A real test....

Today was a test of patience.  Right from the beginning of the day, Gabriel was testing limits today.  It's been such a long time since that had happened, that I think I forget he's STILL a 5 yr old little boy and it's normal.  He had a hard time getting motivated to get dressed this morning, and had made a mess in his bedroom.
He went to work with my husband today, so I didn't see him much, since I've been sick in bed.  When they came home, he seemed to be a bundle of energy and pushing limits.  You tell him to be quiet, use his indoor voice, and he would just continue his actions, if not getting louder. If I hadn't been the one to give him his medication this morning, I would have thought that we forgot it today with the way he was acting.
I picked up my oldest daughter from school, and took her to skating practice, leaving the younger two kids with my husband at home.  When we got home, we went straight to dinner at Denny's (I know, not the optimum place for dinner, but it's close, and it's cheap).  Now granted, we didn't have the best service today, but Gabriel seemed to be back to his old self.  Being loud, not being able to sit still, and just being bad.  He kept flinging a crayon using his menu, across the table.  I must have asked him at least 10 times, and taken the crayon from him at least 3 times.  But then he would scream.  Peer pressure got the best of me, and I was nervous people would be annoyed, so I gave the crayon back each time. We tried to redirect him with puzzles and games, but that only lasted so long.  Then he started making a noise with his mouth very loudly.  Between my husband and I, we asked him 4 times to please be quiet, but to no avail. 
He was screaming that he was hungry, and where is his dinner.  I remembered that the neurologist we went to over the summer for his headaches, said to keep his blood sugar level, and when it roller coasters, we will notice a change in him.  So I gave him the benefit of the doubt that maybe his sugars were low and he just needed to eat.  The waitress was no where to be found, so I couldn't ask for her to please ask to bring them something to tide them over til the food came.
 FINALLY the food came, but by then, gabriel was so far gone, that he now said that he wasn't hungry and literally didn't have a bite to eat.  he picked his dinner himself, and didn't want to eat it at all.  He continued acting up, so my husband had to take him out to punish him.  It was very frustrating, but at the same time, it was a glimpse of what we would still be going through on a daily basis with him, had it not been for the meds.  He has made so much progress, that when he does act like a 5 yr old, I forget that it's ok.  (Well, it's not ok, but it's normal).
When we came home, I had told the kids that Santa sent a package today.  I sat them all on Gabriel's bed, and introduced them to Jingle the Elf on the Shelf.  (They named him).  Madeline read the book that came with him, which outlines the rules of the Elf, and the backround.  I thought this would excite the kids.  But NOOOOOOO, all the kids think that the Elf is "creepy".  All questions were answered, they named Jingle, but are not very excited about an Elf that "spies" on them.  But we'll see in time, how Jingle is accepted in our family!  I'm hoping Jingle will help all the kids stay in check!
Until next time, enjoy your holiday season!

Another breakthrough!

Look carefully, it's his name!

Today was another memorable day that made me cry!  Gabriel wrote his name!  We were waiting to pick my oldest child up from school, and Gabriel went to the back of the van.  He brought me a notebook where he had written his name all by himself!  He didn't ask me for the letters or how to make them.  It was 100% on his own!  What a breakthrough!  They've been working hard at therapy to do the letters of his name, but so far at home, he can't get past the 4th letter of his name without asking for help, let alone writting it!  I'm so proud of his hard work.
Another great accomplishment today was going to the grocery store.  He did very well.  No running around or touching things.  The problem child was my 2 yr old, as all 2 yr olds are when bored in a store.  Gabriel was helpful and did wonderfully.  (With the occassional, are we done yet?!) 
He's been doing so well lately I couldn't be happier!  Just to get him to eat.......

YIPPEE!

Yesterday was quite monumental.  May seem like a small step to any other readers, but to myself, it was huge.  Gabriel had a playdate with a little boy that he's known since they were fetuses.  Seriously, it's a long time.  Ever since Gabriel was old enough to move around, he would push poor Ethan around.  They both are very scrawny tiny kids that are barely on the growth chart, and they are only 4 months apart in age.  I've always been on pins and needles when getting them together because Gabriel would get mean.  We used to go all over together, on vacation, and just hang out.  Their younger sisters were even due the same day!  But with new jobs, it's been harder to get together.  So yesterday was a true test. 
I was AMAZED that we could go, the kids could play, and we heard not one whine, or "ouch" at all.  No banging or hitting, or throwing or fighting of toys.  We could just sit and talk like adults and the kids played.  How amazing to feel relaxed in that situation! 
Today was another first.  He started his day with school.  Madeline, my oldest child, had no school, so she got to fulfill a lifetime dream of reading to his class.  That was really cute!  He got to sit introduce her to his class and sit right next to her as she read to the class.  He ended up finishing the day really well.

