I wish I could help. My 14 year old dd has been suffering with severe insomnia for over a year now. She has been on numerous sleep medications and none of them worked or caused severe side effects. We've seen numerous specialists and no one has been able to help us. We are getting desperate because her health has really suffered. She rarely gets more than 4 hours of sleep a night and that is in segments. She is depressed and is having a hard time coping with life right now. We just started seeing a chiropractic neurologist last week. He thinks that the problem may be the firing in a certain part of her brain. Fortunately we may be able to help it with therapy. If you are interested I can tell you more about it. He is also doing some testing to make sure that her body doesn't produce too much cortisol and a few other things. For the first time in a year we actually have hope. I will let you know how it goes.

What a day. I picked her up and took her to urgent care. Her heart was racing and her pulse was 120, which is very high for her since her resting rate is usually much lower. They did an EKG to make sure her heart was ok. Fortunately they don't think it is the serotonin syndrome but if she gets worse I'm supposed to take her to the ER. This evening she is still shaking and her heart is racing but she hasn't gotten worse so that is a good sign. It looks like she is just having a severe adverse reaction to the Lexapro. Needless to say we took her off of it. I think tonight is the first night she has been medication free for at least a few months. We still have to find out a way to make her sleep but at least I don't that she isn't in danger.

I have a call into the doctor but she is with a patient. I've checked online and there is something serious called seratonin syndrome, which is caused by too much seratonin in the system. I called dd at school a few minutes ago and she says that her heart is racing and that she is also sweating a lot (other possible signs of this syndrome). She has had a bad reaction to several of the drugs she has been on for insomnia (hallucinations, headaches, etc.) so it doesn't completely surprise me that she could have a problem with the Lexapro too. I'm trying to remain calm while waiting for the doctor to call. I'm trying not to over react. I told my dd to call me if she gets worse and the receptionist at the school is aware of what is going on and will keep an eye on her (it is a small school.) Now I'm wondering if I should go pick up dd to be safe but she has missed so much school already and I hate to be overreacting.

My dd (14) was just prescribed Lexapro to help with the depression that she has from severe insomnia. She started 1/2 dose about a week ago. A few days later she started shaking. Both the doctor and the pharmacist thought it was more likely that it was due to the Elavil that she was on for prevention of migraines after her concussion. She has been off of the Elavil since Monday and is still shaking. Today she started on a full dose of the Lexapro and she woke up with severe shaking. Now even her legs shake. Before it was just her hands and arms. I have a call into the doctor but in the meantime I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I feel awful because I had to bring her to school since she has already missed so many days due to illness and doctor's appointments. Now I'm really worried about her and I'm wondering if this is a serious side effect.

I don't have any advice but I can definitely relate. I really feel that at times the coaches just don't realize what they are saying or doing. Two years ago my dh was the assistant coach for my middle daughter's basketball team. She was a decent player but probably just middle of the pack. Since this was a rec league the girls were supposed to play about equal time. My dh got all caught up in a game that he actually forgot to put my dd for most of the game. I was on the other side of the gym directly across from him. Even several of the other parents noticed it. It took all my strength to not call him on my cell phone and let him have it. She really wasn't one of the worst players (not that it should have mattered) but later he told me that he simply forgot about her. Another problem is that the other girl who played while my dd sat was very vocal. If she sat out even for a minute she would be begging to be put back in. Sometimes it was difficult for the coaches to figure out who had just sat out, etc. This girl would actually lie and say that she just sat out when it was actually my dd. Since the head coach and my dh were too busy to notice they would just believe her and my dd wouldn't speak up. Dd learned a lesson after a few games and learned to speak up. I also dealt with an unfair baseball coach a few years ago. Before the season even started the coach had picked his favorites and who would play the infield, etc. Since his son was a year older than my son he had his son and all of his friends playing the key spots. My son and about 3 others were always stuck in the outfield and had to sit on the bench more than anyone else. He could never remember my son's name and would constantly get him mixed up with another kid who unfortunately wasn't a very good player. The problem was in this league they had a rule that everyone had to play at least 2 innings in the infield and could only sit out two innings. The coach ignored the rule and I didn't want to speak up because I didn't want to cause problems for my son. It was frustrating because I knew that my son was a lot better than this coach thought. Ironically my son played against that coach this year. It was the best game my son ever had. It was one of those games you only dream about. He made several great plays playing short stop including one barehanded play that everyone was shocked about. He did well pitching and he also had several great hits, especially when this coaches son was pitching. After the game the coach was telling my dh that my son should be on the travel league. He said that if my son didn't play travel league next year that he wanted my ds to play up to the next level so that he could be on his son's team. (His son is a year older and would be moving up to the next league) Pretty ironic since two years ago he couldn't even remember my son's name.

