day any more) ...
The nurse spotted this though because Sam's leg was moving up and down, up and down .... nothing more than that ... just a tapping of his heel on the floor !! ... but the guy picked it up straight away and observed instantly that he was NOT on meds today!! ... LOL!! ... (and this was EVEN THOUGH hyperactivity has NEVER been a real issue for him!) ...
The nurse also explained that many need to continue and then go on at Age 18 to join the "adult" clinic ... apparently this is generally no longer due to 'behaviour' but due to the disorganisation of their thoughts and lives ... The 'possible' good news for Sam is that the nurse believes that Sam is heading towards being completely med-free ... but we shall see!
I found it particularly interesting because chatting to the nurse made it much clearer to me why SOME can stop meds and SOME need to continue with them into their adult lives.
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Post by rosyred45 on Nov 2, 2004 13:11:41 GMT -5
That is rather funny. Alright, who here hasn't said Dead ringer for an add/adhd candidate? Mike and I do it all the time, only because we know it so well. And of course we aren't rude and tell or ask the people.
Oh it's the nervous energy thing, Mike does it all the time.....not out of being nervous, but his nerves themselves are so wired with energy waiting to be let loose, he shakes like a rattle. As does the rest of his family, and Tara does too
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Post by camismom on Nov 2, 2004 13:26:12 GMT -5
I found it particularly interesting because chatting to the nurse made it much clearer to me why SOME can stop meds and SOME need to continue with them into their adult lives. Can you share some of that info with us please? |
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Post by rosyred45 on Nov 2, 2004 13:38:10 GMT -5
Why was I thinking the same thing but not typing it  |
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Post by AnneM on Nov 2, 2004 14:01:10 GMT -5
I will certainly try ... I should say though that this explanation was not a "technical explanation" on what happens in the brain itself ... it was more an explanation of what does or does not happen in the general population. from HIS observation of seeing many, many adhd/add kids up to age 18... and I maybe shouldnt have said that i understand better "WHY" some do and some don't ... more that he helped me understand THAT some do and some don't!! (Sorry about that potential misunderstanding!!  ) Anyway, the way the nurse explained it was to give us several examples - one of which was he said he has a patient of 18 years old who - although no longer having 'behaviour' problems - is still extremely disorganised/muddled in his own life/head and is still unable to concentrate on his job etc without the help of meds ... this person he says will probably need meds RIGHT THROUGH adulthood because (AND I THINK THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT POINT) .... if he was able to function without them IT WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE BEEN CLEAR BY NOW He said that you can normally tell by age 16 (ish) whether they will have the potential to be "med-free" as adults... We are potentially lucky because there is a strong indication (according to the nurse) that Sam (at age 16.5) is showing that he is now functioning well at college and at his part-time work either with or without meds ... he feels that Sam (who has already drastically reduced the meds in the past 3 months & is med-free much of the time) is looking 'likely' to be lucky enough to be med-free as an adult.,,, (But this is not 100% yet !!) ... I actually feel that Sam is still very disorganised at times and so I am NOT 'quite' as optimistic as the nurse ... I still understand though that whether our kids will have the potential to be med-free and NOT attend the adult clinic (after age 18) is absolutely NOT APPARENT when they are younger .... e.g. when Sam was 13 there was no way I could have foreseen that he would EVER see a day when he could function normally without that Concerta!! |
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Post by camismom on Nov 2, 2004 14:58:36 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! That is great news for Sam... hope all our kids can follow his path.
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Post by Linda on Nov 2, 2004 15:25:02 GMT -5
omg Anne....that is so interesting because Paul is still med free!!!He has no problems what so ever on the job....he is much more organized with his work.
I would say that Sam too will be one of those people that will be med free because he is working and more than likely picked up some good skills.
Leg shaking? oh yeah....I even do it....can't be still for too long!! ;D
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Post by camismom on Nov 2, 2004 16:08:51 GMT -5
If that's all it takes for this nurse to diagnose, then I must have it too. I sahke my leg all the time!
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Post by AnneM on Nov 3, 2004 12:52:07 GMT -5
LOL!! .... No I think what he was pointing out was the Sam was kind of a little "fidgety" ... and the meds would have taken care of that .... he ceretainly wasn't offering it as a " Diagnosis" (the diagnosis was done years ago!)