First time to play a board game

After school, we came home, and Madeline has been wanting to play Monopoly Jr with me.  I work nightshift and need a nap before work tonight, so I didn't really have the time to sit and play.  BUT I made lunch and while I was cooking ,we all sat at the table and played.  I really didn't think Gabriel was ready for it, but he amazed me!  Yet again, no fighting, or whining about not winning.  He took his turns nicely and truly enjoyed the game.  Honestly, a while ago, he wouldn't want to wait to take turns.  He would have been too impatient.  They are STILL down there playing.  I had to bow out due to bankrupsy.  he seriously had a lot of real estate and with those darn double fines, it killed my budget!  How nice it is to hear them getting along and see that he can enjoy that activity!
That's all for now.....I work tonight so had to do today a little early!  Keep ya posted!

ONE MONTH

Well, it's been a month now. I have seen a lot of progress for Gabriel.  He has been so much more "subdued".  I can only see him going forward from here.
Tuesday, he had his one month follow up with the neurologist.  I was expecting good things.  He has been eating like a madman, and he's been doing so well.  I was no to medicate him before the appointment due to him doing a test when we got there.  The test he did was called TOVA test.   It's a computerized test that takes 20 minutes to complete.  I did not get to go in the room with him, but basically it's like a game and they gave him buttons for each hand and there were various activities.  One he described, was blocks. And when the block went down, he had to push a button.  From what I read on Google, the test is to measure your attention span.  It's not really reliable though.  Gabriel could sit in front of a video game or computer for HOURS.  So he passed that test reasonably well, and the neurologist said he doesn't put much emphasis on that test, it's just another stepping stone to follow.
The bombshell for me, was that he lost 2 pounds this month.  Gabriel is a stick figure to begin with.  He has no weight to loose already!  I knew a side effect of this medication is weight loss and loss of appetite, but I just figured that since he didn't get the loss of appetite and has been eating more than he's ever eaten before, that he would be fine.  Honest to God, he ate 2.5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches AND 2 huge handfuls of chips for lunch yesterday.  Then an hour later was hungry so had some blueberry mini muffins.  He's constantly hungry.  I just couldn't explain the weight loss.  So as per doctor's orders.......he is to eat cookies and ice cream.  He is to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack between lunch and dinner, and a snack before bed.  And by snack, he means ice cream and cookies.  Fine with me, except that I don't want him to get in that mode of thinking and end up an adult with poor eating habits.  He DOES love his fruits though, so hopefully he keeps that. 
One thing I found interesting, is that now he has a follow up visit in 3 months, in February.  But his prescription is only for 30 days at a time.  I guess I have to go every month to pick up the prescription.  It's not a med to mess with.  In fact, on the prescription I have, it has specific instructions to NOT fill it until the 8th (today). 
One more milestone, is last night.  He wanted to join the beginner precision team at skating.  I didn't let him try out at the beginning of the competitive year because he just didn't have the focus and would have been frustrating to both the coach and himself.  He's been asking to do it every week, and I finally thought he would be able to do it.  So I talked to the coach and she said to let him do it one week and see how he does.  Much to all of our surprize, he was extremely successful.  I knew he could do the content, just wasn't sure about the attention.  He did so well!  I literally was crying!!!!!!!!  This morning, he was saying how much fun he did and asked if he could do it all the time!  He did get invited to join the team permanently!
That's all for now!  On to make more positive moves!

