Input on what happened to my ds--He was at his first baseball game after have the...

[home4school]

stitches removed from his face. He pitched the first inning, came in the dugout and started crying that he couldn't get his breath and was nauseous (sp?). Took him home, he was sick at his stomach and just couldn't get a good deep breath off and on. This went on all evening. He was very tired and fell asleep early. Next morning, same thing. He ate some grits and the nauseau went away, but he still couldn't get a good deep breath. Took him to the ped, by this time he was really upset and crying thinking there was something seriously wrong with him. The dr gave him a breathing treatment, he settled down and the breathing eased. Dr told me it was placebo in the nebulizer and ds was just having a panic attack! I was stunned! He gave him an inhaler, a very mild one, and told him to only use it when he couldn't breath and didn't expect he would ever need it. He told ds was happened at the game was probably a one time thing, maybe an allergic reaction and there was no permanent damage to his lungs, no asthma, etc. so he wouldn't need the inhaler regularly. Well, he ended up using the inhaler twice last night after we got home. He says his throat feels like its closing up and he can't get a good deep breath. I have a call into the dr, but thought I would check here, too.

 

My ds11 is very tightly wound, gets upset easily over medical matters. He always thinks the worst. I did suffer from panic attacks myself when I was younger, ending up in the ER a few times, but haven't had one since my mid 20s. Maybe he was scared of getting hit in the face at the game since he just had his stitches out, but I'm stunned the breathing problem would have carried over till the next morning. And if he had settled down, why did he need the inhaler at home last night? They did have another game last night and his older brother went, but we told him he didn't have to go if he still felt bad, so he stayed home. Could he have been upset about not playing/playing that started setting off the panic again?

 

Thanks for any input. He's still sleeping now, so I don't know how he's going to be today.

 

Kim

[Old Dominion Heather]

Maybe just anxiety over the thought that sooner or later he will have to go back and play? Poor guy. I have panic attacks too and it can be worse thinking about the situation than actually facing it. Maybe get some time playing ball with just the family over the weekend?

[adams101]

If you think it is a panic attack dealing with baseball, look into getting him a face mask. A friend of mine's ds broke his nose at a game and ended up having surgery on it. He still plays, but Dr. said he has to wear a mask to protect it. Even if he is just throwing the football around he wears it. I also saw a girl on a softball team my dd played wearing one. That might help calm his fears. You can also wear a batting helmet with a mask on the field, but the other is probably more comfortable and light weight. Just something you might look into. Your Dr. should be able to tell you how to get one.

[Karen sn]

Maybe the nebulizer worked because he was relaxed and breathing slowly and deeply. So - I would hold breathing class. Every morning first thing we'd do is slow, deep, relaxing breaths. Maybe throw in some guided visualization...."Feel how that the oxygen from each deep breath is reaching deep within your lungs, opening up the alveoli. When you release each breath blow out all the fear and worry. Another deep breath in brings (whatever you think he needs to hear) and another exhalation blows out all (whatever he needs to release)."

 

That's what I would do.

 

It's very scarry when you think you can't breathe.

I had severe anxiety a few times and thankfully i realized what it was before I freaked out.

 

Practice relaxing.

Make it a real exercise.

Go outside, on a blanket, under a tree or the open sky.

Get real relaxed outside where the air IS and then when he can do that easy, practice doing it everywhere....even an elevator.

 

It's just a good life lesson.

And as I am tightly wound of late, perhaps I should be practicing what I preach.....

[home4school]

He just woke up and still seems "sick". He said his throat feels like it tightening up and he's still a little queasy. Just laying on the couch. This is not like him!

 

Would this all still be from that panic attack? I guess I'm asking if you think there could be something else at play here. Maybe there is something else going on. I just don't know what to think.

 

Kim

[Cheryl in NM]

I've suffered from panic attacks for many years. I think the dr. was wrong to give him an inhaler. That feeds into the panic. Basically, your ds will "wait" for an attack so that he can "treat" the attack. I agree with the pp that the breathing treatment probably worked because your ds was breathing deeply. I say to work with him on breathing deeply, visualization and some positve self talk. Your ds needs to learn how to relax on a more regular basis to lower his basic stress level to prevent panic attacks from happening. Then he needs to recognize a panic attack and know how to counter the attack ie with deep breathing, visualization and positive talk. I hope you can help him get this under control now so he doesn't end up on medication for it. I firmly beleive that just by lowering basic stress levels and not focusing on having "panic attacks" many people would have less panic attacks. You might also check out some accupressure techniques. They have worked great for me also.

