Research is my life these days.
As a MBA student, I am always researching one thing or another for class assignments and in my spare time, since I am currently having a very hard time walking due to edema in my feet, ankles and legs, if I'm not writing my fiction novels and stories, then I spend a lot of time looking up as much other stuff as I can. After having bariatric surgery in 2008 and then removal of my gall bladder in 2009, I have been struggling with health issues, other surgeries and currently it looks like I will never be able to work again. So, in the beginning, I originally started just one blog to give me a place to vent and in the process try to help others going through similar symptoms as myself. Of course, with only my husband's paycheck coming into the house and my not working (my writing is taking some time and may never truly pay off-finding a literary agent and a reputable publisher is very difficult), money is extremely tight, so I am always looking for other means to do somethings that won't cost an arm and a leg, such as over-the-counter drugs and doctor prescriptions. It seems no matter whether you have health insurance or not, they manage to find ways to not cover certain ones, or only pay a percentage, leaving you with a higher rate of out of pocket.
This last above scenario is what recently happened with my step-daughter's medication. She was diagnosed with ADHD at a very young age and has been on Concerta for many years and over the last two years, she was prescribed some anti-depressants as well. For some time, we strictly paid our normal co-pay and that was fine. Then they raised it to $40 a month for the Concerta (yeah, not great, but manageable since she needed it).Until they changed it again, and decided they would only cover 40%, leaving us with a $130 cost each month....absolutely no way we could do it. So, we talked to her doctor and she changed her over to Adderall, completely covered, back to our normal co-pay. But, the side-effects she went through were so bad.....one minute angry at everyone, then crying. I just knew there had to be something better, so my mission began and my results formed this blog.
Currently, my step-daughter still takes her anti-depressants, since we are not quite ready to trust she's fine and we will wait for her doctor to tell us otherwise, but SHE NO LONGER TAKES ANY ADHD MEDICINES. Since I am not a doctor, I can not tell you specific amounts to give your kids or if your an adult and going to try this, I won't give amounts to you either....check with your doctor. But, all she takes is vitamins: Omega-3 (Fish Oil Concentrate), B-12 Vitamin, B-6 Vitamin, B-Complex, a Multi-Vitamin, Calcium + D, Magnesium, and Melatonin. The transformation in her behavior has been absolutely amazing. Its like living with a totally different child, who is willing to help out with chores, there's no more arguing, whining, complaining, and she seems so much happier. She is still having a little bit of problems with concentration and focus, so we will probably need to make some adjustments to amounts over time, but it is definitely an improvement I never expected.