It's been a while

It's been busy lately, but it's been busy.
Gabriel's had a lot of positives that happened the last week.  One of the teenagers actually said "Man, what happened to Gabriel?  He's one cool kid".  He's been making a lot of progress and actually interested in learning that letters have functions and what they are.  He's been making more drawings and letters that are intelligible. 
One bad thing is, yesterday he had a bad day at school.  The teacher said he had a very good day up until snack time, and then he smacked a kid on the face.  I don't know why, and he won't tell me.  We had a talk on why it's wrong, but I was sad since he was on such a good roll.  He seriously hasn't had one bad report since he started his medication.  His teachers have made no mention to how good he's been doing lately, but they don't know he's on medication.  We'll see if they ever catch on.
Today was Trick or Treat.  We did this in another town with a group of skaters.  Gabriel had a lot of fun and never ran around like he would have before.  It was cold, but overall, a great day.  After finishing the candy collecting, we all went in the house for some hot cocoa and the kids played.  It was again, so nice to know that he could play and I didn't have to worry like before, that he would turn to violence.  He played nicely and had not one incident of someone telling on him. 
He has his 1 month follow up with the neurologist on Tuesday.  That makes me nervous.  I'm not allowed to give him his medication that morning and I don't like that much.  But the appointment is early enough so that we can come home and give him his medicine afterwards.  We need to go though, because he is out of his prescription as of Tuesday. 
That's all for now!

My littler competitor

We started off our morning at 3am.  Had to be at the rink at 5am for my daughter to skate her first event.  I had brought Gabriel and Julia in their jammies to hopefully remain sleeping in the car with my husband, but that was a no-go.  Oh well!  I packed clothes, and Gabriel's medicine and applesauce in a bag for later use.
My daughter skated her first 3 events (out of 5) in a matter of an hour and a half.  Then it was time to get Gabriel ready for his first event.  I gave him his medicine in the everlasting popular cinnamon applesauce (his now favorite), and then got him dressed in his choo choo conductor outfit.  He was skating against himself this time, but I didn't tell him.  I wanted him to feel he did this huge accomplishment to get the 1st place medal. This would be his first one ever and every competition, if it's not first place, he considers himself a loser, no matter what I say.
So he got dressed, got skates on, and was the cutest rolling skating train conductor I've ever seen.  He warmed up with the girls in the same age level.  When they called him name to skate, he quickly went out there, and set up for his routine.  He did GREAT!  Compared to his last meet in August, he remembered almost his whole routine.  He had to look at the coach for reminders, but he didn't yell or say anything, and actually did the items that he was told to do.  He truly deserved his first gold medal!

 

After he skated, he had about 2 hours until his next event.  He used it by playing nicely with other kids playing video games and such.  I used to have to chase him, and be worried he would hurt the other kids.  This time was nice.  I could relax and not one kid came to me saying that he was kicking them, or whatever.  What a relief!

Gabriel was really good for his pairs event as well! It was just him and his partner, with his partner's sister and partner.  Gabriel is 5, his partner is 4.  yes, they do lifts etc.  They did fantastic!  Between the 2 of them, they remembered their routine and had no fighting! It was great to watch!  I love seeing the new Gabriel emerge!  It's still the same Gabriel, just toned down.  Exactly the results I was wanting!  They ended up in 2nd place, as expected (they are still pretty new and young compared to the other team).

After the competition, we then headed to downtown Cleveland for the circus!  We were a little early, so we decided to eat dinner first.  We stopped at this cute restaurant called the Tilted Kilt.  Looked quaint.  I'm Scottish, so why not?  WELL....we walk in, and it's like a Scottish version of Hooters. Short shirts, bare midriffs, and boobs pushed up into their chins.  Let me tell you, my 5 yr old was more than pleased!  He kept saying "Mommy, their bellies are hanging out!"  Yes, yes they are.  Ha ha!  I wanted so bad to take his picture with the waitress, who was oh so nice to us (probably tired of all the men drooling over her lack of clothes), but I was too embarrassed to ask for a picture.  (Side note: the food was actually very good, and the service was great)

Then off to the circus.  Man, what a great family trip.  Gabriel was on his best behavior.  Had a few little tifts about having to wait to get in the doors, and wanting to go look at souvenirs, but he was manageable, and redirectable.  A total change from 2 weeks ago!  He sat through all 2.5 hours of the circus without incident!  Highlight of his trip was the snowcone in the elephant mug! 

What a great day!  I hate to say it, but because of this medicine, I have a loveable little boy and our family time is so less stressful! 

