Continuing To Look For The Needle In the Haystack

I am acutely aware that food impacts mood and allergies can be a tremendous factor in the behavior an individual may exhibit from time to time.  Therefore, the kids both have allergy assessments this week.  I remember how exhausting it was for me and how irritable it made me when I was suffering from allergies as a child, and in hindsight I had wished I'd been tested and treated long before it finally happened.  I didn't know how it felt to NOT have constant nasal dripping, or post nasal drip and sneezing all the time.   It was truly exhausting.  I don't want my children to suffer with the same thing, especially when they are already hyper-sensitive to stimuli.  Wish us luck this week as we endure the initial allergy testing process.
In addition, this fall I am planning to implement a gluten free diet to see what if any changes in mood or behavior occur.  I have frequently been engaged in the exhaustive process of tracking moods in my children along with diet, exercise, medication, and behavior, but finding a pattern is like finding a needle in a haystack!   They have had their blood tested for anemia, diabetes, lead, vitamin deficiencies, and thyroid issues.  They have had their hearing and speech tested, their cognitive functioning for learning disabilities assessed,  and occupational therapists have evaluated their need for specialized kinaesthetic therapy.  I feel like there is sooooo much work to do but and I am never doing enough to help them.  The other day it occurred to me that they have never been tested for Lyme Disease, and the fact that ticks can be anywhere AND we do a lot of camping/hiking, makes this is a test that really needs to be done.  Lyme disease CAN rear it's ugly head in the form of behavior problems!

For the past few years I have had the nagging reminder that there is mental illness in the genetic line (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) and I know that early detection (based on the problems we have already experienced) and early treatment is always best.  Lately though, I have been questioning just what is the best treatment for what we are seeing in my kiddos.  I hate the "treat the symptoms" viewpoint of the medical profession where they just want to find the "right" medications to treat your child.  I want to investigate the why, the patterns of behaviors, the triggers, and teach my children how to cope with their world and how they interpret it in their own effective way.  I need them to know that there is nothing inherently wrong with taking medication for a chemical imbalance in the body/brain, but it is NOT an excuse for maladaptive behavior that is detrimental to either themselves or to others.  They learn differently, that is for certain;  they express themselves differently, that is for SURE;  and they have to learn to be all they can be in this world despite their differences, with the glorious gifts they have been given!

My son is an artist; a creative, kinaesthetic, and multi-dimensional imaginative and expressive little guy who LOVES drama, drawing, painting, sculpting, and building especially with  Legos and Bionicles.

My daughter is a manager; a linguist who needs everyone to say and do things things the way she thinks they should (hmmm, we are continuously struggling to manage that :/ ), a person you can count on to make others toe the line, and a girl who loves the power of words written, spoken, or imagined they are powerful and alive for her.


They are both gifted in their own way.  Yes they each have a tremendous measure of difficulties to overcome, but don't we all in our own way.  I pray they will be stronger on the other side when they learn to effectively overcome the obstacles before them.  There is no doubt in my mind that that will be successful in life!  They are talented kiddos who will have to WORK for everything, and THAT America is what our nation is built on, right?!  Who knows, maybe they will be the next generation's famous leaders!?  OY!  :)