Hi, My 3 1/2 yr old daughter is asking why she needs to take enzymes and what will happen if she doesn't. We told her that it is to help the food stay in her belly and if she didn't take them she would have to go to the bathroom right away, and may have a tummy ache. She has seen a gastro in the past for reflux and the dr. explained the digestive system to her, which she repeats to us often, so we thought this was a good explanation. In the end she said she didn't understand. Has anyone else had these type of questions from a preschooler and how did you reply. I have some CF books that we read but they deal mainly with the respiratory issues, and not the digestive portion.Heather
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Explaining Enzymes
- Thread starter anonymous
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Seems like most stuff you read on CF deals more with respiratory, pain in the neck.I have a 3 year old as well, he does not have CF but asks about me taking pills and doing physio. With mine we ask him questions first. things like "Do you like having tummy aches?" and he will say no and i will tell him that the pills will make it so that my tummy won't hurt and i can be happy and play with him. I don't think 3 year olds mind going poop too much so i don't know if mentioning that without taking them she would be on the toilet. I think maybe if you just take it down to her level, i know that mine has a hard time understanding that there are guts inside our bodies, so maybe she isn't fully understanding that. So maybe tell her that they help her to not have a hurt tummy and so that she can play with her toys instead of sitting on the toilet lots. Something like that. Just really take it down to a 3 year old level.
My parents told me everything from the get-go. I was diagnosed @ 5 wks, and grew up knowing all about my CF. It was really empowering to be able to answer questions from adults at age four. (apparently I once "reminded" the doc that I was his patient and that he should talk to ME, not my parents) I was very involved. As a parent, I know telling your child about what's happening to them must be the hardest part. I suggest being honest. Show them their x-rays, and pictures of the human body. Point out the pancrease and stomach. If they can recite it back to you, that's a really good start. It's tough, but they may need to be intorduced to stuff sooner than you would like so that they have a bunch of sensory experiences to understand CF with. Debbie22 yr old w/ CF
AbsintheSorrow
New member
I don't even remember being taught about what CF was doing to me, because my parents never lied or hid anything. I have known all the yummy tidbits since before I can remember. Obviously you need to take it a little at a time, and like Debbie (I think it was) said, it may be hard to tell your child all the fun little facts, but they need to learn sometime. Pictures is a good idea, asking doctors for help explaining is a good idea, but just explain it as simply as you can and see if he/she can say it back to you in his/her own words. I'm not really sure, because I've never been a parent of CF, but I know that I've known all about it since before I can remember.
Hi, We have always been honest with her, and I think now she is simply trying to put it all together. Now that she is a bit older she sees that not everyone, especially her friends, do not take enzymes/pills, and I think that it where the questions are coming from.I did speak to someone from the CF clinic and they have no suggestions either, except to keep explaining as she asks questions. She figures repetition will allow her to figure it out on her own, because any teaching material they have is 8+. If anyone knows of any books etc. that are age 3-5 appropriate please let me know.Heather
Hi - I have a six year old boy and he too started asking these types of questions when he started preschool at three. We explained that he needs the enzymes because his body doesn't make them like some other peoples' bodies do. We told him our bodies need these enzymes to help us store the parts of food that help us to grow and be strong and healthy. We told him that his special vitamins help to make up for some of the good parts that still don't get soaked up. As time went on, he learned some cause and effect when his belly would hurt. Since he was about 4, he would tell us we didn't give him enough enzymes when his belly would hurt and he would have "floaty" poops. It is amazing what they can understand. I hope this helps. Take Care! Jo Ann