I was wondering if anyone out there is having a tough time getting their teenagers to go to school. It seems my daughter has developed a pretty severe anxiety to attending school. She feels "something" could happen while there. We currently have her in a program that will hopefully help her transition back to school. We have visited school 4 times, toured the building, talked with the nurses, and the guidance counselor. Still, she is petrified to go.She had her 1 year angiogram in Boston in July,, with great results. Thought that would make her feel more secure. Any thoughts? Suggestions??
Thanks, Pam

Pam,
I understand what she is going through. granted i was in collage and not high school when I had my stroke and surgery. She is feeling all the anxiety from the unknown. How is her friend pool? since high school is cruel; friends are key to happiness. Let he know you are just a phone call away and if anything happens you will rush right over. Reassure her that she is fine since her tests came back good. is there an after school activity she would like to join like dance-line or theater? you did the right thing about the counselor and the nurse. it is the kids more than anything she may be worried about. The homework and classes will take some getting used to paying that much attention. i read alot so that helps me stay sharp.

Most important is for you to stay calm and attentive to her needs. She will draw strength from you and her friends.

I hope this helps,
Becky

My daughter didn't want to go back either.  She has always been an honors student, great great, very outgoing....since her surgery she has had problems concentrating, short term memory, organizing.  She sometimes jumbles words and often asks questions because she didn't get evrything the teacher said.  apparently her classmates, many she has know since first grade, have teased her about those things.  Last year she took classes that just overloaded her because she didn't want people to think she had gotten "stupid".  Now that she's back things seem OK.  I was worried though because she really seemed like she didn't want to go back.  My daughter spends a lot of time with the school nurse and her guidance counselor...they have been there for her all the way.

My daughter has such anxiety she sill does not attend a full day of classes. she has all of the problems everyone has listed. we after a long road got an IEP diploma and she attends some classes when she can and has many study halls. we have tried combos and tutoring none worked. we met with the committee for special education and they really helped us find a plan that works for us. seek help at school. When you can not do regular classes you need specialized education and there are programs and rights your child has at school. I insisted this is how things are for my daughter and she can only do what she can do. we made sacrifices and do the best we can. molly has one more year but we have been fighting since fall of 06. just realize this anxiety is for real and I feel the children can not help it, they need help to function in the school system.  you can also have a neuropsych evaluation done this will help with school. we hope this helps
Amiee molly's mom

It amazes me how common this anxiety is among these kids, yet somehow it is not being addressed by the medical community. I wish the docs could get together on this. My daughters school has been great and understanding and we are trying to come up with a plan for her. I just wish that there was some sort of info out there on this. A study needs to be done. The physical effects of MM are usually obvious, but the mental effects are invisable. And even now people look at my daughter and she "looks" fine. But she's not. Her scans are great, but her mental state is not. And as much as I hate to hear of other kids having similar problems, it is comforting to know she is not alone. I really hope this summer we can bring LOTS of attention to MM right here in Philly. Thanks for the replies. You all are so supportive and I am grateful for that.
Pam

I found out I had Moyamoya the summer before my senior year in high school. I was one of the lucky ones and never had a stroke.  Therefore, I didn't have to worry about the effects of the stroke and my situation was different from your daughter's.  However, I did wake up almost every day and worry that I could have a stroke that day.  I particularity worried about having a stroke on the days that I would have a terrible migraine.

It's definitely good that you informed the nurse & guidance counselor. Do her teachers know? I would let her teachers know, because they will likely be willing to help her in anyway that they can.  Also, if they know, then they can kind of watch out for.  One of my teachers actually sent me home because I was having one of my migraines & then told me that either I or my parents needed to call her once I got home so she knew I arrived safety(and that I didn't have a stroke or pass out on the way). Other teachers offered to teach me lessons after school in order to catch up(I missed school fairly often during my senior year because I was having TONS of medical tests) or so I would better understand the material.

I found friends and activities the best way to deal with the anxiety. Luckily, I already had a close group of friends who supported me through it & helped me take my mind off of MM.  However, not everyone will be as supportive. I sadly found that some friends were unable to handle the severity of the situation.  The activities also helped a lot. Your daughter should definitely consider doing something that is time consuming(but won't interfere with her grades) because I found the less free time I had, the less time I had to concentrate on it.

I don't know how close her school is to a hospital, but if it is close, that might comfort her.  Also my school always did this mock car crash, in which the victims would have to be airlifted by helicopter.  While I would never want to be in that situation, it made me feel a little better knowing that one way or another, I would get to a hospital.

I find it so sad that teens have anxiety about going back to school. I had my first surgery in Jan. of my senior year and couldn't wait to get back.  Staying at home made me feel isolated and just made me focus on my poor health. If your daughter ever wants to talk to somebody about high school, just send me a message. I'm only a sophomore in college now and that year seems like yesterday. I know my situation was different, but I would be glad to help in any way.

Hi, my daughter had a rough time going back to school after her surgery.  She would have "foggy"days where things didn't make sense or she could not concentrate.  We met with the school and they set up a plan that allowed her to tell her teachers if she was having a bad day and they would reschedule tests for her or allow her to go to the nurses office.

She also found that classes that required more concentration were better taken online where she could take her time and read over the material several times.  She liked the online classes so much that she graduated a year early and now is finishing her 2nd yr of college taking a mix of on campus and online classes.

I hope this helps and hope your daughter is adjusting well.

Cheri
Julie's Mom
Hope your daughter is doing b

Pam,

I have 15 year old twins who both have MM.  We can relate to the feelings you're describing.  One of my daughters transitioned back to school without a hitch, the other one had a much tougher time.

Both of the girls would be very happy to chat with your daughter, if you think talking to another MM teen girl would help!! 

We could either set them up on the live chat part of this website, or if she'd prefer to speak by phone, send me a message, and I'll email you our phone number.

Tell her she's not alone - there's plenty of us around that are willing to help!! 

Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers!!  Keep up the good work, Mom!!

XOXO,
Kristen