Some kids will go along with the decision and cooperate. Some kids won't and forcing them can actually be destructive to them emotionally and hurt your relationship. You have to know your kid. I had one who I helped into a clinical depression with the decision to hs, so in the OPs shoes, I would probably make the decision to sacrifice my own educational ideals for the sake of removing a middle school child from a school where he was doing well and was happy. My 12 yo is my youngest and has never loved hsing but we have somehow managed this long. She is the only one at home during the day now. My oldest two have moved out to college or career in the last few months. My next one is at high school or working. We were getting by, but then two of her best friends went from hsing to public schools this year and it's been very hard for her. All the activities haven't helped. We will probably put her into a private high school next year, a year early, but we still have to get through this year.

My first thought was POTS, too. I have POTS. My dd had POTS symptoms during high school. I never got her tested because I didn't realize it until late into the issues and other things were going on. Anyway, she had all the symptoms you describe and all the tests recommended here, including abdominal U/S, endoscopy, sleep study, and bloodwork up the gazoo. When she was about 19, I took her in for allergy testing after my other kids started having issues and tested positive for some common allergens. She had testing years before, but we went through it again. This time she tested positive to wheat, milk, and eggs, in addition to other things. In the years since then she gradually changed her diet and she is really a different person now. She could tell immediately that she had issues with eggs, but it took longer for her to realize that dairy was the cause of most of her GI issues because the reaction was delayed. Now that she is grown up and working and living on her own, she can buy and prepare her own food, it's been easier for her to control her diet. When she stayed at home between college and working, I could see the ups and downs when she "cheated."

Thinking of you, too, and looking forward to a post op update.

When I consulted a SLP after my youngest was born, she said she would act immediately if it were affecting eating. She also had a child with these issues so understood it on a personal and professional level.

I'm a healthy skeptic and lavender makes me sick and I'm not fond of diffusers. But there are EO uses that I discovered through friends and family that have worked. Tea tree oil eliminated recurring fungal infections on my feet after dealing with them for over twenty years. (Fungus-contaminated house slippers at a friend's house in Japan. Yuck.) One application of tea tree oil also eliminates red bumps after shaving. I have a couple family members who react to almost any shampoo, even high priced all natural stuff without the junk. Rosemary oil is the only thing that relieves their itching. I have chronic headaches and sometimes OTC stuff doesn't work. Rather than filling a script that my doctor gave me, on one desperate day, I tried a friend's peppermint oil along the hairline on the affected side of my head, and my headache became manageable within 15 minutes. Usually a headache would last two to three days, but it never came back after that first day. I could tell my head didn't feel right but the pain was gone. Now, I think I want to try peppermint oil for ants, which I prefer to the smell of cinnamon. I will get it from Whole Foods or Amazon. ? Any other things that really work?

I have two kids with tongue ties and got freaked out by a midwife who predicted speech problems would develop. Nothing like that ever happened. I think at least two of my kids also have a lip tie. I have a memory of the dentist pointing it out because it could cause a gap in the front top teeth. One's front teeth gap closed completely. The other's is so small that you can't really see it. She is the one who had a palate expander so that may have given her some extra room. My H had a lip tie and did not have speech problems but got it cut for other reasons. He does have a noticeable gap between his two front teeth. It's not huge but it's there.

Very interesting. It makes me want to do 23 and me. There's a lot of wonkiness in the family and I'd like to figure it out.

I love all these ideas. Thank you. I have heard about anxiety workbooks for kids so I'll look into that. And I'll go through my book shelf for inspiring books.

Interesting that you mention that because a few springs ago when she was going through the same thing, her pediatrician ordered bloodwork to try to rule out PANDAS. The tests were negative but I'm glad it was investigated.

Thank you. I hadn't heard of that before.

Have you tried Xyzal? That's what I was thinking about trying.

Uh oh. Now I'm afraid to try Zyrtec. She takes allergy meds through the fall but only has this problem in speing so I don't think the current med is causing it. I just wonder if she needs something else that might work better.

Every year, for my entire life, I would feel awful in spring. My mood was low, I was tired, I'd get GI symptoms. My mom was sure it was an anniversary syndrome because my dad left our family in spring when I was a child. But a few years ago, I started taking allergy meds and I I have never had that problem since. My D has seasonal and other environmental allergies. She takes Claritin. I find Claritin isn't strong enough to cut handle my post nasal drip in spring so I use Allegra in the spring. How do I know how much magnesium to give a 12 year old who is as tall as me, only skinnier? I really have almost no breaks and I think that might get worse rather than better. My oldest has been home helping a lot, but I think she'll be getting a job offer any day now.

There is some history of my youngest dd getting anxiety flares at exactly this time of year. This time it hit very suddenly and she is having a terrible time getting work done. She's 12 and I think the hormones are not making it any easier. She is my youngest of four girls and I know from experience this age has never been easy, even without anxiety to deal with. Besides school, she is also reluctant to practice and go to music lessons. Thankfully, she is still enjoying gymnastics, time with friends, and martial arts with her dad. I have put in a call to a counselor we've used in the past who is excellent and positive about homeschooling. Hopefully I'll be able to get her in soon. I may also try a different allergy med to see if that helps. A related problem is that my self-esteem is a little too tied into getting school done everyday. She is feeling bad but thinks I don't care. She thinks all I care about is school. :( And honestly I feel like a failure when school doesn't get done. It's irrational but it's bad. Crazy thoughts go through my head like I suck as a mom, I'm a loser, etc. Thinking about it rationally I know it's not true, but that's how I feel on the days she can't get more than a couple of things done.. :( I need some suggestions about how to handle this situation with her positively. How she is feeling is real and not manipulative, and I need to let go of my own anxieties about schoolwork.

To update, I recently made an appeal and dd got an additional grant. The cost would still be more than twice as expensive, so we won't be visiting again. This process is really stressful, though I'm very grateful for the amazing scholarships she's received.