 

My little salesman

Today, Gabriel had his skating lesson, the last one before his skating competition tomorrow.  He doesn't know it, but he's actually skating against himself and will get a 1st place medal for the first time.  I'm going to let him relish in that feeling of "winning".  He's always gotten a medal, but never a first.  Maybe this will help his self confidence.  He is quite the competitive child and likes to "win" and 2nd or 3rd place are losers in his eyes.  Nothing I say can change his thinking.  I just keep telling him he's a winner regardless.


Gabriel selling Wendys cards at Walmart

So after skating, we had to head over to Walmart to do some fundraising for our skate club.  The goal was to sell Wendy's frosty cards.  Unlimited frostys for a year....$1 per card.  I thought this would be a nightmare and boring for him, and I'd just end up chasing after Gabriel and his younger sister.  but Gabriel surprized me.  He turned out to be quite the little salesman. He went right up to people and had his little saying "Will you please buy a Jr Frosty card for a dodder (dollar)?   It's from Wendys and helps for my competitions and it's good for a year."  People just couldn't resist him.  Some people actually would just give him a dollar and not want the card, but just thought he was too cute!  he would get mad when they wouldn't take the card, saying "Mom, they gave me a dollar for free".  He sold stacks and stacks of those cards.  Some people would hear him talking from inside the store and come outside just to buy a card off of him, saying he was just too good of a salesman.  He stood out there for 3 hours and was mad when it was time to go!  I was sooooo proud of him! 
I found I am doing a LOT of postitive reinforcement lately.  it's working. He loves it.  His good boy chart is almost filled!  I tried a good boy chart in spring, and it just didn't work.  He didn't get it, and wasn't excited.  Now, he wheels and deals to get that sucker filled up!  The prize?  A $5-ish toy of his choice. 
So on to tomorrow.  Another test with this medicine.  He competes tomorrow.  Lets see if he remembers his routine!  it's his favorite one ever!  Polar Express music, wearing a conductor outfit!  Then to the circus after that!

One week down......

Last Thursday we started the medication Adderall on Gabriel.  it's been a whole week.  It's Thursday again.  I have to say, my overall mood has been excitement.  Excitement for the future, excitement for his great strides.  He's had good reports from school so far, and good report at therapy.  His aggression has decreased.  He did 2 skating lessons all the way through without trying to skate away or say something is too hard.  He's drawn his first self portrait that wasn't just scribbling and circles, but actually had detail like ears and teeth. 
One thing I have noticed about Gabriel today, is that this kid has a long term memory like no other.  I ordered circus tickets yesterday.  I was telling him everything he'll see there, because last time we were there, he was only 2.  He started saying things that he will see as well.  I was thinking that maybe he saw commercials, or maybe he's just seen it on tv somehow.  But he actually remembered things from the show we saw 3 years ago.  He still remembers all 3 hotel room numbers from our trip we took back in July.  He was telling me about the Disney on Ice show we saw when he was 3.  It's crazy.  he remembers details I didn't remember until he recollected them.  He isn't a "stupid" kid.  He is quite smart.  What an amazing memory he has!
Today he seemed quite a lot of energy.  We had no plans today, and just stayed home with the exception of random errands.  He did well with the errands, but at home, he was quite hyper.  He was hard to reel in and listen.  He just wouldn't listen today.  That was frustrating.  I'm noticing at nighttime, or late evening, he gets more energy.  We'll see how that works out in the future.  But overall, it's much more tolerable and managable than 2 weeks ago. 
So overall, this past week I consider to be a success.  I'm looking forward to more great weeks!

Day 7

Today Gabriel had a very busy day.  He starts off his day with his normal preschool, then goes to his therapy session with the intervention specialist and occupational therapy.  It was picture day at school today, so there was extra anticipation to be good today. 
I didn't pick him up from school today, my husband did, but no report is a good one, so he must have had a good day.  So far, the teachers haven't asked if he's on meds, or what is he doing with the therapy, but I haven't offered the information as requested by the neurologist.  He's only had 2 days of school so far on the medication, so they may not have had enough time to realize he's more calmed down.  I wish I could be a fly on the wall in preschool to see him in action.
Gabriel came home for a quick lunch, then off to therapy.  The therapists are aware he started the medication, but this was his first time since being on the medication to go to therapy.  The therapist said he was very well behaved today and they got a lot done, including a hearing and eye test.  The eye test I'm sure he could have done without....he just went to the eye doctor in June and got glasses prescribed.  But oh well!  No harm done.   The therapist had me sign some consent forms for ongoing evaluations of him so they can see if he will still qualify for the IEP status in kindergarden  next year.  The official eval and determination will be in the spring, but seeing as though they only see him once  a week, it takes a while to watch him and eval him in action, then develop a plan of care for the following year.  Plus, they want to show some improvement and that this action plan is working.

