Okay guys,my kid had his personal appointment with HIS physican. For those of you who didn’t read my prior post,my 12 year old decided it was time for him to discuss his ADHD medication issues, with his physican.
Yes,the DR. charged me another 90 bucks.
The outcome? He,my son,felt like things were going so well right now, that he would like to keep things just the way they were.
Ironicly,he,my son,never said anything to me at the time,but in the discussions about whether his meds were working for him,(they were neither hurting him or hindering him) the DR. brought up the thought of using concerta for him,like his younger brother. My son,if you guys remember started getting rude,and the DR. suggested he return to discuss this privately. So we did. found out that my son,was concerned about Concerta,because ritalin gave him terrible headaches. It did. He doesn’t get them with dexedrine. Instead of requesting no medication,he simply wanted to continue with dexedrine instead? Go figure.
( the Dr. quietly told me of the outcome in the back as I was writing my check)
OKay,maybe he came to this determination after the two weeks of thinking things over. Maybe he just didn’t know how to articulate this the last visit?
On the way over to the visit,he,my son,asked me”what should I say?” I told him,”son,state your feelings as specifcly has you can,stay respectful,and polite
remember if you want someone to listen to you,they must feel like you are listening to them”. Then he said,” what if he says something stupid?”“tells me some dumb joke?” At a loss,I said,”humor him”,the fact is this DR. does tell them stupid jokes,he really doesn’t understand the depth of my child’s understanding of things. I then told him,look son, I know he gets goofy with you,but believe me when I say,he is the BEST with medications. “he’s not the best in the world” he states. “No, he is the best within driving distance.” I give him my best Mom stare.. Look son,you will do just great. I trust you. ( okay,I want to trust him,I really do.I also knew that if I made a bigger deal about it,he would get agitated)
He was quite impressed with himself,kept his thoughts to himself,I simply asked how did it go? Fine,fine,was all he would tell me.
So here it is ladies and gentlemen,I paid 90 bucks,for my kid to decide dexedrine was just fine with him. On the side,he didn’t argue with his brother over the front seat,when we left the Dr. office. In some ways,THIS was worth 90 bucks:-)
Re: My adolescents visit with HIS Dr.
socks -
That $90 let your son experience a little taste of life as an adult. He got to discuss the issue on his own with a knowledgable professional and came out feeling successful. He’s growing up!
You didn’t get new medication, or even a different dosage, but you did get a glimpse of your son moving progressively toward successfully handling issues on his own as an adult.
Sometimes I feel like if I knew now that our LD/ADD child would reach an independent, successful adulthood someday, it would so much easier to cope with the crisis du jour today! A pediatrician once told me that raising high-strung children (we have two) would be extremely trying because they know what they want and they are going to try their hardest to go after it whether we like it or not. He said that that quality is frustrating for us while they are children, but as they reach young adulthood that quality turns into an asset. At a point where others flounder from lack of direction, their strong sense of knowing what they want will move them forward in life.
I often think of that conversation when one of my children is about to burst a gasket and cross my fingers and hope it’s true.
Best wishes!
I remember your previous posts about this and can empathize with the $90 out of pocket. There are so many other things that $90 could have gone toward. It IS a lot of money to spend to find out that your kid is ok with taking the dexedrine. He could have just told the doctor that in your last visit. It is maddening.
But, from the post, it looks like the $90 wasn’t a total waste. Now you know that he is OK with taking the dexedrine. That is important to know. I also see a huge developmental milestone toward becoming an independent adult. He was able to successfully advocate for himself one-on-one with the doctor. I don’t blame him for being proud—what a self esteem booster. And why fight with your kid brother on the way home from the doctor? That’s like so 11 1/2!
BTW, I like your doctor.
LJ