official diagnosis and more
We've been working for almost a year to get my son an official diagnosis. Honestly, we only need it for his school. He's so smart that the school PT wants to cut his services and I've been fighting a losing battle with her.
Yesterday afternoon I got the call at 2:16 (Max will appreciate that I remembered the time). Dr. Toth didn't make me listen to the details before she told me "Asperger's - almost textbook". Tears welled up in my eyes and my nose started running immediately. It took a while for me to compose myself, luckily she spent about an hour talking to me about her testing and recommendations. She believes my son needs more services from his school, which I look forward to telling them when I deliver their copy of the diagnosis.
I've been thinking about why I cried when the psychiatrist told me what we already knew about my son. I'm not sure, but it hurt as if she had called him a name.
As if the day wasn't already eventful enough, I took my 14 year old daughter to the doctor to get a referral for the same testing my son just finished. We spent a lot of time talking about my daughter's depression and the doctor prescribed Prozac. My daughter is interested in trying it, she knows that she's not feeling right and wants help. Unfortunately, her father is dead-set against it. I'm thinking of having him call my daughter's doctor in hopes that she can convince him that Prozac is not inherently evil. Of course there are concerns, but I believe that with careful monitoring, my daughter will be safe.
Anyone with any Prozac experience here?
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Comments (10)
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I understand why getting that diagnosis made you cry, even though you already knew. It's about hope, I think ... at least, that's what I experience ... having that data-driven diagnosis means you have to face the reality of it all, and that's hard. As for your daughter's depression, does your husband know it won't go away on its own? It's serious and if she needs meds, she needs meds! I hope he can be educated enough by the doctors to realize it could really help her. Good luck to all of you.
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The depression that seems to go with autism, or at least Aspergers, is a pretty overwhelming thing, and a lot more serious than hair color. I would certainly want any of my grandkids having long conversations about whether they felt they could handle having autistic kids and so on, as well as counseling on it. I'd sure like to know more about what it is that afflicts our family and if there is more autism than we know or if there is some other reason we are the way we are - none of us seeming quite the norm.
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It seems that our whole family is on the spectrum - in a way. If someone appreciates our quirks, does it matter if it runs in the family? I suppose that it should be discussed, but probably only like any other genetic quality such as hair color etc.
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I've wondered about the question of the grandkids getting involved, married, and when does the conversation of "I or my sister or brother has autism, do we want to take a chance of passing it on." What does anyone think about this?
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Maybe that's it - the diagnosis put all the unresolved issues, incidents and troubles into a neat little package.
I'm not sure if back in the day a diagnosis would have helped you. My son's diagnosis is going to help with his education. Hopefully we'll see an increase in support.
I just remembered that early on in the diagnosis process, I was told we wouldn't be able to get an autism diagnosis. Something about how the schools had to provide more if it was official. Well - we got one.
Getting your sons tested might help them. I know my son likes knowing that he's different and special. We tell him that his Aspergers is his intense focus - which gives him the ability to do things other kids can't. Your son's (if they have Aspergers) would probably appreciate knowing why they are different.
My son doesn't see himself as broken - just special. He takes great pride in that.
Thank you.
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As I understand it, Prozac is one of the only (maybe the only?) antidepressant that's approved for kids.
I haven't written about it yet, but my daughter has been much happier lately. That has me a little worried (bi-polar?) but I'll enjoy her happiness while I can.
Thanks
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I cried when I figured out I have Aspergers. It put a lot of pieces into the puzzle, but it also brought back a lot of painful memories. I'm not sure, in my case, if an official diagnosis is a good idea. Couldn't it make it impossible for me to get medical coverage because of a preexisting health condition? That would be bad. On the other hand, perhaps it will help my boys who are in High School. I'm tempted not to tell them, and just encourage them with positive ideas and strategies. I want them to have a positive, hopeful framework for their challenges. I believe that if I'd have know, early on, that I have a form of autism, my life would have been profoundly different. I don't think I would have believed I could do the things I did in my career. I might have percieved myself as "broken." Anyway, thanks for your thoughts :)
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Yes, I took Prozac and within hours I was in a deep depression, curled up in a ball on my bed and in such a serious depression I couldn't even talk. How about some other tricyclic antidepressant, I tolerated those pretty well :)
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I really don't understand my reaction. Knowledge of my son's condition in the past has only been a relief. Life was crazy when we didn't understand him. His condition is a burden and a joy. I think this official diagnosis falls in the burden category in my mind.
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(No prozac experience, sorry.) I'm just wondering about your reaction to the diagnosis. Why do you think that upset you? After reading your first paragraph I was thinking, "that must have been a relief!"
