Sneak Peek: Introduction

My little guy is turning 5 in a month! A brief overview leading to his current diagnoses: we knew from birth that he had sleep issues. At 1, we learned that he had severe GI issues. At 2, we learned that he had sensory issues. At 3, we learned that he showed signs of a pervasive developmental disorder, but not severe enough to warrant any services. At 4, we learned that he most likely had Asperger’s. At 4 1/2 we had him officially (i.e. expensively) tested by a private psychologist. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s, Bipolar Disorder with components of ODD, ADHD, and mood disorder, and Conduct Disorder.

Today we face many, many challenges, the most pertinent of which is the mood swings, defiance, and rages. He was on Abilify for 6 months, and that made life…livable. I still got hit most days and he usually got in trouble at Pre-K, but it was livable. Then he developed a sudden, severe stutter that I thought might be TD caused by the medicine.  The psych said that was highly unlikely, since they use Abilify to treat stutters, but we tried taking him off it anyway. It worked. No more stuttering! But, mood swings. Oh, the mood swings.

We’re now trying Seroquel and Depakote. The Seroquel, which we started first, seems to make him super hyperactive and I really want to take him off it and try something else, but the psych says we should try it for a little longer, especially since we’ve pretty much tried everything else to no avail. The Depakote does seem to help with the physical aggression.The bicycles and chairs don’t fly at me quite as often these last few days. This last month or so has scared me. It has opened my eyes to what medicine changes and shifting cycles will mean for our future. How will I do this when he’s stronger than me?

Advertisements