Undaunted

I obsess about overcoming the obstinate obstacles that obscure my dreams. Not really, but it sounds goods on this fifteenth day of the A to Z blog challenge, which features none other than the letter “O.”

Actually I don’t really have an obsessive personality type. OK, well maybe just a teeny bit. When I was in high school and college I religiously followed the Bowling Green State University Falcon’s Men’s Basketball team. For a period of eight to ten years I attended almost every home game. I liked to get there early so I could get my peanut M&M’s and my usually seat five rows up to the right of half court in the student section. If I didn’t go through this ritual I was convinced the team would lose. Now, its debatable whether that makes me obsessed or just a really, loyal fan not wanting to jinx the team.

Along the lines of loyal fan, I do get hooked on certain television shows and book series. I read the first six of Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series in less than two weeks and did the same with Robyn Carr’s Virgin River Series when I first got my Kindle. If the next book is out there, I want to read it! I also watched the first four seasons of Lost in about a month so I was caught up in time for the new season to start. I did the same thing this past December with Downton Abbey. Again, I like to think of myself as more quirky than obsessed.

I do also have a tendency to sit in the same spot at church and in meetings, but I think that is more of a habit than an obsession. Of course, I do check to make sure the doors are locked and the flat iron is off before I leave the house – but only once. This just makes me practical.There’s a fine line between obsessed and paranoid!

Some of you may remember reading about my youngest daughter’s obsessive tendencies in my “Oreo” post. Her symptoms continued to get worse and worse and I ended up taking her to see the doctor. He felt she was exhibiting obsessive-compulsive disorder signs and referred us to a behavior therapist. I started thinking back over when she started to get so upset about touching items that might have germs (that could make her sick) and realized it was about the same time her allergy medication Singulair went generic.

As a good Mom would, I googled the drug and found out that it can cause agitation and anxiety. The doctor agreed that it’d be best to take her off the drug. She hasn’t taken it in a little over a month. Whether or not it was the cause of her OCD issues or her two sessions with the therapist helped, she’s improving. She hasn’t cried about going to school for three days in a row and she only asks me 20 times instead of a hundred times if something is going to make her sick. I see hope. While I may joke about my obsessions, OCD is not funny in the least bit. My daughter’s fears are very real and it breaks my heart to see her so afraid. I want to reassure her, but realize that just feeds her fears and make her crave more reassurances. I’m hopeful though, getting her to school without tears has been a huge hurdle. I’m thankful for that (and am by no means obsessing that my anxiety feeds into hers.)

Anyone else have any similar experiences with Singulair or a child with OCD?