My Son, My Monster

I would first like to say we call our son, Hunter ,"Monster" in the most loving way. It's his favorite nickname next to Booger Boy. But, Hunter does has a Monster inside of him. He has been diagnosed with Mood Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (Taking the symptoms of Bi- Polar) and ADHD. Also, throw in severe food allergies that prohibit his body from making any Serotonin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin), Norepinephrine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norepinephrine), and Dopamine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine)! No wonder my handsome man is a little mess!

The purpose of this blog is to help myself and others walk in his shoes and find the answers he deserves. I will be sharing so much that is him, and also that is me....the stressed out mom.

I encourage your comments, your suggestions, your praises and concerns. Raising a special needs child is difficult, especially when there is no firm diagnosis. It's even more difficult when Hunter doesn't look like he has special needs; he looks and generally acts like a typical 9 year old boy. But when he cycles, you see a completely different kid. And a child that is hard to understand.

As a parent I am my son's advocate. I speak for him when he doesn't have a voice. I advocate for his needs and I will not give up. I am insanely driven to get to the bottom of his Monster and rid him of it once and for all. Knowledge is power, and the more you know the better off you are. But, I can't know everything. It takes a village to raise a child, and I urge you to become part of my village and part of my knowledge base.