I myself, can see a difference.  I almost cried today when he showed me a drawing he did.  Since starting therapy, he is finally starting to draw figures that aren't scribbles or circles.  he's drawing people.  He did a self portrait today, which included ears and hair.  I was so proud and almost on the verge of tears!  5 weeks in to therapy and he's made huge strides!  It's very encouraging!

Day 5

I'm doing day 5 a little late, it's almost the conclusion of Day 6, however, I work night shift and wasn't on the computer last night. 
Day 5 started off with taking the medication on yogurt, which was not Gabriel's favorite.  I should have known applesauce.  Oh well, Mommy will learn eventually. 
Gabriel had his first day of school on the medication.  We didn't tell his teachers as per request of the neurologist, to see if they noticed a difference.  The only thing I can say, is I didn't get a bad report at the end of school, so that is a plus.  No one said anything different as of yet.  I had this feeling of "I know this will be a good day" as I dropped him off.  To be honest, if someone would have had a bad report when I picked him up, I probably would have been shocked.  A week ago?  I would have expected a bad report.  Sad to say.
I took Gabriel for a haircut, uneventful.  Then to Panera for lunch.  A special surprize since he loves Panera.  He loves the mac n cheese there.  Let me tell you, if he's supposed to have a decreased appetite, he doesn't so far.  Maybe I'm looking too far in to it, and just assumed that because it's a side effect, he'd automatically have it.  BUT he ate his whole portion of mac n cheese, then finished mine.  Major plus!  I'm going with the recommendation that when they ask to eat, feed them, and it will promote the appetite.  he is so skinny that I'm not concerned with him getting overweight, it's underweight that concerns me with him. 
After a quick rest, we picked Madeline up from school and went to skating practice.  He actually asked to skate and practice.  Not much progress there.  He didn't really practice, he just raced around the rink.  Sometimes I think he should be in speed skating, not artistic.  He'll find his own niche. 
I noticed towards the end of practice/end of the day, that the meds might have been wearing off.  I had to start reminding him multiple times to settle down and get away from his baby sister and leave her alone.  He kind of slipped right in to his old ways.  That's my worry.  I don't want the meds to wear off and/or him build up a tolerance to them and have to continue to increase the dosage.  I don't think that at day 5 that has happened, but that is a fear I have.  One thing to remember, is that just taking the medication doesn't fix the child.  The parents and adults surrounding the child need to change as well.  Structure is the name of the game.  You can't just keep increasing the dosage and not expect to keep stability.  The medication isn't the whole answer.  Therapy, as well as discipline have to come hand in hand with the medications to make it be successful.

Day 4

Gabriel with Snoopy at Cedar Point

I really struggled with medicating Gabriel today.  I thought to myself that there is not really a reason to give him his medicine, since we had nothing he needed to concentrate on.  I don't want him to get dependent and need it on "days off".  But I gave it to him under that rationale that the doctor didn't give me the ok to not give it to him, and I want to give Gabriel all the help he can get.  So he got his medication, on applesauce, as been the routine the last 3 days. 
We went to church, Gabriel went to Sunday school.  They drew a paper with the food groups, and Gabriel actually drew a few foods that looked remotely like what they were supposed to look like, which is new for him! 
After church, we went straight to Cedar Point.  I was interested to see how he would be, energy wise, after taking the medication.  But on a level on energy, I couldn't tell a difference, whenever we went to cedar Point all summer, Gabriel acts fantastic.  As the school psychologist had told me, he acts good because his senses are getting the stimulation they need, and he doesn't need to crave new senses and act up.  So Gabriel acted normal all day.
The major break through, however, was dinner.  We went to Famous Daves, right across from Cedar Point.  Now, usually, a restaurant is a horrible experience for our family.  Kids running all over, and Gabriel making us regret ever going out to eat.  We go out to eat to enjoy our family time that we rarely get, and we usually end up mad and irritable.  Not today.  Gabriel sat down the whole time.  He colored and did the activities on the placemat, and carried on a conversation.  Not once did he get up and try to wander or run around the restaurant.  He ate decent, which I was pleasantly surprized, since I'm very worried about his eating because of this medication. 
We got home tonight, and all were tired.  We managed to do Cedar Point for 8 hours.  Gabriel got dressed for bed immediately, asked for his bedtime story (a new routine since the medication) and actually sat through the story, which again, wasn't something he wasn't able to do last week at this time. 
This was a very successful day!  And tomorrow is a real test: School for the first time on meds.  The neurologist asked us not to tell the teachers and see if they notice a difference.  We'll see tomorrow!

