A Little Journaling for My Daughter (Days 1 and 2)

A couple of months ago, my hubby and I were asked to meet with my eldest daughter's teachers. We did and discovered that daughter-dear is having some issues. Basically, she's struggling a bit with some of her subjects (we were already aware of this and were looking for ways to help her). She does well to a point, and then becomes very disorganized, distracted and forgetful. We dual assessed and her medical doctor determined that she is borderline ADD.

Before medicating, we talked with her about and have been strategizing with her teachers on ways to help her in the classroom. As for home, hubby and I are much more specific with our instructions and we take our time with explanations. We wanted to give everything the "old college try" before attempting more extreme measures.

The teachers are doing their part and are working with her closely. I also provided her with a digital recorder, so that she can bring her lessons home. Through all of this working with her, I've determined that she's an audio learner.

Last weekend, we went to the grocery store and my eldest really showed her true colors. It was all we could do to keep her maintained and we could see how hard it was for her to do calm down and handle what we were trying to tell her. I talked with hubby, did a bit more research and we decided to try the medication. The doctor has instructed us to watch her for 7 days (including the weekend for this week only) to see how she reacts. We were optimistic about what it could do for her and, knowing that it only stays in the system 12 hours, are hopeful the side effects, if any, aren't too much for her.

DAY 1: 1/25 (ironically, my birthday)

I gave Zee her first pill after a very hearty breakfast. When I picked her up from school, she commented on how in-tune she was to things. A friend's earring brushing against her jacket (Zee could hear it). She also commented on the striations in the pant on a door. The big eye opener was when she bumped a child in the highway, apologized then asked the girl who's class she was in. The child is in her class and has been since the beginning of the year. (Really?!)

When she came home, she proceeded to organize the entire kitchen (the pantries and the pot shelves). It was amazing! I noticed that she wasn't all over the place and was able to follow all of my instructions without forgetting everything five minutes later. I was hopeful this was all a good sign.

Hubby is incredibly intrigued, since Zee probably inherited the condition from himself. He has said that, depending on how she does, he may look into medicinal treatment. I reminded him that the drugs are often amphetamines and he would have to give up natural bodybuilding shows.

"If these help me to focus and stabilize, who cares about the shows." His words.

Day 2: 1/26

In the morning, she commented that she didn't fall asleep until twelve. Not sure if she was really wired or just excited about the prospects of what the medication is doing. With the little sleep she received, she was still up fairly early and didn't appear fatigued. She took her pill after breakfast and headed to school.

When I picked her up, she wasn't like she was yesterday, but she did appear to be fairly calm. She came home, she walked the dogs, got her snack together, played a violin song for me, then went to watch t.v with her sister. After work, I found her playing a game on her Blackberry Playbook. I asked her to do the dishes. She seemed very intent on her game. A few minutes later, I returned and asked her to do them again. Still, very into her game. I asked a third time and she went to accomplish the task. Not really sure of what to make of this, since I didn't specifically ask her to do them right then; however, after my second return to her room, it probably should have been obvious I was ready to have them cleaned.

Was the focus on the game part of the concentration? Maybe. She's not much of a gamer. She does have long periods of focus, if she's interested (drawing, dancing, listening to music). I'm also not sure if she's really just tired from lack of sleep last night. I suspect she'll head to bed with no problem anyway. Tonight was a dance night (hip-hop).

Day three tomorrow will consist of a follow-up meeting with the teachers. The nurse said the teachers probably won't see a difference until the entire seven days have passed. Her reasoning? With so many children in the class, it may not be so apparent at first. Zee happens to have nearly 45 in her room. We'll be lucky if her teacher notices in a month! I am curious, however, to see if they've noticed even a slight difference. Zee will also go to her counselor more regularly, too. She has an appointment next Friday. I want all of our bases covered. Anything we can do to help her succeed and not lose her self-esteem, will be beneficial in my book. Until tomorrow...