Claire update

We got a call from St. John's last week that they had a cancellation. So we got to see them today for Claire's diagnostic appointment. I filled out paperwork for 45 minutes in addition to all of the paperwork we took to Claire's pediatrician last week. We saw a pediatric-psychiatric nurse practitioner today who had reviewed everything from our pediatrician, all the forms that I filled out, and then interviewed/talked with both Claire and I. They have come to the same conclusion: That Claire has a very typical presentation of ADHD without hyperactivity. Her main area of concern is the lack of focus/attentiveness. When the nurse went through the common signs checklist, almost all of them fit Claire. Also looking at her past, she pointed out that all kinds of things that we just thought were part of Claire's personality were actually symptoms of ADHD. She also feels that Claire's perfectionism may be a symptom of her lack of focus. As in, she feels out of control about the way her brain is working, but she feels she can control how her papers look, etc. The nurse thinks this may subside a bit as she begins to feel more centered.

Without going into all of the nitty gritty details, we are very optimistic that medication will help Claire overcome a lot of obstacles that she's currently facing academically and socially. (We are going to try a very low dose of Adderall first. They think that this is the best one for kids without hyperactivity. It also supposedly has less of a chance for side effects.) She is also very excited to try this. We are going to very slowly ease her onto the medication, so it may be awhile before we have the right dose. I feel more comfortably doing this little by little than by starting her at a high dose that will work right away, but could possibly be over-medicating her. I prefer as little drugs as possible in her system. The main side effect we can expect is a marked decrease in appetite. We have to weigh her every week and really monitor her eating habits. Supposedly, the medicine causes you to not feel hungry. There are a few other possible side effects, but the appetite thing is the most common. We will be in close contact with the nurse practitioner as we get Claire started on the medicine and get her dosage worked out. We have to weigh her weekly, fill out a check form each day, and have been instructed to call immediately with any questions/concerns. We have to be back in the office in one month for our first follow up visit. The care they're taking with this definitely makes me feel a lot safer and more supported about this whole process!

So overall, I'm feeling pretty good about this right now. Since we have tried almost every non-medical option, I'm very hopeful that a low dose of this medication will work wonders on Claire. I feel ready to try this, all though I have to admit, I'm still a little scared! I've also talked with several people who have or know someone who has ADHD. So far all have said that Adderall is great. I will post updates as we see how this works. For now, please keep my little girl in your prayers...