DAY 3

Gabriel at the Halloween party today

Today was another early day. Skate lessons at 9am for all 3 kids.  Gabriel had yet another successful lesson and actually got through TWO of his routines today with minimal help (he's just learning this routine)   But he never skated away from the coach or said that "it's too hard". 
After skating, we went to go eat lunch.  The kids had skipped breakfast (I know, bad mom....but we were late and didn't anticipate not being able to get breakfast on the run).  So we were discussing what's for lunch, and Gabriel said he wasn't hungry.  This scares me.  This is a common side effect from the medication Adderall, or any of the ADHD medications.  Gabriel doesn't eat very much to begin with, and he can't afford to lose more weight.  We decided to go to Pizza Hut, his favorite food.  he ate all of 1/4 of a breadstick, and half a glass of lemonade. 
We went to the grocery store after that, and I picked up some PediaSure which says it GUARANTEES weigh gain in children.  We'll see about that.  I just know he needs the nutrients.  I got the vanilla flavor as per his request.  Hope he likes it because a pack of 6 cost $10.99.  For sure will be scoping out for coupons next time.  My plan is to give him one a day, so at least I know he's getting something each day.  Then I will also add a multivitamin as well.  That will give me piece of mind.  I will admit though, when it comes to daily things, like remembering medications, I'm bad, so I hope the vitamins get maintained.  Being a night shifter, my schedule varies, so it's hard to remember things!  But I'm just going to put the vitamins next to the Adderall and then I'll remember.  Now to find some vitamins that don't cost soooo much as the ones at the store today, and to have them be characters that Gabriel will like.  (Don't I DARE get princess ones). 
We were invited to 2 Halloween parties today, and I wanted to hit both, however, it was just too hard.  We are always running running running, and I'm trying to slow down to make more of a schedule for Gabriel.  So we went to the one party and it was nice.  Real nice.  It had bouncy houses, and hayrides, and pumpkin decorating, and a pinata.  He kept busy. It was nice to let him run and bounce and play with other kids, and for once, I could relax a little because he wasn't his aggressive self.  He still had a tendency to want to play to fast, or talk to loud, but he's getting better. 
Now it's bedtime and he doesn't want to go to bed.  My husband has tucked him in, and he just isn't ready for bed.  He never is.  My oldest and youngest go right to bed.  Gabriel needs some wind down time.  I feel like this is "his" time.  He likes having me to himself at night.  Poor guy has to compete with 2 sisters to get a word in sometimes.  But, I'm trying to keep a routine as recommended.  It's just hard.  I find myself baby'ing him now since the medication.  I think I keep telling myself that if I tell him he's doing great, and that I love him and show encouragement, then he won't regret the medication when he's older.  As though I want him to see the benefits.  he says he can't feel any differences yet.  Either he truly doesn't feel different, OR he's just too young to realize them.  But needless to say, one of the coaches today, actually said it's like normal Gabriel, just a little toned down.  He's still himself, he's still funny as heck, and still engaging, just not as rapid or intense.  I like it. 
Thats it for today.  Cedar Point Halloweekends tomorrow.  He loves Cedar Point, and it's great for the family!

