Taevy Update
Thanks for all of the prayers you've said for Taevy. I also appreciate the tips on how to help control her ADHD without the medication. I'm so PLEASED to share that the time off medication hasn't been quite as bad as anticipated. We are going to try fish oil, as some of you suggested. In the meantime, we are allowing her to drink caffeine during the day. This is so against my mommy-mind--to give my child caffeine! But for ADHD kids it has a calming effect. We've been doing a Diet Coke a day with some effect but not much. [I don't like giving her artificial sweetner, but the sugar in a regular coke would counteract the good the caffeine does, so it's the lesser of two evils for now.] Yesterday we bit the bullet and purchased some instant coffee and creamer. She likes it! Drank a whole cup this morning and has been MUCH more calm than with Diet Coke alone. Unfortunately, she feels that she isn't anymore focused--just less hyper.
We have an appointment with the cardiologist on December 28th. Sounds like it will be a morning full of tests. They said to expect a 2 hour appointment. Hopefully it's nothing.
Maybe this was all meant to be? Well, obviously it was! ;-) It would be good if we were able to find a non-medical way to assist Taevy with the ADHD. The caffeine helps with the "H." Now if we can just find something to help with the "A!"
4 comments:
We do fish oil and folic acid ... and the GFCF diet. Worked a miracle in Parker!!!
Google 'sugar and hyperactivity'. Science doesn't back it that sugar makes kids hyper. It's a toss up -- sugar or artificial sweetener. She probably needs the calories in a can of regular coke (cruddy calories -- but calories nevertheless)
Mountain Dew gives a good caffeine jolt when needed too!
The attention part is more difficult (even with medication. I'll bet that the hyperactivity will decrease as Taevey grows (caffeine helps with that now), but the attention problem doesn't seem to decrease. That's been our experience (Alex is 13 years old.)
Hey ME. Yeah, I know that science doesn't back up the sugar thing in general. For TAEVY though, it makes a difference. Of course it's just a burst of energy followed by the let down--we just don't see much let down in her! ;-)
Taevy is sensitive to lots of dyes and preservatives so we try to stay away from the ones we know are triggers.
I know it would be in her best interest if we could add GFCF diet too--but honestly I'm just not to the level that I could commit to do it. I don't want to do it until we could do it RIGHT. There are several of us in the G family that would benefit from GFCF!
I haven't studied any diets for ADHD, - yet -,
the idea of caffeine helping with hyperactivity is a new one to me, I'll maybe have to give it a shot with a couple of my kids.
However, I do know a little bit about heart things. Our youngest was worn with a heart issue.
When he was in the hospital they would always give the premie babies caffeine to help their heartbeats speed up. So it could be that the caffeine is actually helping Taevey's heart as well....
Who know really, but it doesn't hurt to try things.
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