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Post by Linda on Nov 3, 2004 13:54:20 GMT -5
I knew there was something I needed to take!!!  |
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Post by sweety on Nov 3, 2004 15:41:40 GMT -5
;D As a RN, I would like to say BRAVO! excellent nursing diagnosis and explanation. There need to be more nurses like that in this world.  I have spent a good portion of my time explaining cardiac things to patients and families that the Dr. made as clear as mud. The nurses explanation made perfect sense to me (as an adult with disorganization difficulties) and you are lucky to have a good nurse with your Dr. ;D ;D |
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sportsmom
Member Emeritus
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Posts: 1,171
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Post by sportsmom on Nov 3, 2004 20:12:34 GMT -5
Anne what kind of meds is your son on? I would like to think that Levi could be med free once he gets old enough to try! He is on strattera right now and we do like it but it is something he has to take everyday or we suffer the emotional side effects  unlike when he was on ritalin and concerta(at different times) he would take a break from them on holidays and weekends---I would like for him to take a break occasionally if he could. Some good news thou---he goes to the dr on tuesday and she is FINALLY going to put him on a med to help him sleep for his RLS (restless leg syndrome)---one side effect of RLS is ad/hd---I am hoping we can decrease some of his strattera (although he only takes 50 mg a day). I look forward to the night when he can get a FULL nights sleep  and to hopefully be able to concentrate the next day ;D |
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Post by Linda on Nov 3, 2004 20:27:47 GMT -5
I'm not Anne but I know that her son is on concerta.
I didn't ever think I would see the day that Paul was med free either...but he is!!!
What is restless leg syndrome?
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sportsmom
Member Emeritus
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
Posts: 1,171
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Post by sportsmom on Nov 4, 2004 8:57:20 GMT -5
Hi Linda,
Restless leg syndrome is when you have a funny feeling in your legs and at night when you try to sleep your legs thrash around. In Levi's case he moves from one end of the bed to the other---when he had his sleep study done (in May) out of 10.5 hrs recorded sleep he actually only had about 2 hrs of deep sleep (rem). Well first the dr wanted to check his iron and it was very low. He had always had his finger pricked and iron checked that way and it always came back ok---but we had to have blood drawn thru the vain to get an accurate "ferretin"(iron) level. Finally his iron is up and now we get to try some med to help with the sleeping. But one of the major side effects of RLS is ad/hd. Mind you I am not looking for a miracle but I do look forward to the day that maybe Levi won't have to take as many pills that he does now. I am thinking about once we start this trail to maybe try with ritalin again--that way he could have a break every now and then. I am worried about headaches thou---that is why we had to take him off the concerta. We took him off ritalin because at that time he had to be re-dosed every 4 hrs and that is hard to work into a school schedule, but now they have ritalin la. I am so undecided---I guess I will have to wait until the dr appt and see what she says!!
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Post by AnneM on Nov 4, 2004 9:17:02 GMT -5
Anne what kind of meds is your son on? I would like to think that Levi could be med free once he gets old enough to try! He is on strattera right now and we do like it but it is something he has to take everyday or we suffer the emotional side effects unlike when he was on ritalin and concerta(at different times) he would take a break from them on holidays and weekends---I would like for him to take a break occasionally if he could. Some good news thou---he goes to the dr on tuesday and she is FINALLY going to put him on a med to help him sleep for his RLS (restless leg syndrome)---one side effect of RLS is ad/hd---I am hoping we can decrease some of his strattera (although he only takes 50 mg a day). I look forward to the night when he can get a FULL nights sleep and to hopefully be able to concentrate the next day ;D Hi Sportsmom ... This is very interesting and I was previously unaware there was a connection with RLS and adhd ... I am pleased to read that they will be addressing this for your son though because a good night's sleep can make such a big difference to just about everything... As Linda said my son is on Concerta and it has been very successful for him. I also like the fact that it is just a once-a-day tablet so does not interfere with his life-style plus & it is not something which "HAS TO" be taken every day .... That suits him very well and of course it has certainly helped him with his concentration ... He DID right back at the very beginning have a few headaches and stomach aches but not for long ... they soon disappeared. |
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