A sign is in order. With my recent visits to the hospital I found it very uncomfortable to be standing in the waiting room for the MRI dept and have the staff loudly discuss what I was there for. I was the only one there without obvious ortho issue so it was fairly uncomfortable for me to have all my business out there. When I had the nuclear stuff put in my chest it is like an ER where the areas are only divided by curtains. There was a man in next space that was hacking horribly, they were mentioning his needing a mask- yikes! The poor guy had to listen to my docs talking about the needles going into my boob and my yelping in pain while doc kept saying he was sorry. Then the poor guys doc kept pulling his curtain open too far and about 5 times the curtain between us pulled open a bit and my doc had to run over and tell the other doc to please pay attention and not pull open the curtain to expose me laying on the table topless. I really think they should have better privacy and gosh only knows why that man was hacking. I washed my hands several times while there. Privacy is a funny thing. Even when I have to call about things now it seems like I have to mention my illness when it really has nothing to do with why I am calling the person about. We would like our dd to remain with her teammates this upcoming season but there may be some parents on the team she should really be on that might object. (she is 12 but can play up with 14yrs because of her experience but some 12 yr parents still get mad about that). Luckily one of our moms is on the board and has assured me if there is any flack she will tell them there are private issues which the board has considered to allow her to be on the older team. But you know there will be some nosey person who just cannot leave it alone. Hopefully there will not. Again, I suggest a sign and if someone makes a move simply point to the sign and kindly remind them you need to protect other patient's privacy. If said politely I think they will get the hint. But you have to act fast, kinda stealth with some of these characters. Good luck.

There is an enormous amount of quasi- and misinformation about ADD/ADHD. If a child can be helped with symptoms by eliminating certain items from the diet, whether those items be particular foods or simply preservatives and additives, then they are NOT ADD/ADHD. They have food or food additive allergies or sensitivities. True ADD/ADHD is a genetic variant. I say variant because that is the current thought, is not really considered a disorder any longer. However, ADD/ADHD is sometimes found comorbid with certain disorders such as OCD, general anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, aspergers, tourettes. The reason is that these are all found to affect the same areas of the brain. Ask almost any kindergarten teacher and they will tell you that the kids that bring red jello or or other red dye laden food will have a hyper afternoon. Of course this is probably because of all the sugar associated with those foods and not the dye itself in most cases. Why stimulant medications work: Stimulants work by increasing both blood flow and Dopamine levels in the brain. Not by some magic "opposite" effect. I will include a link to the full medical explanation. Kids who appear "zombie-like" on stimulant meds are likely on too high a dose. It causes hyper-focus symptoms. Stimulant meds do not address other possible comorbid or behavioral problems. Sometimes other medications are needed. Some kids, such as those who are also bipolar, should NOT be given stimulant meds. There are as many variations of ADD/ADHD as there are people who have it. Each case must be treated individually. The upside of ADD/ADHD: Many ADD/ADHDers are highly intelligent and extremely creative. The ability to be a non-linear thinker can be a great gift. Thinking outside the box comes easily. The downside: ADD/ADHDers can be irritating to live with! The poor impulse control, forgetfullness, chronic tardiness, inability to follow through or stay focused on tedious tasks, distractedness (hello...hello...hello...HELLO! huh? were you talking to me?) are considered to be huge social and professional failings. Because ADD/ADHDers get a lot of negative feedback about their behavior, it can cause low self esteem and subsequent depression. ADD/ADHD is not "outgrown" as one ages. There can be a reduced need for medication. Some people find they only need meds under certain circumstances. The issues of impulse control, lack of time awareness, inability to stay focused on tedious tasks still remain. Lack of organization continues to be an issue. ADD/ADHDers are often overwhelmed by complex tasks. They lack the innate ability to break a large project into do-able portions. Fortunately, this can be taught. Lists are very helpful. Stress or depression will exacerbate ADD/ADHD symptoms. What is difficult for ADD/ADHDers is to do embrace the good parts of themselves. Having loving, supportive people around who are patient and understanding is key. When Tom Cruise gets his PhD in psychiatry, I'll give him the time of day. Until then he's just another clueless crackpot in my book. Here is a link that might be useful: How Stimulent Medications Work

pekemom, I heard the same thing from the nurses. People complained they couldn't do this or that because "It hurt too much" and weren't willing to try. Then they wonder why they stay in the hospital so long! If it took them a bit longer to answer my call button, they always came in the room and said "Sorry it took us so long to answer you" and then took care of whatever I needed. It wasn't so much of an excuse as a statement. I always replied that it was o.k. and I understood they had other folks some of whom were worse off. I know they appreciated that. To all those that asked, yep, I'm getting better. Tuesday is the big day. After a cyst (gram?) test, the doctor will then remove the catheter. I can't wait!

Thank you everyone for all your support. I am very happy to have spent the time asking the question. There are lots of titles listed that I completely overlooked and many that I will have to look into. My mom lives in the philippines and is old fashioned. She spent lots of time teaching and helping others as a social worker so maybe those 20th century country tales so I appreciate your suggestions Liz and Yoyobon. Thank you Ccrdmrbks. I am trying to relate to how my mom is feeling right now but I can't imagine it. We just celebrated my eldest sister's marriage last week so I think her emotions must be quite a mixture as well. Miss Read sounds promising. A friend highly reccomended Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe a long time back simply as a read to enjoy but I haven't gotten around to it. Anyone know if it would be appropriate for the situation? Comedy is an interesting idea. Though it may be hard to find something she relates to. I'll ask her and see if she has any favourites. Thank you all again so much, I've got all the titles written down and am going to do some research now! Take care and God bless! : )