Help! Fiona has some very strange anxiety around being sick. She insists she is not. She growls, “Don’t tough my forehead or my back, I don’t have a fever”. Pull out the Advil or Cough Syrup and she starts to cry. Pull out her puffer and she screams.
WTH!?
There have been no traumatic experiences with doctors or hospitals. When she has gone to the doctor or hospital everything has been pretty low key. She never wants to go, and is uncooperative when there. I can’t figure it out. One time I had to hold her down for the doctor (bad bedside manner I must say) so she could examine Fiona. There was only one time she was responsive and that was to an ER doc in the Pembroke hospital. He joked with the girls and made them feel at ease. But, we were there for Sophie (pinworms – subject of another post).
She has a cold right now. With a fever, cough, and laboured breathing. She is pissed that I forced Advil down her throat and pushes me away when I touch her forehead. I will have to force her puffer on her at bedtime. But she is not sick, or so she says.
Sigh.
Any ideas about what’s going on?
I have 2 kids, both have SPD issues. Lots bothers them more than others.
The older one used to handle being sick well, except nausea. The younger one is historically, ok with being sick.
Both are prone to anxiety. Not the worst case kids, but it’s there. The older one, last cold, about 10 days ago.. low fever, congestion that went chest first, had a similar response. He just wrapped himself up in a very ‘why me? why am I sick?’ mentality and was angered/scared of being sick. So my interpretation is
1. They are more aware and affected by discomfort..
2. They are not interested in missing out.. what is other sibling getting to do? What are friends doing?
3. Psychologically, they can`t handle it. It makes them queasy that things are not normal (My eldest really has a hard time with anything being out of order, visually, logistically etc. and I guess physiologically).. the anxiety is there, as long as they are out of sync.. I think fever &-or accompanying or separate on it`s own nausea – are the hardest to handle.. they kick their legs around and can`t sleep properly until they are done throwing up… then they seem to cave and give in and start recovering.
UGH. Poor Fiona and poor you guys! I have no idea!!! So odd especially if she doesn’t have anything traumatic in her past – could it have been something she saw on line or a friend at school??