 

Hope that helps. Just keep from focusing on the attack and focus instead on the positive.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Was your son on an antibiotic when he had his stitches?

 

Here's our story...18months ago my ds(9 at the time) had a deep injury to his knee with dirt imbedded in the wound. He required 2 layers of stitches and 21 days of an antibiotic. Shortly after that he started having dizziness and crying spells. He's a very laid back kid and this was totally out of character for him. If he had been a more anxious child I think he definitely could have panicked over his dizziness. We battled this for 6 months.

 

A year ago I happened to order "The Biology of Behaviour" by Dianne Craft. She talked about how antibiotic therapy can seriously affect a child's behaviour. I had not connected my son's antibiotic use to his dizziness, but when I looked back on the calendar, it all made sense. I followed her supplement plan using acidophilus and grapefruit seed extract. The dizziness and crying stopped in 5 days. He had been suffering for 6 months. He has had two relapses since then....one at Christmas, and one at Easter.....both completely correlated with excess sugar intake which can cause yeast overgrowth. One week on the acidophilus and he's better.

 

Antibiotics and yeast may not be his problem, but we suffered so long and it was so easy to fix that I just had to mention it.

 

HTH,

Leanna

[cillakat]

I think the dr. was wrong to give him an inhaler. That feeds into the panic. Basically, your ds will "wait" for an attack so that he can "treat" the attack.

 

2nd that. if it was just panic. I'm assuming the doc did a pulse ox and his o2 sats were a solid 99?

 

I've had panic attacks.....and asthma.....and pneumonia. So I know what it feels like to not be able to breathe.

 

If it's aa medical breathing issue, then that needs to be dealt with. If it's not, then using the placebo was *bad* move. He'll be looking for physical issues to treat in order to feel better....that's a train you don't want to be on.

 

_Depression Free Naturally_ was life changing for me. It deals with depression, anxiety, ocd.....a wide array of issues. I take tryptophan, some special forms of b6 and folic acid, fish oil, inosoitol, gaba and more.

 

Inositol is amazing for anxiety. An israeli study showed that 4g inositol powder, 3x per day, treated anxiety as effectively as whatever ssri they were studying. Inositol is a b vite that's easy to take (mildly sweet powder) and has no upper limit of safety. I looooooooove inositol.

 

Sufficient vitamin d has also been amazing - appropriate doses are much much higher than the RDA. Optimal seems to be around 1000 IU vitamin D-3 for every 25-30 lbs body weight. vitamindcouncil.org has information and endless scientific cites.

 

All the best,

Katherine

[KristenS]

I think the placebo was a good idea, if using it calms him. It buys you time to help coach him into better responses. Just as I take fairly strong medication for my severe panic disorder, while my therapist works with me to find better ways to deal with life.

 

The suggestions to practice breathing, and try supplements, and all, were good ones.

 

I know at one point my 7yo started picking up on the "Mommy's not feeling well, so she can't do X today" and tried pulling that himself. :) He felt just a little poorly so decided he wouldn't go to scouts or church or whatever. I had a little talk with him that his sick was different from Mommy's sick (he had an allergic sniffle or two) and that he was perfectly okay to go to his activities. He just had to figure it out. I know that's not what your son is going through, but once he calms down, maybe a chat about how to tell 'real' sick from fear that can be conquered would be a good thing. And when to push himself and when not to, if the anxiety becomes a long-term issue. (Which, if it does, would be the time to get a good counselor involved.)

 

It's really all about matter-of-fact coaching. There's nothing wrong with his using an inhaler or a face mask or whatever to start with, so that he can re-learn how to play without feeling afraid, and then weaning off those items. Just like using a crutch is fine while your leg is broken, but eventually you have to learn to walk without it again, and sometimes you need a little physical therapy to get you there. :)

 

Once you learn fear, it's hard to un-learn. Patience. And hugs. Lots of hugs for all of you. :)

[home4school]

Was your son on an antibiotic when he had his stitches?

 

Here's our story...18months ago my ds(9 at the time) had a deep injury to his knee with dirt imbedded in the wound. He required 2 layers of stitches and 21 days of an antibiotic. Shortly after that he started having dizziness and crying spells. He's a very laid back kid and this was totally out of character for him. If he had been a more anxious child I think he definitely could have panicked over his dizziness. We battled this for 6 months.

