We were in good hands with Dr. Z. Two years later Sharon was born, and things were humming along. At about 18 months, she became a very difficult child, she was ornery and contrary, stubborn and disobedient and generally hard to deal with. No was her favorite word. She was a huge grouch and a pain in the butt. I loved her, but there were times I'd have given her away, to just about anyone. Things got worse, the older she got.
When she was about 30 months, Dr. Z died. His practice was sold to a young doctor, Dr. C. On our first "get acquainted" visit he observed Sharon for less than 30 seconds, and said, "I think she has food allergies and you need to take her to a pediatric allergist." Mind you I'd said nothing about Sharon or her behavior. I thought, "I'll try anything." Going to a pediatric allergist was certainly better than giving her away.
Dr. C., was right, she had food allergies. She was allergic to milk products, chocolate, peanuts and tuna. These allergies are not uncommon, but for her they didn't cause "typical allergic reactions". No rashes, no runny nose, no itchy skin, nothing we could see. No, in her they caused her to feel bad, inside, and since she was young and always felt "bad", she acted out.
Once we cut the offending food out of her diet, she was a "new" kid, literally. Her behavior was what we dreamed of, she was a delightful child, like her sister.
I hope this post helps someone with is having a frustrating time with a child, and they can see there's hope for their family. And you don't have to wait for the pediatrician to die.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing my life with me,
Good story to tell -- might help someone. One of my earliest memories is of visiting Dr. Kirby, the pediatrician who delivered me, and continued until he was delivering grandchildren of his original patients. I remember him being very kind, and when you were done with your appointment, his wife would come out of the house part (his office was in his house) and give you a Fig Newton.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jan. My daughter is going through some tough times with her 9 year old. They put him on ADHD drugs and they don't seem to help. Now he is going to a counselor; maybe, just maybe she should consider this.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
Love the title of the post, I had the same problem with my daughter, but instead of a doctor picking up on it, a friend called telling me to turn on a T.V. show, she said it sounded like my daughter. Embarrassing, but I did take her to have her checked for allergies and she became a different child.
ReplyDelete