scbusf Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 My 7 year old DD got her palate expander yesterday - she has a cleft palate, so that's why she's kind of young to start this. Anyway, she has not eaten or had anything to drink since then. She thinks she can't swallow, but I am positive she's just scared to since I'm sure it feels very different. This girl is so stubborn, I can totally see her continuing to refuse. Any advice or tricks? If she doesn't at least drink a little bit of something by this afternoon, I'm going to have to take her in for IV fluids. That seems extreme, but she has literally refused to drink even a sip of water in about 20 hours now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home'scool Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Tell her if she is swallowing saliva, which I am sure she is, then she can swallow liquids. Maybe that will help her see she has already been doing what she is scared of all this time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 Tell her if she is swallowing saliva, which I am sure she is, then she can swallow liquids. Maybe that will help her see she has already been doing what she is scared of all this time She's not doing that, either. She's using a towel to soak up the saliva. Gross! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneddmanybooks Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I'm sorry. My 10 yr DD was pretty unhappy for the first two days (she had expanders in both top and bottom) and was very selective about foods. One of her first items was a Dairy Queen blizzard. I would call your ortho. I hope things get better soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamite5 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 My 7 year old DD got her palate expander yesterday - she has a cleft palate, so that's why she's kind of young to start this. Anyway, she has not eaten or had anything to drink since then. She thinks she can't swallow, but I am positive she's just scared to since I'm sure it feels very different. This girl is so stubborn, I can totally see her continuing to refuse. Any advice or tricks? If she doesn't at least drink a little bit of something by this afternoon, I'm going to have to take her in for IV fluids. That seems extreme, but she has literally refused to drink even a sip of water in about 20 hours now. Poor thing! She must be miserable. Google how to eat with a palate expander and once you find some information that resonates with you, share it with her. Let her know she's not alone, that lots of kids have gone through this same experience. It sounds as though there are a lot of issues with an expander and giving her more information may give her the feeling of more power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I would call the ortho. They should be able to let her come in to 'check to be sure the expander is fitted properly' and have her drink something and maybe even eat something. She's a little kid...I wouldn't let this go on any longer especially since a holiday weekend is upon us. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Poor baby. As long as she can breath through her mouth, her throat isn't blocked. Double check since she is spitting out her saliva. When my throat was blocked, I could breath through my nose but I was spitting out saliva every 5 to 10 minutes, almost like throwing up because nothing could go down, due to piece of steak which got stuck.. Anyway, as long as you know for sure there isn't any blockage. I had extender done when I was 14. I couldn't eat anything for three days my mouth hurt so bad. I'm sucked liquids through a straw, then after that soft foods, soup, mashed potatoes, etc. her mouth will hurt each time the extender is cranked, which will be done periodically. Oh and your teeth, even though your mouth hurts, sot of feel numb because of the new pressure. It is a really weird feeling. Take her back to the doctor today and if she can't be calmed, I would have it removed. A pain, yes, but better than her freaking out because she wasn't prepared for the pain. I'm don't know how much you told her about the device and how it all works, but she may just not be old enough to handle it or needs to be told much more and given time to adjust to the whole idea, Please don't let her continue like this over the weekend. Yes, she may be stubborn but being scared trumps that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 See if anything interests her...Her favorite fast food, her favorite ice cream, just something to get over the fear and hurt. I wouldn't expand it at all until she starts eating. Sure, it will make the process longer, but at least she won't have the pain also. My daughter has a cleft also and the expander didn't bother her. It was across the roof of her mouth. My son also had an expander, but it was a wire that fit behind his front teeth but he had to have full upper braces with that option. A lot less invasive. It didn't clog with food and I didn't have to turn the key every day. Go to this page and scroll down for an image of what my son had. If things continue, maybe ask for an alternate plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 Thanks everyone! I finally got her to drink a chocolate Ensure-type drink. And now I can give her some liquid Ibuprofen since she will drink. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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