Tiramisu Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 If you've been seeing some of my posts lately, you might now we've been dealing with illness and extended family issues. This question might be related to those stressors. I remember reading that kids with sensory issues can have a worsening of "symptoms" during important periods of development. I wonder if we're seeing this. In some ways over the winter I started to feel like we were seeing progress. Dd was wearing a new pair of nice looking boots. There was a little more variety in her clothing. At one point, she even lost the shirt she wore nearly every day and it wasn't a huge problem. She was beginning to shower more often. But now she's getting fussier again about food, clothes, and bathing. The last two times I had to physically carry her into the shower because it couldn't be put off anymore. I had to wash her hair and use a ton of conditioner with a brush because she had mats. Food is a problem because she gets blood sugar lows if she doesn't eat regularly and that makes everything worse. She tried to salvage her favorite shirt which was really becoming threadbare by sewing it so she could wear it, but that understandably ended in frustration and the shirt doesn't exist anymore. She had some OCD issues with a project for coop and kept re-doing it and she's so dissatisfied that I don't know if it will ever get handed in. She's absolutely fine when she's having fun with friends. Her outfits are quirky but she carries them very well, adding interesting touches like frames without lenses that make her look sort of hip. I'm trying to remember when my other sensory girl had ups and downs and finally made progress but I can't nail it down. Anyone else have issues like this with a kid who is not so little anymore? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Yes. DS. Not maybe to the extremes I know you have had to deal with Tiramisu, but yes, there have been similar issues. For clothing I was lucky years ago when he was still in school in that we found a particular style/brand of shorts and shirt that DS liked and I bought several in the same color and several more in different colors. For a little while when one got washed I washed the others so the feel would stay the same. Gave us more options. He doesn't need that anymore and hasn't for quite a while thankfully. Bathing on the other hand was still an issue until just these past few weeks. Even though it was an issue, I was getting him to bathe. It was just really stressful for both of us for years. He hated the transition in and out of the water. I did get him bathing on a pretty regular basis after a while. I had to set alarms, though. Every 3 days, when the alarm went off, he had to bathe. It was non-negotiable. He would fuss and panic but because it was the alarm saying it was time he was less likely to go into full meltdown status. Now he is smoothing out and doesn't argue much anymore. Part of that may also be that he is taking swimming lessons and competing in swimming meets so he is more accustomed to the water now. It was his request to take swimming lessons and he does it in an indoor pool with heated water so the transition to and from the water has been a lot more gentle. Sorry you and she are going through this. Could it be hormone fluctuations exacerbating her issues? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Michelle. Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Mine is only 6, but we definitely see a pattern to his flare-ups. He's usually pretty easy-going, but he'll have a gradual increase in behavior until we're about at our wits end, then a sudden decrease. It has almost always been followed by a developmental step forward. Our neurodevelopmental ped says it's a typical pattern as the brain develops, similar to what we see in NT toddlers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Sorry you and she are going through this. Could it be hormone fluctuations exacerbating her issues? I have been thinking it could be hormones, because of the mouthiness we've been seeing lately, something that was never a problem with her before. In the long-term hormones had a very positive effect on my older dd and I always hung on to that as my hope. Dd is now taking another shower. She is washing off the stuff I used on her yesterday. I didn't realize this but she told me after she uses the regular shampoo and conditioner, she follows it up with baby shampoo and conditioner because she can feel the residue of the other products on her otherwise. She also was complaining about her itchy ears and that her throat is bothering her so she feels like she can't take a good breath. The ears signal allergy issues to me. Strange, because she just made a switch to what is supposedly a stronger allergy med. The throat could be allergies, too, but she also cried a lot last night because of the shower. I have the inhaler on hand but I hate to use that since it really has a bad effect on her behavior. I also have a script for a new nasal spray allergy med which is dry and has no taste but she says she won't use it so I haven't filled it. But I think it could help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: When there are multiple possible triggers it really makes it tough to nail it down, doesn't it? DS has allergies, too. I am so sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Dd is now taking another shower. She is washing off the stuff I used on her yesterday. I didn't realize this but she told me after she uses the regular shampoo and conditioner, she follows it up with baby shampoo and conditioner because she can feel the residue of the other products on her otherwise. She also was complaining about her itchy ears and that her throat is bothering her so she feels like she can't take a good breath. The ears signal allergy issues to me. Strange, because she just made a switch to what is supposedly a stronger allergy med. The throat could be