Real life

Ok I know I typically stick to scrapping stuff and pics around here, but I felt like sharing a bit of real-life today...some of the everyday. If you have know me long, you probably know my youngest son, Nick, is bi-polar with ADHD. He was diagnosed at just shy of 4 years old and has been on a freakish amount of medications ever since. From 2 1/2 years to 4 1/2 years, we went through 8 daycares because no one could handle him. We are on our 4th doctor/psychiatrist. And I couldn't even begin to count how many time we have changed medications. Early Childhood Special Education was a God-send. I don't think he would have been able to start kindergarden with out that program. We have been amazingly blessed with fantastic teachers so far, and special education teachers that are just outstanding. And Nick excels academically as a result. Lately we have noticed him back-sliding...old behaviors beginning to re-surface. Aggresion, inattention, easily frustrated, unable to concentrate or stay on task, anger or crying for no apparent reason...things that we haven't has to deal with on a daily basis for sometime due to a really good mixture and balance of meds. Our old doc recommended a new doc...same facility, just a new doc. One that specializes in kids like Nick; kids that are hard to treat. We saw him today, and new doc decided it was time to try something new...that after almost 2 years on the same combo, that perhaps there was a tolerance being built up or a metabolism shift that was causing his meds to no longer be effective. So I spent the evening waiting for new meds to be ready and dividing up the old ones into smaller doses so we can ween him off the old, at the same starting the new. The next week to 10 days will be rough as his body adjusts to the new combo and gets rid of the old meds. This process always scares me. So much medication in a body so small. And a kid that just wants to be and act like the other kids having even less control than normal over his emotions and reactions...it's very hard sometimes. But then I remember how much worse it could be...so, so much worse. And that's when I stop and thank God for only giving me this battle to fight and pray for those parents who have so much more to handle.