Thursday, July 5, 2012

Not What I Was Expecting

Trent has always been 'strong willed' and 'high spirited'.  Lately, though, it has been much more than that.  He is getting more aggressive, harder to control, and nap/bedtimes are a disaster.  I blame the sleep difficulties on him losing his night-night.  Maybe all of it.  Because he was addicted, and his night-night helped soothe him when he was upset or tired.  I finally decided things were spiraling to where Brent and I didn't know what to do (and both fully admitted and said that).

So I called my psychiatrist.  I prepared a list of things I wanted to discuss.  I went through my entire list rapid fire.  And the first words out of Dr. Maynard's mouth?  'These descriptions sound like classic ADD symptoms'.

WHAT?

I was completely not expecting to hear that.  

Trent is too young to be diagnosed, and he hasn't been evaluated, but even hearing this was a total shock to me.  I might have cried (pregnancy hormones don't help).   

We talked a lot about things to do with his outbursts and trouble sleeping.  We have phrases to use on him repeatedly about him controlling his own body.  We have some new homeopathic supplements to try to help him calm down and dietary changes to make.  3 days in and we aren't really seeing much change.  But we're not giving in.  Trent has his 3 year well-check in a few weeks, so we'll also talk to his pediatrician.

You don't want your kid to be different, even if it's minor.  You don't want your kid to have challenges.  So needless to say, it's been an interesting week!

5 comments:

the blogivers said...

That doesn't sound fun to deal with or think about :( Hopefully your pediatrician will give you some good feedback!

plauschinat said...

I'm sorry, that must be quite difficult to process. But maybe your ped will have an alternate diagnosis or wisdom to share.

Kelly said...

I am sorry Allena. I know it has been difficult, especially as of late but the good news is even if he does have ADD it is very treatable. Whether with traditional medicines or through diet changes and homeopathic avenues. I have full faith in your and Brent and this will all work out in the end. Hang in there.

Melissa said...

Maybe he is just a strong willed 3 year old boy. I have one who is! He challenges everything and yes we pin him down to change his diaper or brush his teeth. Everyday!! I hope you get an answer to your questions but my guess is that he is strong willed. Boys are hard!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey friend. Sorry to hear about your mommy struggles but know you are not alone in your frustration of not knowing how to handle all that toddler energy. Wyatt has days that I say he is full of "devil energy". I just try to make sure we have plenty of outside energy-release (which is hard when it is 110 degrees and being inside with the Disney channel on sounds so much better), also although I haven't done research or anything on it, but I do notice a difference in wyatt's behavior when he is eating healthier and getting good sleep. And of course he is muh better when we are in a routine (because he is his mother's kid with a type A personality). I have heard from many friends that 3 is way tougher than 2!