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CalicoKat

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Posts posted by CalicoKat

  1. Thanks for the responses everybody!

     

    We did go to a developmental optometrist who is listed at COVD. They recommended a minimum of 24 therapy sessions with at least 4 days of homework a week. Because we homeschool and can come in during they day we get a little discount ($90 per session).

     

    My DD has handwriting and spelling issues. Her reading is slightly behind grade level, but not by much (about a half a year behind). I can't tell a thing about her visual memory, because her memory in general is shaky. AWANAS were almost like torture to her. She did like the games though. :)

     

    She was supposed to be repeating 1st this year, but we brought her home to do a 1st/2nd hybrid. I think I'm mostly nervous "put all my eggs in one basket" so to speak. How do I really know that this is what her issue is, and not something else all together? I'm mostly just wanting to help her this year because we really weren't looking forward to ANOTHER year of struggling and frustration.

    Ask them after how many weeks should you start to see improvements. If at that time you don't see any changes then a discussion or further research into "what's next."

     

    For us the process of helping our daughter has been like peeling an onion. Diet changes. ADHD diagnosis with medication and the myriad of adjustments. Finally VT, no medication, Feingold Diet changes still in place with an occasional cup of coffee.

     

    Maturity sometimes is the best thing too in getting to the bottom of things. Nothing like looking for something that you don't want to describe to her but you can't see or feel like she does but you know it's something. Our dd is just starting to be able to tell us what she's feeling, thinking, etc about her ADHD and it's made this more of a partnership to discover how to help her blossom.

     

    Although some days it's still a fight, sigh. Good and the bad always together.

  2. I got the results from my DD's vision screening today. She has some tracking, convergence, and visual memory problems and they recommended VT.

     

    So...now what? Should I seek out another opinion by going through an our physician to find an opthalmologist?

     

    We are a bit nervous about putting so much money toward something that may or may not work. If she doesn't get VT, she will get prescribed reading glasses to use for close-up work.

     

    We had to go to a developmental optometrist for vision therapy for dd 9. They recommended 12 weeks of therapy (daily homework + 1/wk visit with the therapist). She' just finished her 5th visit and I can already see a difference in her ability to add columns of math during our homeschool time. It's working. It's a ton of work.

  3. our child gets sent to her room for the rest of the day. I just can't tolerate it. No one else would tolerate it. So we lovingly send her to find her self-control for the rest of the day.

     

    She used to get three warnings in hopes of avoiding the inevitable. But now that she's almost 10 it's an expectation that she will maintain her cool or remove herself until she's got it under control again.

     

    She gets her meals and bathroom time. And hopefully she gets the message that her behaviour is not tolerated and certainly no one enjoys hanging out with her when she behaves that way. No attention.

  4. So the weight gain came since she quit taking her ADHD meds? Most of these kinds of meds are basically speed. They speed up the metabolism. She was used to eating based on that metabolism. Now that she has stopped taking these meds, her metabolism has slowed down and her body is storing the calories she isn't burning. Of course she is hungry because her body thought she was starving. Metabolically it is the same as if she was in starvation mode before and now that more calories are available her body is storing them to protect against future lean times.

     

    Unfortunately, I have no idea how to correct the problem but I am dealing with the same kind of problem albeit from a slightly different cause. My guess is that she is going to need the help of a nutritionist to help with this.

     

    I agree the the medication I believe is the root of the problem. I feel like the medication set us back more than it accomplished in the end. :( All that struggle to balance sleep, diet, and adjusting it often because it was flattening out her personality.

     

    Well I can't undo that now.

  5. My first guess is the absence of her meds has caused this. Six months ago her meds were stopped. She gained this weight in the same time period.

     

     

    My second guess is an under active thyroid.

     

    Yes, the thyroid is a separate test and you may have to push for a visit to a pediatric endocrinologist. Often times the correct tests are not ordered by the regular doctor.

    Alrighty then, I'm on it.

  6. Completely agreeing with the others but also wanted to add that it may be worth having her thyroid checked.

     

    My cousin's child wound up having something wrong with her thyroid around that age that made her start gaining an amazing about of weight in spite of their vigilance about food and exercise. Just a thought anyway.

     

    is this a separate blood test?

     

    She just had her yearly physical with blood tests. They all came back normal.

  7. What is she snacking on? Do you keep sodas and junk food in the house? Or is she eating just too much?

     

    Here's my suggestions.

     

    -Stock only healthy snacks of fruits and veggies? Make it a full family thing. Every one in the family would benifit.

     

    -Make a snack bowl. Tell kids these are your choices, you get one pick in the afternoon. If one kid always seems to be losing out on his favorite snack, you may have to have different bowls for each kid.