allergies, too, but she also cried a lot last night because of the shower. I have the inhaler on hand but I hate to use that since it really has a bad effect on her behavior. I also have a script for a new nasal spray allergy med which is dry and has no taste but she says she won't use it so I haven't filled it. But I think it could help. Not exactly what you asked... Could she sink wash her hair (or lean over the tub), wrap a towel on her head, and then hop in to wash the rest of herself off? Itchy ears--I have allergies too, and my ear pH was all out of whack. I likely had fungal stuff going on at one point (according to the ENT). It had started as allergies. I'll spare you the details of how bad it got down inside, but you don't want her to scratch her ears. You can use anti-fungal cream to sooth the itch, and it doesn't thin the skin or do bad stuff like cortisone cream will, so you can use it long-term. If the itching is something that lasts, you can use a dropper to put white vinegar in her ears after a shower. That will help maintain the acidic environment that the ears need. The ENT told me this, and it's been life-changing. I wanted to claw my ears off prior to using the vinegar. It takes a bit of skill to get good at wiping all the vinegar off when you drain it out--it's hard on the ear lobes if you don't do a good job! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Not exactly what you asked... Could she sink wash her hair (or lean over the tub), wrap a towel on her head, and then hop in to wash the rest of herself off? Itchy ears--I have allergies too, and my ear pH was all out of whack. I likely had fungal stuff going on at one point (according to the ENT). It had started as allergies. I'll spare you the details of how bad it got down inside, but you don't want her to scratch her ears. You can use anti-fungal cream to sooth the itch, and it doesn't thin the skin or do bad stuff like cortisone cream will, so you can use it long-term. If the itching is something that lasts, you can use a dropper to put white vinegar in her ears after a shower. That will help maintain the acidic environment that the ears need. The ENT told me this, and it's been life-changing. I wanted to claw my ears off prior to using the vinegar. It takes a bit of skill to get good at wiping all the vinegar off when you drain it out--it's hard on the ear lobes if you don't do a good job! Thanks, kbutton! What do you use to drop the vinegar in your ears? And what kind of antifungal cream do you use? How and where do you apply it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Yes, we have sensory flares too related to SAD and hormones. Daily outdoor exercise has helped a ton this year. So has having an incredibly mild winter with a lot more sun than we normally get, but we lucked out on that one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Season changes, allergy flares (holy cow, the trees ARE POLLINATING right now!), illness, and puberty are all times when things go crazy with a particular child of mine. Have her try the nasal spray for three weeks. Just three weeks. Bribe her through it. The albuterol is crazy-making and if she can tolerate the nasal spray, I think things will be so much better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Thanks, kbutton! What do you use to drop the vinegar in your ears? And what kind of antifungal cream do you use? How and where do you apply it? For the vinegar, you can look at the pharmacy for an eye dropper. If you are lucky, you can get a bottle that has it's own dropper. Sometimes the pharmacist will give you one. Places that sell essential oils might also have stuff like this. http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Glass-Bottles-Essential-Dropper/dp/B0081SRRFO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427750362&sr=8-3&keywords=eye+dropper+bottle Anti-fungal cream--something like lotrimin cream is fine. There are several similar ones as well as off brands--active ingredients would be miconazole or clotrimazole or something like that. Warning--some people don't like ear drops! Be sure to do both ears--it can cause vertigo (temporary), and it's actually less freaky with both ears. Have her put her head in your lap or something and then turn over for the other ear. You don't want her to stand up right away until she gets used to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 For the vinegar, you can look at the pharmacy for an eye dropper. If you are lucky, you can get a bottle that has it's own dropper. Sometimes the pharmacist will give you one. Places that sell essential oils might also have stuff like this. http://www.amazon.com/Amber-Glass-Bottles-Essential-Dropper/dp/B0081SRRFO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427750362&sr=8-3&keywords=eye+dropper+bottle Anti-fungal cream--something like lotrimin cream is fine. There are several similar ones as well as off brands--active ingredients would be miconazole or clotrimazole or something like that. Warning--some people don't like ear drops! Be sure to do both ears--it can cause vertigo (temporary), and it's actually less freaky with both ears. Have her put her head in your lap or something and then turn over for the other ear. You don't want her to stand up right away until she gets used to it. Thanks! Where do you put the anti-fungal cream? Outside the canals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Yes, down in the ear canal, though you can use it topically on the outer ear if she has itchy spots there too. I use a q-tip to apply it since i have huge ear canals. I don't have to worry about shoving wax inside and having it get all compacted. If she has tiny ear canals, you might have to be more creative to get it down inside. Or if she's jumpy, you might want to avoid the q-tip altogether. Maybe use a loop of clean, stiff cotton string. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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