Just so you all know

ScienceChic....I am very impressed with how you have confronted this issue with your child and the lengths you went to, to find the right treatment that works. That is all any parent wants, to help their child be all he/she can be.....and to deal with whatever childhood issues crop up in the very best way possible. VL, I think you are wrong. Until you have walked in the shoes of a parent whose child is out of control because of a chemical imbalance you are speaking from a distance....and everything looks different when it isn't you or your child. I am grateful I never had to deal with what ScienceChic has been through, but I do know how difficult it can be to find the right treatment for your child. My daughter suffered from migraines as a young child, back then not much was known about migraines in children....we had doctors say it was "all in her head" DUH.....it was an emotional problem, she was just looking for attention......she was a "problem" child and acting out.....but I knew my child, I knew it was something much more than just a child looking for attention. She missed a lot of school over 18 months, she couldn't stand the light or the noise of an ordinary household, the pain made her throw up.....and the visual spots made her crazy. I finally got her an appointment with a pediatric neurologist at Childrens Hospital.....and bingo....he diagnosed migraines. Just having a diagnoses helped, medications did the rest......she was back in school and excelling....she was a happy kid once the pain was managed. Not to say she never got another migraine, she did, but just knowing what they were, and knowing they could be treated helped her, and I, tremendously. It's a parent's responsibility to be their child's advocate, to fight for them, to never stop looking for solutions to whatever problems crop up.....to love them unconditionally, and to never take no for an answer when you believe in your heart that you know what your child needs.

major bean, I said this before, and it bears repeating.....I applaud you for raising two accomplished daughters.....you know, as do we, that you certainly did it right for your kids......but what worked for you and your daughters may not be what is best for other parents and their children. Every family, every child, is unique, so parenting must also be unique to that family and their children.

Sunshine Girl wrote:

Vice Lord wrote: But since i'm involved in the thread now I have to side with Major Bean here..To give your kid mind alterring phamacuticles is almost criminal in my opinion, especicially if the child just "can't sit still" in school. I never had to be make that decision because my kids were all well adjusted, but if I had a kid that was too wild for school, id take him/her outta school before I tried to calm him/her down with drugs. Why does anybody trust these doctors and thier drugs? There was a time when people let doctors perform labotomy's on their incorrigible kids, this is not that bad, but it's close.

NEVER

Consider yourself lucky that you don't know more about the challenges that others face.

Like Bean said- I'd never tell a child of mine that they're brains aren't right and I don't care how wild and outta control the kid is, drugs are not the answer- and to try to drug a kid into being like everyone else goes against everything that's good.................. I don't want him/her to be like everyone else. I think there's probably something wrong with a kid that can happily sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day..

Science Chic wrote:

major bean wrote: We are not dealing with a child with a medical issue, but, rather, a personality issue. You are not telling a child that they have a physical abnormality but that "he", "who he is", "what he is", "his very being" is not as everyone else. That his very being is not normal. This is extremely profound to a child. It is an insidious "cancer" that grows within the child until it eventually overcomes him and he becomes a problem to himself and to others.

Sure they are sweet children today. Even those who are abused are sweet children. The effects take time to twist the child into what they become in adulthood.

If nothing else, his school records will follow him until the day he dies. He will be denied certain jobs with the government. Whenever he fills out a form for a permit, job, or whatever, he must answer the mental health question with the answer that he has been diagnosed with mental problems. This is a giant albatross around his neck.

Yes, it is a medical issue that manifests as a personality/behavioral issue. See previous post as to how we've used this as a positive growth experience for our child. Just because you judge it negatively doesn't mean that anyone else does.

And exactly what jobs will he be denied? Government, public, or private? We're not talking a juvie criminal record here...

No, he does not have to disclose any mental health issue - that's private medical information. No one accesses school records when hiring someone after they've graduated, especially if they've gone on to college and graduated from there - they could care less about high school or lower performances.

:goodpost: Wow. I think that response "trumps" MB's "upright" post.

Vice Lord wrote:

Sunshine Girl wrote:

Vice Lord wrote: But since i'm involved in the thread now I have to side with Major Bean here..To give your kid mind alterring phamacuticles is almost criminal in my opinion, especicially if the child just "can't sit still" in school. I never had to be make that decision because my kids were all well adjusted, but if I had a kid that was too wild for school, id take him/her outta school before I tried to calm him/her down with drugs. Why does anybody trust these doctors and thier drugs? There was a time when people let doctors perform labotomy's on their incorrigible kids, this is not that bad, but it's close.

NEVER

Consider yourself lucky that you don't know more about the challenges that others face.

Like Bean said- I'd never tell a child of mine that they're brains aren't right ~ I don't think that is what they say VL! There IS something going on in the brain though.~

and I don't care how wild and outta control the kid is, drugs are not the answer- ~Easy to say that when you're sitting in the cheap seats.~

and to try to drug a kid into being like everyone else goes against everything that's good.................. I don't want him/her to be like everyone else. ~LOL I don't think they give their kids medication to make them like everyone else, but to help them.~

I think there's probably something wrong with a kid that can happily sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day.. ~ I could agree with that statement!!!!!~

My niece and nephew were both placed on ADHD drugs and it was really sad to see how zombified they became. Luckily they grew out of it or their Mom just decided that she didn't like the effects and now the boy is quite a scholar studying Chinese and very inquisitive.

People are different. How one child reacts to a medication is different from how another child will. It's very easy to criticize someone on an anonymous forum when you are utterly ignorant of the facts. Science Chic- your dignity in the face ofthese attacks is admirable. There can be little doubt of the high quality of your parenting. It would not surprise me to find out that ADHD is a group of symptoms for seperate issues, thus the broad differences inwhat treatments work for what child. Animportant aspect of good parenting is to educate yourself and then do what is best for your child, not what pleases the peanut gallery. Kudos.

I realize this topic is not about Type 1 Diabetes, but in many respects, how you deal with the disease has many of the same factors.

Diabetes is also a disease that affects behavior. As a parent, you have to always be vigilant for physical and emotional issues. Some parents are not equipped to do this. Others do a remarkable job.

You look for whatever help you can get. The family dynamic is different in every case. Anyone who has a child with physical/emotional issues knows this.

Quit being so judgmental. Unless you know exactly what the issues are, the family dynamics, the support system for the family, you are talking out your arse.

I just wouldn't give them to my kid under any circumstances..And treating a persons low blood sugar is not the same as altering a persons brain. That's my opinion and It's not gonna change just because people don't agree with it