I just wanted to mention that we love staying at Windsor Pointe, which is a rental townhome community. We stayed there twice now (once peak and once off peak time). We had a 3 bedroom townhome with 3 bathrooms, a full size kitchen and washer and dryer. It was great to be able to come home and relax for awhile in the afternoon and to get away from all the crowds, etc. It is only 5 minutes away from Disney. The price was very reasonable. During spring break we only payed $125 a night. Offpeak it would be even less expensive. Also Mousesavers.com is a great website with many Disney tips. You may be able to find some suggestions there. Have a great trip!

My 17 year old dd and I am both this way. Last spring my dd and I were both feeling miserable. Since it was in the afternoon it was too late for us both to see different doctors (my doctor and her pediatrician) so we both just went to my doctor. My dd has a usual temp of 97 so if she has 99-100 she is pretty miserable. I tried to explain that to my doctor who was very rude to me and said that no way was anything under 100 a fever. She said that just had a cold. The following day dd was still feeling miserable and her temp was about the same. I took her to the pediatrician. It turns out that she had bronchitis and laryngitis. She was pretty sick and needed an antibiotic. I'm pretty much the same way. If I have a temp of 99 I know that I am sick and over 100 I'm really sick.

If she isn't feeling up to it then I would keep her home anyway. I'm wondering if I should be extra careful in case it is the flu, not only for her sake but because I wouldn't want to take the change of spreading it. It seems like some people have very mild illnesses with this and others have it severe so it is hard to tell.

Last spring when dd had a confirmed case of influenza she was hit really hard (high fever, aches and pains and a cough). It was probably the sickest she has ever been. She has had cold symptoms all week but no fever. She isn't near as sick as she was last spring but it is also not acting like a regular cold since it is hanging on so long. I figured it was because of her lack of sleep. Last night I started to get cold symptoms and today I feel awful. I don't have a fever but I have the chills. My nose won't stop running regardless of what meds I take and I'm pretty congested. Neither of us have a cough. My older dd just started to get the same symptoms this morning too. I'm just curious if we should treat this any differently. If older dd is still having cold symptoms should I keep her home from school on Tuesday? My other dd has had symptoms for 8 days. Usually they have to be fever free for at least 24 hours but I'm wondering if there is always a fever with the H1N1 flu.

If my kids take a multivitamin are they getting enough of the vitamins listed here to build up their immunity?

We've actually tried melatonin and similar things. We've also tried anti-anxiety and anti depression meds. Nothing works. Thanks for your input though. I appreciate it.

Not sure about the anxiety and depression. She has always had trouble sleeping but it didn't get bad until last fall. I know she is anxious about starting high school but I don't think it was bothering her yet last year. She has been seeing a therapist. She does feel that she has some anxiety and perhaps some a little depression but we think that the insomnia has actually caused both, not the other way around. The sleep study showed several problems: It takes her several hours to fall asleep. She wakes up at least 3 times during a night. (Fully awake for long periods-1/2 hour or so). She also basically "wakes" up 20 times an hour going back into the alpha waves. She is only 60% efficient in her sleep meaning that even when her eyes are closed she isn't fully asleep. Her REM sleep is also greatly compromised. My gut says that we should concentrate on getting her health back and worry about socialization later but on the other hand I know it was difficult for my older daughter to start going to that school as a sophomore since everyone had already formed their cliques.

