ADHD: A Dang Hard Dylan

I truly have felt that Dylan has ADHD since he was 18 months old. He's like a tornado. Like the Tazmanian Devil. All of those T words. He sucks the energy out of a room. He sucks the energy out of a mom. Big time. He can't sit still to eat dinner. He falls out of his chair like three times per every meal. He argues about everything. Stuff that isn't even arguable. He's bossy. He yells everything he says. He bounces off the walls. He's always crashing into people. He's wound so tightly. He's controlling. He wants everyone to listen to him, to watch him, to be involved with him.

I was really hoping that he was just exuberant. But he seems to be getting worse, and now he's having difficulties behaving himself in school. And he's having difficulties in relationships with his friends. He's just really hard to be with. My friend, Lorraine, told me a funny story. Dylan usually goes over to her house to play with her son, Noah, once a week. They were downstairs, playing Wii, and suddenly, Noah ran upstairs and outside, slamming the door behind him. Lorraine went outside and asked what was wrong. Noah said, "Sometimes I just need a break from Dylan."

I understand what you're saying, Noah.

So, at the beginning of the year, I started taking steps. I contacted Dylan's school counselor and told him I wanted Dylan evaluated for possible ADHD. It took him FOREVER to do it and to write the report. He observed Dylan twice, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon. Then he had Dyl's teacher and me fill out a survey about Dylan's behavior. He wrote a report, indicating that he believes that Dylan DEFINITELY has ADHD.

Next step - contacting a pediatrician. I found one that specializes in ADHD. He had Dyl's poor teacher fill out yet another form, and me, too. This time, it took Dyl's teacher FOREVER to do it. She finally just finished, so I gave the pediatrician the counselor's report and the two forms last week. Dyl is scheduled for a mid-April appointment.

I can't wait.

Give me the drugs. I'm ready for it. This summer will be a wonderful time to monitor the drugs and make sure they're working right, with minimal side effects. Hopefully we'll get it all figured out by the time school starts this fall.

A lot of people balk and gasp when I tell them we're putting Dylan on drugs, but I truly, truly feel this is the right route to take. I've had people suggest herbs and scented oils and all kinds of stuff, but for school purposes, I need something I can give Dyl in the morning and have it last all day. I can't go into the school five times a day to put essential oils on the back of his neck. I've tried herbs for depression and found them completely ineffective. They just make your pee expensive.

I'm ready for the pills. The Herb People and the Scented Oil People don't have to deal with Dylan from day-to-day. Just ask poor Megs, who baby-sat my kids all day once and nearly died. Or my poor mom, who was like a shell of a person when we came home last night. I am ready to do something drastic. I truly hope that these pills can make our house more calm and peaceful. I think the Spirit has a hard time residing here, in part because of the tumult that Dylan causes on a constant basis.

Bring on the drugs.