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Monday, August 30, 2010

Neurotransmitters and Orphanage dust

In November we will celebrate 5 years home with Igor.  I cannot believe we have been a family for almost 5 years!!  Our son is smart and creative, we love him so much. However, we have faced many challenges with him.  Igor came to us as a 3 1/2 year old boy with many hurts and a laundry list of delays and emotional issues.  I would like to say that loving him "solved" all his problems but it has not.  Igor has worked very hard to learn emotions and social cues, to speak, to have fine motor control, etc... but some of what he endured in the orphanage has deeply wounded Igor.  It's as though he has a wound that will not completely heal.  Just when we think the anger, the rage, the orphanage dust has left... it quietly seeps back into our house and we must deal with it yet again.  Igor has often said that whatever is inside of him will never go away.  Some friends have suggested that we must accept Igor as he is but that never "feels" right.  So, I am always looking for ways to help Igor deal with his past and the emotions he is not sure what to do with.

We recently had Igor tested by Neurogistics.  They have done work with Karen Purvis (author of the The Connected Child).  I read this article and thought there may be hope for Igor.  I found this company through another adoptive parent.  I recently found their children's website-
http://www.balanceyourchildsbrain.com/Home.asp
After speaking with Rob we decided to have Igor tested.  We received an e-mail with the test results and Igor's levels were off the charts.  When Rob saw them all he could do is say, "wow".   I felt as though I was armed with a huge dust pan and a broom- I was ready to sweep out the orphanage dust forever.  Rob was, less optimistic.  After talking with Igor's therapist and consulting a psychiatrist in standard medicine, we were given the green light to move forward with the supplements recommended by Neurogistics. 
We were told that we could see a change in Igor within 6-8 weeks.  We are on day 3 and Igor is a different child.  Well, he's still Igor but without the edge.  The things that pushed him over the edge last week, and the week before and the week before that were not a big deal today.  Yes, we are in the beginning stages of the supplements and at any moment things could change but two days of a child without anxiety and anger has been delightful.  Rob, who wasn't very optimistic about the supplements is much more optimistic now that he has witnessed Igor without the edge.  I am filled with hope.  I will keep you posted on his progress.

3 comments:

Karen said...

Candy - this is such great news! Your loving persistence will pay off for your precious little boy! he is so incredibly blessed to have you as his mommy! You and your family are always in my prayers! I love hearing the joy in your "voice" as you wrote this blogpost! Miss you - wish you were coming to ET with me in Nov. :) Karen Wistrom

KLT said...

Candy;

Please do keep us posted! My Ukrainian prince has many "old hurts," too. Thank you for your willingness to share about your experience with another tool for helping a child to heal. Praying for continued grace for Igor's supplement process.

Heather said...

I'd love to talk to you by email more about what test you did and how....and whether you think this might benefit Colin now or whether we should wait until he is older (he's 3 1/2).

Thanks so much for sharing the info. & resources!

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