DD is a freshman at the private high school where her older sister goes. My older dd enjoys school and is doing well. DD2 on the other hand is having a difficult time. I've mentioned several times about her chronic severe insomnia, which I feels is our biggest problem. She also got a concussion 3 weeks ago and has a post concussion migraine syndrome, which may take several weeks to resolve. She is on preventative meds for that but it only helps a little. Last weekend she started coming down with a cold and was hit hard with it on Monday. She missed school on Monday and Tuesday. She tried going to school on Wednesday but I had to come get her after a few classes. She was truly miserable. She missed again yesterday and is trying again today. Last night she broke down again. She is so miserable. None of the medications are working so she is lucky to get 4 hours of sleep. Ambien helps a bit but gives her hallucinations, which she is very uncomfortable about. She has been trying to keep up with her homework but is very worried about the logistics of trying to talk to all of her teachers today to get missed notes, etc. Last night she broke down again. She is just completely overwhelmed. She is so tired and that bothers her the most. This cold is lasting forever. She went through 2 full boxes of kleenex yesterday. She hates going to school. My dh feels that she needs the social benefit of school. I don't know why but dd doesn't seem to have a desire to make any friends. Right now she doesn't really have any. She has had a friend since preschool but they have very different lives and only see each other once or twice a year. Her other close friend moved away a few years ago. She doesn't have anything in common with most of the girls she meets. She has no interest in boys, makeup, trendy clothing, etc. and that is all most of the girls that she meets care about. Yesterday I talked with the adminsration and she is able to come in time for 3rd hour now, which gives her a few hours more of sleep. I'm hoping that will help but I don't even know how she is going to get through today. She has been so sleep deprived that she just has no energy (physical, mental or emotional) to get through the day. Part of me thinks that I should just homeschool her again and try sending her to school next year. On the other hand her sister is a senior and won't be there next year so it will be more difficult. I also feel bad that she has no one to hang out with other than her siblings. Academically a few subjects would be a challenge for me to teach but I think that I could do it even if that means finding an online class or perhaps having her take a class at the community college. My dh thinks that I am babying her and that she just needs to adjust to high school. I'm really on the fence. I truly believe that the majority of the problem stems from her lack of sleep but I also know that she does not want to go to school so I'm sure part of it is that. Any suggestions?

Last year my ds used Wordsmith Apprentice for writing with limited success. I'm trying to decide on a curriculum for this year (6th grade). He still has trouble writing a good paragraph. I am thinking about WWE 2, Writing Tales 2 or Jump In. Which would you suggest? By the way, I need a lot of hand holding when teaching writing so please take that into consideration.

yes we've tried melatonin at various doses along with several other natural remedies. She has also been on several different sleep medications (currently Ambien CR) but nothing seems to help or causes side effects (hallucinations, headaches, etc.) Of course we've tried the usual (no caffeine, no electronics at night, etc. but that doesn't make a difference. She has had trouble sleeping her whole life but it was tolerable. Over the past 6-9 months it has become worse. Without any medical intervention she can't fall asleep until 2 am and wakes up (for varying lengths of time) several times a night. She had a sleep study done which showed that she was probably only getting 3-4 hours of actual sleep. The school let her have study hall first hour and I bring her to school after that but she still has to get up at 7:00. Even on the Ambien she can't fall asleep until at least midnight (usually later) and even on the CR still wakes up during the night so she is probably at most getting 5 or 6 hours of sleep. Because it has been severe for the past several months she is really run down (has lost weight and appetite). She has had blood tests, which were fine. She had a recent concussion and they did a CT scan for that, which was normal. She has a post concussion migraine syndrome and gets headaches every day which doesn't help the matter at all. The number one thing she needs is sleep but I want to boost her immune system at least nutritionally.

That's the problem. She has severe insomnia. Now that she has to get up for school (private school) she is lucky to get 5 hours of sleep.

I really need help boosting my 14 year old daughter's immune system. She is still suffering from severe insomnia and is still having daily headaches from the concussion she had a few weeks ago. (The doctor said the headaches may last for weeks or even months). Needless to say, she is pretty miserable to start with. She started at private school last Monday and has already picked up her first cold/virus. The rest of the family seems to have had/has the same thing but the rest of us don't seem to be too bothered by it. DD on the other hand missed school this Monday, Tuesday and I just had to pick her up after 2 hours today. She is miserable and seems to have it a lot worse then the rest of us. Of course I want her to feel better but I also want to boost her immune system to help her avoid infections in the future (especially with the talk of this whole swine flu thing). Any suggestions?

Is this why my printer suddenly isn't working? I just replaced the blank ink cartridge (I got it refilled at Jewel Osco). The first few pages went fine and then I got a printer error. Now it says that there is something wrong with the color cartridge (it isn't empty). I've tried taking it out and cleaning it and putting it back in but nothing helps. What could be wrong?

