I've mentioned before about Alex having ADHD.  Although we've never had him actually diagnosed, it's very clear to us.  I can go to any website and look at the list of symptoms - they all match Alex perfectly.  Keith was diagnosed when he was a child; I believe the statistics are that our children will have a 50% chance of having it as well.

For a very long time, I tried to think of Alex as being high-energy.  He's just a normal kid with more energy than most.  Putting him in school opened my eyes more.  I've mentioned that his teacher has had talks with me regarding his activity level.  During Alex's Christmas program, I could just see how different he was from the other children.  He was the one up there bouncing all around, jumping in place, making faces instead of singing along with the class. 

At home, I've learned how to handle Alex's energetic moods.  We try to limit his sugar and food dye intake.  As soon as he gets riled up, we try to calm him down.  It works most of the time.  However, taking him out in public is quite different.  There are so many things that stimulate his mood that he gets to the point where he's bouncing off the walls. 

Okay, where am I going with all this?  When Alex had his appointment last Thursday, I talked to his pediatrician about ADHD.  This doctor was also Keith's pediatrician.  She remembers Keith quite well.  Anyway, I talked to her and she said, "I don't know how you've managed so long without having him on medicine."  She didn't say it in a bad way...it was almost sympathetic.  She gave me some forms to fill out and would like to see Alex again on Thursday of this week.  She mentioned putting Alex on Adderall.  I warned her that Keith is very anti-Ritalin (as well as several other family members who have had first-hand experience with it).  She said that Ritalin isn't as widely-used anymore because there are other medications that work well.

When I got home, I had to figure out how to tell Keith that I had a talk with Alex's doctor.  For months now, Keith has said that he refused to put Alex on medicine.  That is one of the reasons why I wanted to try the fish oil.  However, the more I think about it, the more reluctant I am about that as well.  I am not a doctor; I do not know how much to give Alex or what else he might need in addition to the oil.  It all came down to this:  I told Keith that I wanted to try medicine for the sake of Alex, not his teacher or us or anyone else.  I thought I might be a bad parent for wanting to put him on medicine, but another thought creeps into my head...What if I'm being a bad parent by not putting him on something that can help him?  I've seen Alex in situations that have made me think twice.  Once when he was playing with some other kids, I overheard one of them say, "Watch out for that kid, he's crazy" because Alex was so hyper.  I've even heard other kids call him hyper.  It breaks my heart to think of Alex feeling left-out and not exactly understanding why. 

On a different note, we finally have his upset stomach under control.  He lost two pounds.  He was given Zantac to help with the pain (doctor said it was caused by stomach acid, which was caused by not eating, which caused the nausea).  He's back to eating normal again. 

Anyway, I'll update again after his follow-up appointment.  I still have yet to fill out the form, but plan on doing it tonight.