OMG!

I just told her to brush her hair. Lance took Ethan to Rocky Mountain Urgent Care and I was running around getting both of us ready to meet them. Ethan came down with a sore throat, fever and then he was having trouble breathing. Every time he would go to sleep he would wake up in a panic because he couldn't breathe. He's okay. The doctor said he has laryngitis and inflammation in his nasal cavity. His lungs are fine, his oxygen level was good but at five years old he can't figure out how to breathe through his mouth. He finally figured it out. I thought he learned that in the NICU - suck, swallow, breathe. I guess he'll be one of those kids who as soon as he learns something out the brain it goes. Anyway, back to, I just told her to brush her hair. Gobs of hair came out of her head and I had to cut out the rest.

Ki-Hap!

Madison earned her yellow belt in Taekwondo. Yeah for her!

Tony the Tiger G-R-E-A-T!

I have to say since I last blogged on Monday morning Madison is doing so good. She hasn't yelled at me or anyone this week, she's getting up for school in the mornings with no problem and happy too, no more tantrums and she was able to get 2 stripes on her belt on Tuesday night for a total of 4 stripes to show that she’s ready for testing to get her yellow karate belt next Friday night. No more stomachaches or nightmares either. It's a miracle! What a testimonial Dr. Tim Cummins @ Infinity Wellness Center will get from us.

Medicate or Not to Medicate

I have a kid who's not all there and I say that in the most loving way. In preschool we knew something wasn't right but no one would listen. She was our first born so we didn't have any other kids to compare her to until her little brother's personality came out. I know you shouldn't compare your kids but we kept thinking; he doesn't do that, he doesn't act like that, and who in the world does things like that? Things that make you go hmmmm.

One day Madison's Kindergarten teacher told us that she would recommend we get her tested. She wouldn't say for what, so not to offend, just that she was "different" than the other kids. A friend of mine mentioned that she might have Aspergers Syndrome. What the hell is that? I went home and Googled it. Autism? Are you kidding me? My daughter may have autism? No way, uh-huh, not my daughter. I did the Aspergers checklist. Check, Check, Check-Check. I called her pediatrician and we made an appointment with Children's Hospital. That was in the Spring of 2007. She was diagnosed with ADHD, sensory processing issues with tactile defensiveness, oral excessiveness with the need for motor input. What do we do with that information?

Medicate. We took the easy way. My husband told the pediatrician, "One of us is walking out of here with medication, either her or me". After using her as a test mouse, adjusting her medication to find the right dose; if she turned into a zombie we over medicated, if she didn't keep her attention longer during the day we under medicated. We hated it. Dealing with the side effects, stomachaches and nightmares. It was awful.

Recently, we met with a chiropractor (our son's best buddy's dad) and he explained the reasons why she shouldn't be medicated and to go a more "natural" way. We see his point and we're willing to try. After talking to us, he feels that she does have some autistic traits. We agree. There's just more to her than what Children's Hospital evaluation states. Being medicated has it's pros and cons and last week we took her off her meds and we remembered all the pros. She is driving me friggin' nuts. Yes, we did take the easy way out with one pill. Now, she's being adjusted three times a week, we changed her diet, and she takes 19 vitamins & minerals daily. Part of those capsules are detoxing her body.

Dad needs medication now. LOL. Which brings us back to our original problem. I'll keep you updated on her progress while I go insane.