When my oldest dd went to high school it was an adjustment for all of us but it wasn't too bad for my younger two. This year my middle dd is also going to high school. Yesterday was her first day. It was very rough for her because of her insomnia. She only got about 3 hours of sleep the night before. I think the actual day went by ok but it was overwhelming to her because she is so overtired and is still getting headaches from her concussion. Today both daughters went to school and it was the first day for homeschool for my ds (11). He is very close to his middle sister. They really are best friends. We started to do school and he burst into tears. He rarely cries so I know he is really upset. He really misses her and is miserable. To make matters worse I really don't know how we are going to fill our days since it will probably only take a few hours to finish school work since we are one on one. I'm hoping to plan a few field trips etc. but I doubt I will think of something to keep him busy every day. I don't want him to spend hours after school watching TV or playing video games, etc. I don't want him to be bored and lonely. He will have assigned reading to do for schoolwork so I know he won't want to read after school too. He has friends but of course they are starting school too. He will only see them during baseball or bowling league and occasionally on weekends for sleepovers etc. We've tried homeschool groups, which are few and far between in our area. One group ended up falling apart and the other one wasn't a good match for us. I want to acknowledge his feelings. I know this is a big adjustment for all of us but on the other hand I need him to be able to do his schoolwork. Any suggestions?

I would really like to get back to reading some of the classics and other good books. I would like to see a list like that but without books like Bridget Jones, etc. Does anyone know a good list? What would your top 20 be?

Nope. Probably not fabric softener. It only happens on her clothing and sheets. It is only on the inside neck area. It isn't spots. It's where her neck would rub on the fabric.

We have ruled out any kind of topical ointment, cream etc. that she is using. She doesn't use anything on the back of her neck and this is mainly where the problem is. The inside of the back collar is bleached. It isn't in spots. It's all along the back collar. She also only puts on acne med on a few spots on her face and only does it when she is wearing pajamas. She washes her hands before she touches anything. The next day she takes a shower and washes her face before she changes into clothing and doesn't put any more cream on. Now we've also noticed that the wall by her light switch in her room has bleached hand prints. We also recently bought new bath towels. Whenever she uses the acne meds she washes her hands well and then dries with a hand towel-not the bath towel. The bath towels are now getting bleached. We really feel that it is something being caused by her sweat. Has anyone heard of this? My dh did a google and did find a few health problems that can cause. Now we're wondering if somehow the insomnia and this bleaching problem could be related.

Where can I find out more about neurofeedback. I've never heard of it before. For the most part dd is a little better each day. She doesn't seem to have the dizziness anymore and doesn't seem to be confused but she is still getting daily headaches. She also still seems to have trouble concentrating and doing things like counting money. We went to the store yesterday and she had trouble counting change (not usual for her). She had a 2nd CT scan with contrast last Friday and it was normal but I am bringing her to a neurologist on Monday because of her ongoing headaches and trouble concentrating.

I would appreciate your prayers, good thoughts, anything for dd. As many of you know she has been suffering with severe insomnia for over 6 months. We have tried everything we can think of to help her including several prescription medications. Today she saw the sleep specialist again who put her on a trial of yet another sleep med. DD took it 2 hours ago and she has yet to fall asleep. DD starts high school in less then 3 weeks and she is truly starting to panic. How is she going to get through the day with only a few hours of sleep? To top it all off she received a minor concussion this past weekend. She is still experiencing pain, headache and occasional dizziness and blurred vision. She is also having a very difficult time concentrating and just seems "out of it". She put off her summer reading assignments until this week because the insomnia has made it difficult for her to do anything but now after the concussion she can't even remember what she read a paragraph ago. For one of the books she has to write a summary paragraph and application paragraph for each chapter and she can't even get a sentence down. I called her pediatrician yesterday and he says that these symptoms can last for 7-10 days but today her sleep specialist said that she felt we should take dd to a neurologist to have her evaluated. My dd is frustrated and scared. Between the insomnia and now the concussion she is very upset. I just wish there was something I could to help her.

Maybe wait and see how he does on a kid pitch team next year. In our town there is the park district team and there is a travel team that you have to try out for but you have to be 10 to try out for that team. Kid pitch starts at age 9 for the park district team. My ds is 11 and is just on the park district team. He is very good but my dh wants to hold off another year to put him on the travel team because it is such a time commitment. The season starts in January and doesn't end until late July. I believe there are several out of town tournaments that we just can't do right now. It sounds like your son has a lot of talent but I would be worried about him throwing out his arm. Eight years old is pretty young to be pitching a ton. We know a boy who is a great pitcher. He went to the travel team right away at 10 and at 11 already had to have shoulder surgery because he injured it already by overdoing it. I believe the park district teams usually have more of a limit on how many innings or pitches that the pitcher can have per game. At 8 years old I would want to be sure that there is a limit. He might also want to gain experience actually pitching in a game without the pressure of a travel team. If he has never pitched against batters it will be a whole new experience for him.