We decided to wait for the weekend to start Southern Darlin's meds just in case.
So this morning it was time. I was nervous.. The med comes in a pill form. My 14yr old just learned to swallow pills last year (I know!), how the heck was I going to get a newly turned 6yr old to do it? I handed her a glass of water and explained how to do a pill.. She wanted me to put it in after she put some water in and the girl Swallowed it on the first try! Pro-pill taker :) As soon as she swallowed it she declared that it made her tummy hurt & she wasn't taking anymore of those pills.. ha.
Dr. Cuckoo told us that it would take 7-10days for us to know if the pill was going to work & he'd be willing to up the dosage (if needed) at 14days. To me, that meant we would see absolutely nothing until 7-10days. Apparently I misunderstood.
My lovely child who cannot sit still..who has words constantly flowing from her mouth even when it makes no sense.. actually was quiet. She just sat. She quietly rolled the ball with the baby. Normally she'd be bouncing up and down , running back and forth helping him roll it to her ect.. Instead she quietly sat until it was her turn. We went shopping & she did not ask to sit in the cart or have a fit that she did NOT get to sit in the cart, she just walked along quietly holding my hand. We went out for lunch (something that is normally an almost scary thing with Southern Darlin') and she colored for a few minutes and then just sat there staring off into space.. Several times I'd ask her if she felt ok & she could half heartedly tell me that maybe her knee might hurt again later (she has a small bug bite that is KILLING her- therapist gave me a word which I cannot remember but starts with a "S" that means she's taking her emotional pain and making it physical) but overall nothing was bothering her.. She was just there.
By the time we got to our therapy appointment it had been 6hrs since she'd taken her med & it was finally starting to wear off.. She was still much quieter- able to sit down the entire 30mins, make eye contact, and focus on the flash card activity they did.. She smiled off and on but still looks a little lost. The therapist then explained what Dr Cuckoo didn't tell me.. That she may get even more lethargic as her body adjusts to the meds. That in 7-10days, her body would be fully adjusted and then we'll see how she's doing with this level of meds.. Silly me..
I'll keep updating for the next several days as I see these changes so we can all see how this turns out.. I admit I was alarmed by the change in her at this point.. This is not the child I know.. so quiet..
I started Beth and Nate on meds right before Christmas and they are calmer and more focused. I do think I am going to request that Nate be increased a little. I didn't notice that drastic of a change in either of them but I definitely don't have to constantly say "focus", "think", "calm down"... all the time.
ReplyDeleteThe med they were given is called Foca*lin. It is a time release that is supposed to last 12 hours and seems to be right at 12 hours. At bath and bed time is when they are wild! I will take that though if that's the only time and then they can still sleep...perfect!!! I hope the meds help her.
I didn't tell Nate's teacher because I didn't want the expectations to be too high from her. He has been doing great at school!
It has made a huge difference around our house. Even when Nate does have fits they are much shorter and he has to try harder to throw them. Before, it was like he was a different person and he was totally out of control. Now, he gets angry but it's like he has to try harder to pitch his fits and he runs out of energy faster. Nate and Beth don't pester the older kids as much either. It has definitely helped things around our house.
Sorry this is so long. :)
Yeah, I love that "initial sedating" effect. I mean, I REALLY love it. Why can't they bottle THAT part up?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, we started Genea on something new recently. She got up from her nap and sat by me and pointed out- "look mama, my legs aren't tense!" sure enough, her leg muscles are usually like rocks from stress and tension and that day they were relaxed. It was unbelievable. But, it didn't last and we haven't seen any other real effect although stuff is a little nutty around here right now anyway.
I have a feeling we are going to need to look into meds in the near future! It is hard to know if we are looking at FASD issues or ADHD. Seems from my research that FASD can mimic so many other things.
ReplyDeleteAll this factors in to my worries......homeschool with the other kids? Try her in public school? Try preschool before Kindergarten? I JUST DON'T KNOW!
Hope things start to adjust for SD soon!