Posted by dove on February 26, 2000, at 9:49:21
In reply to Noa...Adderol, posted by Janice on February 25, 2000, at 22:58:34
I also struggle to understand outsiders reactions to ADHD. My daughter (one of five children) very obviously has all the symptoms of ADHD, and has been seeing a p-doc, a therapist, and a ped-doc, and yet, she still struggles with it. We have had so many problems with relatives, and every year, a new teacher with *their* theory on what needs to be done. We had one teacher who said that she had to be medicated because she was so disruptive. So, we work on finding something that will help all summer long. Hell of a summer. Return to school, and she's getting depressed everyday, she's been frustrated, crying, edgy, real negative feelings. I have been allowing her to take weekend holidays from the stimulants, and I know that they are no longer working just from watching her smile return Saturday morning.
We had a meeting with her teacher, school social worker, and therapist. They handed me a handful of papers, and explained the paperwork in very slow speech, some of us parents are apparently slow, or deaf. They had highlighted the many different points they wanted to stress to us, like we're ignorant and unable to read more than a paragraph. Anyway, to the point, all this paperwork, signed by all the school officials were about allergies, nutrition, vision therapy, sensory integration, ect...
I was seeing red, after all the meetings and hassle, these folks were trying to explain away a genetically bound heritage that has been passed down for over 200 years. They have no idea what the workings in her mind are, they can't even relate to what takes place on a daily basis. I was silent, looking at them, unable to believe the words shooting from their mouths. The hundreds of examples of children on restricted diets (no dairy and no wheat) and how the change was overnight. Yes, I'm sure it was, the kids were probably malnutritioned and delirious, calm indeed!
So, I tried to explain the situation from the inside, but all the degreed and highly educated folks just smiled and kept repeating their words. I give up, my husband wants her to be homeschooled, I don't know how to deal with it anymore. I hate the pressure that is put on her, grandparents always sneakily inquiring about her meds, her therapy, little snide comments. Always undermining her, her hope, her light at the end of the dark tunnel. Ughhh!!!
In summary, or to the point I guess, Adderall is no longer working for my daughter, the depression is hitting hard and heavy. For some peculiar reason, the Stimulants make her, and me both, depressed rather than happy. Even if we're getting things done and are able to concentrate, it's still pretty negative in contrast to our natural minds. Like we can't block out reality, instead, we can't avoid seeing reality and the stark contrast it is to everyone's shiny happy lives. It is hard to fight that view, that dire vision everyday.
And I am tired of outsiders and their panaceas that have no hold in the real world, but are aimless delusions. And, I don't care if the meds aren't working, that doesn't mean the problem is an allergy to cheerios!
poster:dove
thread:23561
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000220/msgs/24037.html