Busy, Busy, Busy

What else can I say?  Gluten-free, sugar-free is exhausting!  I am constantly at the grocery store and in the kitchen.  I don't have a dishwasher so all the cooking and baking dishes need to be done right away.  There have been times that my dishes are drying on the drying rack, on one side of the counter and taking over the stove top! 

In the last couple of weeks, I have attempted to bake blueberry muffins, heart-shaped pancakes, and chocolate cake.  I have cooked an endless amount of chicken, turkey, rice, beans, and tortillas.  This is not easy coming from a regular mom who has no back ground in cooking what-so-ever!  I grew up on spaghetti and casseroles mostly and never even really learned how to measure properly!  Let's just say, the blueberry muffins were a huge success but the pancakes were another story!  I'll try to post pictures and even recipes when I have more time!

As far as the "Big Question" - Is the diet working?     -     YES!  My husband and I think it actually is!  It's hard to believe that something so small can make such a huge difference.  We have seen a tremendous difference in his ability to understand consequences and focusing on what matters.  He has been obeying us much more consistently and is not fighting us as much.  I have so much to say about this that I'll have to do a separate post just on his behavior.  The best way I can describe it is this - a fog has bee lifted from his brain and he is aware of what is around him and loves himself again!  It is a beautiful thing and again - all praise and glory go to God in Heaven!

According to Dr. Amen

According to Dr. Amen, a highly respected brain imagery doctor, there are 6 types of ADD.  This information is taken from his website and his book.  I checked out his book from our local library but is actually quite cheap from Amazon - just click on the pic on the left.  It really helped me understand the basics of ADD/ADHD, the difference between the two, and the options I have as a mom.  My hubby and I choose not to use medication, but he suggests some in this book.   I did not want to omit that information but I strongly suggest parents try other means instead of going straight to medication.  My 6 year old is responding VERY well to the gluten-free, sugar-free diet that we have him on!

As I was reading just the first couple of chapters, there were parts where I got tears in my eyes.  I was just so happy that someone understood where I was coming from.  Someone else knew what we were going through and someone was there to educate me and help.

Here are the 6 different types of ADHD, each with different brain function issues and treatment protocols.

Type 1: Classic ADD

Symptoms: primary ADD symptoms plus hyperactivity, restlessness, and impulsivity.
SPECT: usually low prefrontal cortex with concentration
Supplements: multiple vitamin, NeuroEPA fish oil, L-tyrosine or DL-phenylalanine
Medications: stimulant medications (such as Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, or Dexedrine)

Type 2: Inattentive ADD

Symptoms: primary ADD symptoms plus low energy and motivation, spacey, and internally preoccupied. Type 2 is diagnosed later in life, if at all. It is more common in girls. These are quiet kids and adults, often labeled lazy, unmotivated, and not that smart.
SPECT: usually low prefrontal cortex with concentration and low cerebellar activity
Supplements: multiple vitamin, NeuroEPA fish oil, L-tyrosine or DL-phenylalanine
Medications: stimulant medications (such as Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, or Dexedrine)

Type 3: Overfocused ADD

Symptoms: primary ADD symptoms plus cognitive inflexibility, trouble shifting attention, stuck on negative thoughts or behaviors, worrying, holding grudges, argumentative, oppositional, and a need for sameness. Often seen in families with addiction problems or obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
SPECT: usually high anterior cingulate activity plus low prefrontal cortex with concentration
Supplements: multiple vitamin, NeurOmega fish oil, 5HTP, L-tryptophan or St. John’s Wort plus L-tyrosine
Medications: antidepressant Effexor, or a combination of an SSRI, like Prozac, and a stimulant

Type 4: Temporal Lobe ADD

Symptoms: primary ADD symptoms plus a short fuse, misinterprets comments, periods of anxiety, headaches or abdominal pain, history of head injury, family history of rages, dark thoughts, memory problems, and struggles with reading. Often seen in families with learning or temper problems.
SPECT: usually low temporal lobe activity plus low prefrontal cortex with concentration
Supplements: multiple vitamin, NeurOmega fish oil, GABA or taurine for irritability, or Brain Vitale or NeuroMemory for memory issues.
Medications: Stimulants, by themselves, usually make people with this type more irritable. Effectively treated with a combination of antiseizure medications (such as Neurontin) and stimulants.

Type 5: Limbic ADD:

Symptoms: primary ADD symptoms plus chronic mild sadness, negativity, low energy, low self-esteem, irritability, social isolation, and poor appetite and sleep patterns. Stimulants, by themselves, usually cause problems with rebound or cause depressive symptoms.
SPECT: usually high deep limbic activity plus low prefrontal cortex at rest and with concentration
Supplements: multiple vitamin, NeurOmega fish oil, SAMe or DL-phenylalanine
Medications: Stimulating antidepressants, such as Wellbutrin.

Type 6: Ring of Fire ADD

Symptoms: primary ADD symptoms plus extreme moodiness, anger outbursts, oppositional, inflexibility, fast thoughts, excessive talking, and very sensitive to sounds and lights. I named it Ring of Fire after the intense ring of overactivity that I saw in the brains of affected people. This type is usually made much worse by stimulants.
SPECT: marked overall increased activity across the cortex, may or may not have low prefrontal cortex activity
Supplements: multiple vitamin, NeurOmega fish oil, NeuroLink (contains 5HTP, GABA and L-tyrosine)
Medications: Anticonvulsants (such as Neurontin) and SSRI medication, or the use of the novel antipsychotic medications such as Risperdal or Zyprexa.

The Beginning

Six days into a Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free diet and about 2 weeks into a diagnosis...I am beginning to feel less overwhelmed, but none the less, exhausted with info overload.  I lay in my bed going over what took place today; what he ate, how he acted, and what has changed.  I'm relieved that he has been diagnosed with ADD only because we can now do whatever it takes to help him.  Up to this point, we have been dealing with the temper tantrums, anger, confusion, and sadness that has been going on in his little body.  As a mom, I am completely crushed and broken seeing my first born suffer so much.  At least now we can start treading back up the hill and maybe even get on top!  Thank God that this is the bottom and we are on the way up!