DAY 2

Today was Gabriel's second day on his Adderal for ADHD.  He actually asked for it today.  He took it on applesauce, as per request.  He can't swallow pills, so we break the capsule open and put the little dots in the applesauce.  The neurologist had suggested that, but he would like Gabriel to practice swallowing M&M's or tictacs so he will be able to eventually take the whole pill as it was intended to be taken.  
The day started off with Gabriel's EEG that the neurologist had ordered at our first appointment on Tuesday.  I wasn't quite sure what relevence an EEG would be, but went along with it, thinking at this point, I will do anything to get answers.  I worked all night at the hospital, and my husband dropped the kids off at my work so Gabriel could get the test done.  Gabriel, as always, was very talkative and making everyone laugh.  The nurse sat him in a chair and explained the whole procedure.  They measured his head and put red dots all over his head.  Then scrubbed each dot with a salt solution, then attached little wire electrodes with cotton balls on his head and ears.  21 in total.  Gabriel was hesitant, but did as asked and did just fine.  The nurse said the test would take at least 20 minutes and sometimes they need to sedate the child to do it.
The monitor had lines on it, recording the electrical impulses of his brain.  When he blinked, you could see it on the monitor.  She had him close his eyes and do some counting.  Then she took a strobe light and had him close his eyes and did different variations of strobe lighting.  Then he had to open his eyes and blow a pinwheel, and then they just carried on a conversation.  The nurse explained to me that what she was looking for, was seizure activity.  She said that a lot of times, ADHD gets misdiagnosed, when in fact, the child has mini seizures, as many as 4 3second seizures a minute, and that is what is effecting the attention of the child, not actually an attention deficit disorder.  She explained the if he was having seizure activity, the lines on the monitor would spike.  I'm assuming each line on the monitor stood for the placement of each electrode, and in turn would tell the neurologist which part of his brain would be misfiring. 
When the test was done, we came home and I gave Gabriel his medication (I didn't want him to take it before the test to skew the results).  Gabriel told me he didn't feel it working today.  No complaints of belly ache, nothing out of the ordinary.  But I feel that this afternoon was a break through.
Gabriel is a competitive skater.  I understand, he's 5, but a lot of 5 year olds at our rink are very determined.  Yes, there is a fine line between forcing your kid, and just teaching discipline.  Gabriel is a great skater with great potential, but just won't try the hard items because they are too challenging.  Another characteristic of ADHD.  Just not wanting to even try something new in fear "it's too hard". 
Gabriel skates both singles and pairs.  Yes, he is 5 and has an adorable 4 yr old partner.  They are just heartwarming to watch.  I literally cry when they compete for the sheer fact that they are soooo cute.  He even lifts her!  BUT that being said, Fridays, lesson day, are VERY stressful for me.  He gets so excited and takes it out as aggression.  Sometimes he pulls "Little Mady" too fast, sometimes he squeezes her hands.  The poor coach has to literally chase him and wrangle him back in.  Today?  Different story.  I literally had tears in my eyes.  He did their whole lesson staying right by the teacher.  No chasing once, and no reminding.  The real kicker?  This is HUGE....they ran 2 routines with literally NO ONE telling them what item comes next.  Between himself and his partner, they remembered the whole routine...which is new!  I couldn't believe my eyes. This was a first.   I seriously consider this his first break through. The first time I could see hope for my energetic little boy. 
Side note:   He WANTS to skate.  I've never forced him.  If he's having a bad day, he doesn't skate that day. I don't want him to feel overwhelmed, or resent the sport.  he does it on his own time and when he asks to put his skates on, I help him.  There is no forcing him to skate.  The only thing I ask, is if he has his skates on and goes on the floor, that he practice, and not get in other's way.  If you want to play, do that off the floor.
That being said....good day today!  Excited for the future.

