We have an official diagnosis with Dallas.

We went to the doctor yesterday, to talk with her about the possibilities that Dallas may have ADD. We've seen the tendencies for a while and have had our suspicions, but have held off on pursuing anything. We were going to wait until after his eye surgery, and see how much that was effecting things. Well, we hit the point at school where we could wait no longer, and I wanted to speak with the doctor about what we were seeing. We had to fill out a packet of information, and have his teachers do the same. We had to turn them in so she could review and sort through them, and then we would go in to meet with her. That was the appointment yesterday.

We did the usual things, they checked his height and weight, checked his blood pressure, did a hearing and vision test, tested reflexes, etc. Then it was time to get down to the nitty gritty with the doctor. We talked about what Dallas is like at home, we talked about what he's like at school, we talked about the things we've noticed, and for how long we've noticed them, and we talked about what its like to try to get through any kind of concentration task with Dallas. We then talked about how he fits into his class learning wise. Meaning was he behind, or on track, or even ahead. (Dallas is in 1st grade, and reads at a 4th grade reading level, and is at the top of his class. He's always been a super smart cookie!!) Next we went through the forms, and what she'd found in all of them.

She said that every single one of the forms rates Dallas as ADD. We're not talking border line. We're talking a strongly sound diagnosis of ADD. We then moved onto the ADHD section of the assessments, and she said that there were a few borderline tendencies there, such as his constant fidgeting with his hands, his excessive talking (the kids mouth runs like it has a motor in it! Its non stop!) etc. She said she doesn't believe there to be any ADHD at this time. Just simply the ADD. She explained to us that they're seeing this more and more in extremely bright kids. They're very smart, but start to have issues in school because the portion of their brain that tells them to FOCUS just isn't working right, or is shut off most of the time.

Next we talked about where we needed to go from here with this. We had three options:

1. Medication
2. Behavior modification therapy
3. Medication combined with behavior modification therapy


She gave us information on the studies that are out there right now regarding the choices we have. She said that currently, children who are just on medication are seeing the same results as children who are on medication along with the behavior modification therapy. And the children who were just on the modifications were significantly farther behind, and were seeing far less results. She talked to us about how there were specialists down at the U if we wanted to pursue that farther, or we had the option to continue to use her, and go forward from here. we felt comfortable moving forward since one of her area's of specialties is ADD/ADHD. We also opted for the medication route without the behavior modification. One of the primary reasons is that our insurance stinks, and it would be REALLY expensive, and after talking about it, and how the results are the same, we feel the medication would be adequate enough. The behavior modification in someone his age, who has issues focusing is really hard, because they'd have to realize what was going on, and be able to DO something about it. And at 7, that just isn't very likely. It will become a possibility as he ages, but not now.

We then began to discuss the medication, and what that entailed. There are a few different kinds we could use. We went very extensively into family history, medical history, etc. She was considering between two different medications for Dallas. One was a pill form, that was about the size of an adult vitamin, and he would have to swallow it in tact. we couldn't cut it, or alter it. The second was a capsule, that could be swallowed as is, or could be opened up, and mixed into food. The one that could be opened up was our choice, because at 7, Dallas doesn't yet know how to swallow pills. We figure we can work with him with this, and see if we can get him there, but for the time being, we need that back up of being able to put it in food if need be.

The medication she selected was Adderol. Its had some mixed reviews in Canada, and has been pulled off the shelves there, because 5 children died of sudden cardiac arrest. she then explained to us that in any given year you expect 5 or so children to do so, it just so happened that these children were on Adderol as well. They don't know the correlation for sure, but its out there being studied right now. We talked about the AHA (American heart association) and what they now recommend. They ask that all kids on ADD meds get regular EKG's. And also, if there is any elevated risk of heart problems, that they also be followed by a cardiologist. Dallas was born with bradycardia (went home on the monitors for 6 weeks, when he appeared to have out grown it), and my brother has cardiomyopathy. And because I couldn't tell her 100% what kind, and what the details were with that, it was an elevated enough risk that we will be having to pursue the cardiologist appointment to see if he feels that Dallas needs an echo cardiogram to rule out any issues. We'll be going into that appointment with copies of my brothers medical charts for the doctor, so he can sift through everything, and better assess Dallas's risks.

The next thing about the medication we talked about is that it is a stimulant. She said it may be kind of weird to us to give a kid who has problems focusing a stimulant, but what this stimulant does is open the receptors in the brain that are shutting down when it comes time to focus. She said we may notice a little bit of a difference in energy at first, but he'll adjust, and do well. She said that the medication is given once a day, and lasts for about 12 hours. She also said we may notice a mood change when the medication starts to wear off. We also may see some changes in sleep, and we may also see some weight loss. But she said that "Dallas has some room for weight loss" (he's in the 90th percentile for weight. Has been all his life!) But that we'll monitor him closely. We also have the option with this medication to not give it on the weekends, or in the summer, if we choose not to. This medication doesn't need to maintain a steady level in his system to help him. Its a medication that you take, and as it wears off,it is out of your system. So it can truly be taken on an as needed basis.

We will be having a physical once a month for him. They will check his heart, his progress, how things are going in school, etc. They'll watch him extremely close for the first 6 months, and once things settle into a more normal routine with it, we'll back off a little. But with his slightly elevated risk with the heart stuff, I'll more than happily take him in as often as they see fit, just for my peace of mind.


Now, with all that information out there, I have to tell you that I'm still kind of taking it all in. I KNEW this is what they were going to tell us. I just knew. I know my son, and I knew something was up. I'm glad its something we can work with. Like the doctor said, his job right now first and foremost is to be a good student. The medication should be able to help him with that. I'm always leery of putting my child on a medication, and I'm not just trying to have a miracle fix, or an instant cure. I'm trying to help my child. I also know that there are many who believe that ADD doesn't exists. To that, I tell you to spend ONE HOUR with my son trying to do homework. The thoughts in his head NEVER shut off. They never let him just focus on whats going on with the work. I'm just trying to do what I need to do for my child. I'm trying to be the best mom I can to him, and deal with the situation at hand. We'll give the medication a try, and see if it helps us. I will be keeping track of things closely, and we'll be working very closely with the doctor. I just want to do what's best for my little boy.