 

A year ago I happened to order "The Biology of Behaviour" by Dianne Craft. She talked about how antibiotic therapy can seriously affect a child's behaviour. I had not connected my son's antibiotic use to his dizziness, but when I looked back on the calendar, it all made sense. I followed her supplement plan using acidophilus and grapefruit seed extract. The dizziness and crying stopped in 5 days. He had been suffering for 6 months. He has had two relapses since then....one at Christmas, and one at Easter.....both completely correlated with excess sugar intake which can cause yeast overgrowth. One week on the acidophilus and he's better.

 

Antibiotics and yeast may not be his problem, but we suffered so long and it was so easy to fix that I just had to mention it.

 

HTH,

Leanna

 

Yes, he took 250mg Augmentin 3x/day for 10 days. He just finished it over the weekend. I will definitely check into this. Thank you.

[Wendi]

Ds and I both have anxiety/OCD issues. I feel a lot of empathy for your son. Other posters have been very helpful, so I don't know if I have much to add.

 

I second the idea that the antibiotics might have affected your ds's underlying anxiety. However, the traumatic experience of the cat attack, stitches, etc., would make his anxiety worse, too! The vulnerability he felt when pitching was probably overwhelming. It reminds me of when ds broke his leg; when the cast was removed, he asked the doctor to put it back on; he felt so scared something would happen to his leg without protection! (The doctor actually duct-taped the cast back on for the trip to the orthopedics place to get his brace/boot. Ds felt so much better having that boot on!)

 

I'm not 100% sure the inhaler was a good idea, either, because it does reinforce to your ds that there IS something medically wrong; you may find he becomes dependent on it. Deep breathing and relaxation practice sounds like it would help.

 

If he's like my ds, he may be so upset because he's struggling with his anxiety. He is realizing that giving in to the anxiety means missing out on something he loves (baseball), but the fears are so real to him.

 

I'd try some of the herbal/natural remedies like fish oil and a good multivitamin (make sure it has enough magnesium). Try relaxing things like warm baths, jumping on a trampoline, swimming. These all give good sensory input, which can help.

 

I'm very interested in the book someone mentioned, The Depression Cure. We've tried some naturopathic treatment with ds, with some results but not enough. He's on medication now, but I'd still like to do more naturally if we can.

 

Cognitive behavioral therapy is very helpful for anxiety/OCD when it's interfering with one's life and relationships. Keep this in mind if other things don't help. You might also try the book What to Do When You Worry Too Much.

 

:grouphug:

Wendi

[home4school]

Thank you for all your replies. We just got back from the dr and he did a chest xray and checked the O2 level, both of which were perfect. This seemed to put ds's mind at rest for now and he's not complaining with his throat closing up. Apparently all this morning he was afraid to move around bc he thought there was something wrong with him and he would need the inhaler forever. I told him the breathing treatment at the dr's was only water to simulate proper deep breathing techniques' and he seems fine now. He was afraid there was a medicine in there he would need from now on. He was relieved to know it was only water.

 

The dr is standing behind his dx of panic attack and I'm beginning to think he was right. My poor little guy looks at the worst possible scenario, convinces himself its going to happen to him, and the scares himself to death. He's always been this way, but without the panic attack. I guess the combined stresses of his cat attacking him, the shots, the stitches, gagging down that horrible antibiotic 3x/day for 10 days, not sleeping well bc of the stitches, getting the stitches out, returning to baseball, pitching his first time back, afraid the ball would be a line-drive to his face, just all added up and he broke down. Typing it out that way is even too much for me.:(

 

The dr suggested a counselor, maybe we need to do that. I just feel so bad for him. Of course I feel like I've let my ds down some way if he needs to see a therapist.

 

Thanks again,

Kim

[cillakat]

The dr suggested a counselor, maybe we need to do that. I just feel so bad for him. Of course I feel like I've let my ds down some way if he needs to see a therapist.

 

Naw. {{{{hugs}}}} Some of us just have a genetic tendency to burn through seratonin and the cofactors of it's production (tryptophan, b6, folate, C) faster than most. Supplying him with more of the raw materials will ensure that his body can make more as needed.

 

Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective form of therapy for anxiety.....regular talk therapy is generally not.

 

Wishing you all good things,

Katherine