Day 1

This blog is meant to help other parents understand the long process for help, and to know that with good help, hopefully even with and ADHD diagnosis, we can raise functional smart individuals.
Today is the first day of my son's adventure on ADHD medication.  This has been a long process and somewhat stressful.  Hopefully today is the start of a great thing for him.
To give some backround of what has led up to the decision to medicate:
He was born 5 years ago, as a tiny 5lb little bean.  Since his birth, he's been a fiesty but entertaining child.  Literally has unending energy and can't seem to gain a pound!  He's literally skin and bones since day 1. 
At 3 years old, he was old enough for preschool.  I just knew he wasn't ready socially.  He had issues keeping hands to himself, and wasn't potty trained yet.  I knew it would be a frustrating process for the teachers and myself so I held him home for that year.  As I've heard from many people, with boys, it's better to hold them back and I'd never regret it.  So last year, as a 4 yr old, he did his first year of preschool.  This year, he should be in kindergarden, but he is in his second year of preschool and I'm glad we went this way. 
So in preschool last year, I kept getting "bad reports" from the teachers with problems keeping hands to himself, or difficulty redirecting him.  I kept asking if he was too energetic, as at home, it just seems like he has unendless energy.  I just kept getting told "He's a boy, they have a lot of energy".  I just KNEW he had more than usual.  So finally, at the end of the school year, the head of the preschool talked to me about getting him evaluated.  Not so much for ADHD, as no one even mentioned that, but just seeing if there's any issues with the aggression and such.
So during the summer, we got him evaluated by the pediatrician at his 5 yr checkup.  That was proceeded by a trip to the neurologist for his recurrent migraines.  Then, to the optomotrist to get his eyes checked as one last ditch effort.  The optomotrist said he has perfect vision, but his muscles are working hard to achieve that.  Usually it's not treated with glasses, but since he has migraines (to the point of throwing up and screaming in pain), we tried the glasses, and so far, so good!  Then it was off to Children's Developmental Center to get him evaluated for the aggression and high energy.  They found him to be lacking in his fine motor skills and recommended him for therapy.
As soon as the school year started, we got him right in with the public school system to get him evaluated by the school psychologist (the school cycle-olologist per Gabriel).  She went and watched him at preschool, and we went to her and he was evaluated by an interventional specialist, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and the psychologist.  Both myself, and his teacher also filled out a loooong questionaire regarding his abilities and tendencies of behavior. 
When I went back for the review, it was without a doubt that my child has ADHD.  The school system now sees him once a week for therapy on his fine motor skills, and teaching him how to focus himself and control his impulses.  My next homework was to go to the pediatrician for the official ADHD diagnosis.
Our pediatrician, bless him, didn't want to see him regarding this issue and referred us to a neurologist that specializes in ADHD.  I'm not going to lie, at first I was frustrated.  Why another doctor that doesn't know us?  We have all through all these evals first, just give us the diagnosis and give us some medication.  But regardless, we went to the neurologist on Tuesday.  Let me tell you, I'm so happy we did.  From what I'm hearing, a lot of pediatricians are quick to diagnose medicate kids that aren't truly ADHD.  My pediatrician made sure that my son gets the proper care.  And I appreciate that. 
The neurologist made me do yet another questionaire.  It stated you had to have 6 of the criteria to qualify (out of at least like 12 criteria).  I checked all but 1 of the criteria.  In the office, my always curious and entertaining Gabriel was just as energetic as usual, but also the talk of the office.  I'm telling you, he is quite the little charmer.  So the neurologist is starting him on Adderall.  An amphetamine that is 24 hour lasting and just  the lowest dose possible.  The issues I have?  It states he can loose weight and drive to want to eat.  Let me tell you, he looses anymore weight, he will disappear!  My other worry is that any medication will change my fun loving little boy's personality.  he is just so entertaining and the things that he says truly makes me laugh.  I don't want to loose that.  I just want my boy to be functional in life and be able to focus on his school work and not be known as the bully or the "stupid kid" because he can't concentrate.
So tomorrow, he has an EEG scheduled to watch the electrical impulses in his brain.  We will do one month on the medication and follow up with the neurologist.  Since Gabriel is only 5, Adderall is the only medication available.  Once he is 6, there are other options.  So the neurologist will follow him carefully. 
We gave the medication for the first time today, as I was told not to give it to him on a school day so I could monitor him closer.  We broke the capsule open and added it to yogurt, as he can't swallow pills yet.  I took my daughter to school and kept waiting for signs that the medication is working.  he just said that his belly hurts.  But now, an hour later, he has no complaints. 
So follow me as we go through this process.  I hope that he will start to see some improvement and he will start to know his letters and spell his name.  I hope he can sit down and listen to a story or color a picture.  i hope he can make friends and play sports.  We have tried sports in the past, thinking they would help give his energy and outlet but they were all "boring" and didn't want to listen to the coaches.  We shall see how the future goes, but I'm hoping for the best!