stand off with a four yr old
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| Mon, 04-16-2007 - 9:44am |
Ok, this is ridiculous, I know, but I'm in a stand-off with a 4 yr old. As I mentioned in previous posts, Lily had her tonsils and adnoids removed last Tuesday. She's done really well EXCEPT for the fact that she absolutely refuses to take her antibiotics. Of course, the nurses at the doctors office and the hospital are no help in this type of situation. I know they mean well, but they just don't get it. They keep saying that yes they understand that it's different with a child with autism, but maybe she will just agree to drink fluids and take medicines if we just buy her a new movie or a new cup or something. I wish! I know it's not their fault that they have no clue that this advice is of absolutely no help to me whatsoever. Well, Lily decided that she would get a cold on the same day as her surgery and she has had a very nasty cough ever since. She desperately needs to take her antibiotic, but she won't budge about it. It's the yummy bubblegum kind, but she doesn't care. If we force the issue, she just vomits or spits it right back out. So, as a result of sheer frustration on my part, I told Lily to sit in her chair until her antibiotic is gone. She is just sitting there staring at it and has pushed the table into the wall out of anger at me. It's a small child's table, so she's not really doing any damage. I told her that as soon as the medicine is gone, then she can do whatever she wants. She has been on a "Stuart Little" kick since her surgery, but even a promise of watching that is no incentive to her. I've tried hiding the medicine in all sorts of things, but she always figures it out. I know that this tactic is probably pointless, but I'm completely out of ideas. UGHH!! Sorry, I just had to vent this somewhere and I knew you guys would understand. If you got this far, thanks for reading.
Amy~Natalie & Lily's mom

What if you threatened to go back to the hospital for IV antibiotics if she does take hers?
Thanks, but sadly enough, I've tried that one too. Yes, I'm a mean mommy as well. But, apparently since Lily is no stranger to hospitals, doctors, labs and needles (thanks to her other health issues), she doesn't seem to care about the threat of another iv. On the upside, I guess, the standoff is over because she just dumped her medicine out and started crying to go to bed. I couldn't do the "stand-off" again, so I let her go to sleep. I feel so bad for her because I know she feels miserable since her surgery. Sometimes I wish she could just catch a break. KWIM? Anyway, thanks for responding to my vent. It's nice to know that I'm not alone.
Amy
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Dee,
One of them (cefzil?) comes in a caplet form. it is kind-of big (bigger than an adult Motrn caplet) but Siobhan, who will throw up almost any medicine she can taste, can swallow them.
Amy, I know this isn't a solution for you: (((((Hugs)))))
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You're asking the wrong people, imo. Try the PHARMACIST! See what CAN & CAN NOT be mixed with the meds or if they can be "altered" for the child! (Infant meds are usually stronger but smaller doses in comparison to a 5 year old dose) You've "changed routines" & are making this "thing" stand out from the normal everyday that she IS used to accepting! Pretty aspie like, bribing won't help much! (God I remember having to knock my 2 1/2 year old out for a ct scan, they couldn't give him enough drugs, he eventually wore himself down 5 minutes before the lab closed, yikes!)
If juice then try similarly flavored or colored juices (target is really good about flavoring stuff it changing the taste is an option) IF milk then introduce flavored milk, same principal, wih no haste or hurry for the "job" to be finished. For our son we usually "spike" a whole bottle of juice with a chemical cough suppressant (works on the brain center not the symptom) because it's a smaller dose & easier to give then cough syrup. We also simply taught him to take pills, HE can control it & this works well now that he's older! You can dissolve them in foods ahead of time as well if this is an option! Your pharmacist can help you with the details, they are great for getting information about "alternatives" like gfcf meds & they like! Plus they are more used to being asked then your docs office can sometimes be a pain to be honest!
Also keep in mind that autistic children have a GREAT instinct system (Our gas leak story is a good one for this, but I'll spare you for now, lol) Similar to a pregnant woman's to be honest! Antibiotics come from "molds" which is generally a no-no for the brain & if I can smell it when I'm pregnant, their senses are MUCH more finely attuned & their reactions to being "Forced" are of course much worse! so..... btw my friend's child is getting his tonsil/addnoids taken out this WEEK & my sister's kids BOTH had theirs out last year, so I understand where you are right now! Hugs!
Amy,
All right, this will be no help at all, but...
There is no such thing as the yummy bubble-gum flavor. Anti-biotics taste nasty, and it is impossible to cover up that bitter taste.
I still bodily force my nearly 3 year old in such situations. (Tell him what is about to happen and what the reward will be (usually a video) pin him down, hold his nose, squeeze a syringe between his lower back molars and cheek so that as little medicine will hit taste buds as possible, and release his nose after he swallows. I praise him for his effort even though he was entirely man-handled, and offer the video or reward. He is usually too angry to accept for a few minutes, but he gets over it and watches the video.)
My 5 1/2 year old puts the yucky stuff in his mouth and chases it with a cookie or peanut butter cup. He is very brave, and we praise him for that, promise to tell the doctor about his healthy actions, etc. We also let him pick the chaser, which might be purchased at the same time as the medication. Once, he sampled amoxicillin at the drug store, deemed it yucky, (and he's right) and was allowed to pick out a box of cookies. He picked Oreos. Luckily Zyrtec, which helps his allergies, is not yucky.
Sidney
Thanks everyone for letting me know I'm not alone in this. I guess what compounds this whole situation is that Lily has acid reflux and has been on Prevacid since she was 2 wks old. So, she has a tendency to vomit and gag pretty easily. She has a certain routine with her medicine in the morning normally, which includes that her Prevacid be given only after she has brushed her teeth and always chased down with a sip of apple juice. Right now we've had to add Tylenol to the routine (which she only agreed to take as of a couple of days ago). I think that adding the antibiotic to the mix is just too much. It's an antibiotic that she's been on before, but not in combination with all these other issues. Also, we had a huge issue with her Prevacid a couple of weeks ago and so now she is hyper focused on any meds right now. We tried to switch her to dissolvable tablets of Prevacid instead of having it compounded into the normal liquid solution. That was a total oral tactile disaster. I guess I'm going to just have to face the facts that more than likely she is not going to take the antibiotic. If she seems to get worse, then I guess the doctor can give her a shot instead. As bad as that sounds, I think she would prefer it. Thanks again everyone!
Amy~Lily and Natalie's mom
My son is like that too, thats why his meds are called vitamins lol.
Amy,
I've so been there with dd. She had an ear infection, her ear drum actually broke, and needed antibiotics. She was just like your dd. Nothing worked. Finally we took her back to the doctor and they gave her a shot. Even the threat of the shot wouldn't get her to take the pink stuff!
Shortly after that she learned to swallow pills. You could try to teach her. I've heard of kids as young as 3 learning to swallow pills.
HUGS and good luck,
Samantha