17 month old hates nebulizer! !

[Jeannie85]

My 17 mo. old was tolerating her pulmozyme since she started it months ago. Now, this past week, giving it to her is torture for both of us. She screams/cries/fights the entire time. I don't know how much of the medication she is actually getting. I haven't talked to her team. Guessing they will say just keep trying to do the best I can. Any suggestions or tricks to making this easy again??

 

[jshet]

I remember this with my son. He would scream and cry and fight the entire time. We use to put him in his high chair during treatments, and i would drop cheerios, (one at a time), through the holes in the mask. For some reason, he saw this as a game, and would laugh and be happy. He was so busy trying to get the cheerio with his tongue into his mouth, and laughing, he didn't realize all the great inhaling he was doing and getting his medication. He actually started to enjoy his trestment tiime.
i don't know if this will work for you, it was just something we tried that worked well for us.
Good luck

 

[Jeannie85]

That is a good idea! It's worth a try! I just feel so bad but I know we have to do this!!! I didn't know they could eat during treatments. Could be a good distraction. Thanks!

 

[Jeannie85]

So the cherrios worked for a few days. Now I am back to a screaming child during her nebulizer and also she is getting antsy with the vest. Is it just her age? (18 months ) The nurse at her clinic suggested "distractions." I feel like I have run out of options. Some days she tolerates the whole thing and other days it makes me want to cry and scream with her!

 

[Ratatosk]

We would sing -- once had a room full of cousins singing old McDonald and making up animals and sounds. Alone we'd find a tv show or dvd he liked. I swore I'd never allow my child to watch Barney, Thomas the Tank Engine or Telletubbies, but it kept him distracted -- swear it was like crack to him. He graduated to SpongeBob and the Toy Story movies when he turned two. We also had some picture books with magnets he could move around.

Does she do okay with nebulizing while she sleeps or is sleepy? DS would sleep thru his early morning CPT and nebs. Could you give her the neb treatment while she's sleeping, and then do her vest instead of at the same time?

 

[Aboveallislove]

Our son would go through this at different stages. Beyond the distracting and making the time a special time for doing things he liked, I think it is important to make it clear that he has to do it and that I will wait for him to be ready. So if he was fussying and fighting, I'd say "you seem to be having a hard time. You must do your nebulizer and your vest." And then I'd do one of a few things: say, "I'll wait until you are ready" and turn off and not engage at all until he was quite and then I'd start up and immediately do something fun and give lots of over the top attention. If he tried to get up, I'd say "no, we can't play until we're done with your treatments," pick up, etc. Sometimes I'd say instead "I'll give you two minutes for a break" and then when it was over say something like "okay, now let's do X," and start the fun thing and start up again. And then if it was lots of breaks and lots of fussying I'd say after when we would want to do something, "Oh, I'm sorry. You took so long with your vest, we don't have time to do X now." Or I'll say "oh, I'm sorry, I don't have enough energy to do X because you were so icky while we were doing your treatments." I think the distraction is great but the matter of fact expectation that they will do it and stopping when the fighting starts (so they don't get the extra attention then), helps. fwiw.

 

[Ratatosk]

Agree with Aboveallislove -- it's gotta be done, they need to know that they're not going to get out of treatments. There were times ds would yell and scream and sometimes I'd get frustrated and cry. Or I'd laugh it off -- guess his lungs are getting a good workout with his yelling. And getting antsy, eventually if you're in a routine, they'll figure it out. When ds was first diagnosed, I tended to focus on the unfairness of it all -- wishing ds didn't have to do treatments, annoyed that other people didn't have to do this 3-4 times a day. However, treatments are important and I didn't want to even consider the alternative should ds get sick -- hospital, ivs....

 

[Jeannie85]

She always tolerated her treatments up until now. I do her nebulizer in the morning just to get it out of the way. I don't think she would stay sleeping if I tried to do it when she is sleeping. I always have mickey mouse or some Disney jr. Show on for her. I have tried singing, looking at books, letting her play with my phone, having her baby doll do a treatment too. I always stay calm and talk to her too, tell her things like "we have to do this," "it's okay," and "almost done." She is also in a definite routine. So maybe this is just a phase. I will keep doing what I am doing and hopefully this will pass thanks for everyone's thoughts! It's nice to just vent on here and listen to what other people experience and know I am not the only one who has gone thru it.

 

[Ratatosk]

It most likely is a phase. This is the age that they start expressing their likes and dislikes. My godson has been very vocal his past summer about his food dislikes. Toddlers! All you can do is power through it, try to find something that works. We happened upon Toy Story by chance, so maybe there's something she'll become obsessed with. DS is 11 and we still hang out with him during treatments -- he'll play on the ipad, computer, xbox or watch Netflix or cartoons.

 

[Rebjane]

What about giving her a sweet treat after her neb? Or doing a sticker reward chart. I think it is ok to "bribe" the kids with something. For example, if you daughter really likes jelly beans give her a couple after every neb..She'll know she is going to get a reward and will eventually look forward to her nebs..(sounds weird i know) I've done stuff like this when my daughter has had to take a particularly gross tasting antibiotic..

I try to turn the negative into a positive. My daughter and I have made a ritual when she goes to CF clinic, of going shopping after. She's a tween now so she looks forward to something special; the last appointment she got bath and body works goodies and earrings...

 

[Jeannie85]

I will try the bribe next