     

    -Set specific snack times. Maybe a mid morning snack and an afternoon snack. You pre approve the snacks. If they miss snack time, they have to wait till lunch or dinner.

     

    butter and whole wheat toast are her snack of choice. Very liberal with the butter. I've taken to only freezing the butter so it's not spreadable. Otherwise she could use a whole stick on several pieces.

     

    We've followed the Feingold level 1 program for at least 5 years now. No soda, very few chips, no candy, she hates chocolate.

  8. We were surprised to learn how much weight dd 9 had gained at her last doc. visit. She'd gained 35lbs in the past 6 months.

     

    The doc said it was too much and that in the next six months we should either see a huge growth spurt or if her weight gain continues have a heart to heart with her about her diet.

     

    I don't want to be the cause of my dd's struggle with weight and self image so I want to do this right.

     

    Tonight dh weighed her because he was concerned after their morning jog at how she was gasping and he was suddenly seeing how her clothing is getting so tight. (I'd suggested a shopping trip and that's why he was more aware than usual of this). She's gained an additional 4 lbs in the past two weeks since her physical. While it's not an alarming amount it still shows us that it's alot.

     

    This is my dd with ADHD. We stopped her meds 6 months ago per her doctor's suggestion because of the side affects she was beginning to have with her vision and sleeplessness. She did swim team this summer so she's been super active.

     

    I do think that the impulsiveness with ADHD is a huge factor here. We've seen this manifest in other ways i.e., carving my kitchen cabinets.

     

    We've talked about food choices. Short of locking the cabinets and refridge it's going to be tough. When she's hungry, she eats.

     

    Thoughts? Suggestions? I'd welcome your BTDT ideas.

     

     

    Thnaks.

  9. We recieved a fully paid scholarship for my daughter, I am so excited. It was something we applied for last March and I thought that we just didn't get it. They called me last week and told me that depending on the first session results ( a session is 27 visits) they may pay for 2 sessions! My daughters eyes are severe and they think she may need 2 full sessions. Each session is around $4,000. Can you believe how expensive it is! We start after Labor Day.

     

    It changes the school schedule alot, I feel a little overwhelmed with trying to add in two preschoolers this year and getting everything done. I think I will just worry about reading, math, phonics, writing and some language arts for the next few months for my daughter while she is in VT. Then see how it goes before I add in anything else. My dd doesn't function well if it gets to late in the day with doing school.

     

    We are already at the hospital on Monday for several hours for therapy. Tuesday and Wedn. are Vision Therapy. To keep the scholarship you have to do the required homework. How much homework is done for VT in a week so I can figure out some sort of schedule? What is the homework that they want you to do at home?

     

    Thanks ladies!

    1 hour daily of home exercises (6-7). The exercises require Mom or Dad too.

  10. Thinking this over for a day, I think I'd change the locks, tell all my friends as if it is the funniest thing I've ever heard of, and wait for someone to spill their joke. Really, who sneaks in a house and heads for the one room with someone sleeping in it, a male and female couple? A joker. A thief usually works alone, rarely as a male/female pair, and if they sneak in a house at night to steal, they case the joint and start with the easy stuff first...not talking in the room of a sleeping person, and giggling to boot--just to turn and leave. I vote for an aborted practical joke with two people who are friends of friends of sister, and who had no idea there was a recorder in place. Alcohol may have been involved.

    hope you're right.

  11. Someone help me! I was thinking of making some red velvet cupcakes to send to my brother in Afghanistan (you can send tons of stuff if you vacuum seal it), but then I was worried the cupcakes might not work. Then I found this, and I am so on it! But I cannot find my really awesome red velvet cake recipe that I used for years. Anybody got one that they would love to share. I know the one I used was really dark red, if that means anything. Thanks!!

    cool idea! My sister might be headed there soon. She just finished boot camp and she's waiting for her orders. She's an army nurse.

  12. but we don't buy it. We sell it. We bought raw milk for seven years locally before we started our own small dairy. I've had the joy of hearing many, many of the raw milk health benefits in action from our customers. Just yesterday my husband told me a woman said "I praise you" to him :001_huh: because she has had severe stomach pain for over a year and since she began raw milk she's been pain free. Not everyone can do raw milk though. If you have a milk allergy, milk isn't good for you in any form. If you have lactose intolerance...then you can likely do raw milk.

     

    Raw milk is an extremely nourishing food and healing food and I have a lot more to say about it than that, but I save my research and experience for those really interesed these days. ;)[/quote

    ironically one of my sons is allergic to milk of all sorts. We'd been drinking raw milk for several years and I never thought milk was the source of his allergy since we were drinking it raw. He's on almond and rice milk now and his allergies have cleared up. I was bummed.

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