Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Day Two

" Crystallize in your mind what you want from the future but remember it's the moment that gets you there." -Michael Burkill

I was at a doctor's appointment with two of my kids, yesterday. This doctor was an ear, nose and throat specialist. Even though Daniel was not the patient, I felt a nudging in my heart to ask him what his opinion was on ADHD and any connection it might have to the adenoids. You see, in starting this blog, I have already received many tips from people who either suffer from ADHD symptoms or know someone who does. One such tip was from a lady who had simply heard that there was a connection between the adenoids and ADHD. This intrigued me and caused that nudging feeling I just told you about.

I know that doctors can get irritated when a patient asks questions that are unrelated to the reason for the visit. Their time is precious, after all. I knew I was taking a chance in asking his opinion, but I just had to. Luckily, he did not seem to mind at all. He told me that the adenoids, when enlarged, cause sleep apnea. Many children who suffer from ADHD symptoms, are in fact suffering from a lack of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Tired children are hyperactive children. He suggested a sleep study be done for Daniel, followed by a visit to his office to check the adenoids. I wanted to hug the man. Maybe this is not an answer, but it is a possibility. All I have to go on right now are questions and possibilities.

Now, I'm not saying that Daniel exhibits sleep apnea. He has, however, had restless sleep since he was a baby. He used to hold his breath in order to calm himself at bedtime. He has a hard time relaxing and always has. In fact, many nights, I still have to lay by him and lead him through a relaxation technique I learned, called "Blue Light." It works wonders. He's always asleep by the time the blue light reaches his toes. He is a child that so badly wants to relax, but cannot seem to do it on his own. So this whole sleep apnea possibility, might hold some truth for our case. I'm still weeding out possible allergens, limiting our diets and continuing the answer search, as well. Hopefully, with diligence, we will arrive at a combination of things that work for us.

YESTERDAY'S FOOD LIST
  • Brown Sugar Shredded Wheat w/ whole milk
  • grapes
  • pretzels
  • peanuts
  • Wheat Thins (I discovered, too late, that they have corn syrup in them...oopsie.)
  • String Cheese
  • Pears
  • Water (lots of it, as we were at the park and it was hot.)
  • Grape juice mixed with water
  • Meatless Spaghetti
  • Garlic Bread (I made our own on wheat bread. The kids complained.)
  • Salad (Daniel likes his w/out any dressing. Go figure!)
  • Milk

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kadi,
I have a child who was borderline ADHD. I took away anything with Red dye in it. Coolaide, soda, juice, foods, and the dreaded candy. For some reason it helps.

Rhonda

Anonymous said...

Yes mam. We are doing that too. Any artificial dye seems to set him off.
Our bodies were not designed to process artificial substances, of any kind. As a result, we experience side effects, one of them being hyperactivity.
I am going to do a whole post on food dyes.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by, huck doll!! Please leave all info you have on ADHD, for the benefit of others. It is appreciated, greatly!

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