ddcrook Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 My 9 year old dd just returned home from a few days at the hospital where she received IV antibiotics to finish off an infection that she has been fighting for about a month. The infection was around a newly installed button in her abdomen so she has experienced pain when I cleaned the area or opened and closed the button. Now she is afraid to have anyone touch the button or clean around it. Even though it no longer hurts, she gets worked up anticipating that it will hurt her again. I requested a Child Life Specialist to come in and teach dd some techniques so she can calm herself, but unfortunately Child Life only came in and told me things that I can do to get dd to cooperate with me. That isn't the problem. She is quite cooperative, but she is suffering more that necessary because she is getting so anxious. Can any of you recommend books, websites, youtube videos, etc. that I can use to help dd learn some techniques that will help her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Can you talk her through cleaning it herself? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddcrook Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 Can you talk her through cleaning it herself? Good suggestion. I just asked her and she says she wants me to do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 (edited) Maybe making a deal with her that you will stop when she says, but she can only ask you to stop if it hurts? And if it is still hurting it won't be touched until she has pain medicine. Maybe it's a different sensation now that doesn't hurt but feels strange and she dislikes. Maybe cooling the area can decrease any types of feelings she may have. Or only do one step at a time and wait for her to allow you to continue - step 1- prepare supplies, step 2 - move shirt out of way, etc. Sometimes exaggerated small steps may help her. Edited June 1, 2016 by displace 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 EFT It calms the amygdala (lizard brain). Every parent should know and use or teach EFT on/to their kids. Especially for (scary to kids) medical situations. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S1efrIBI9BY Basically DD gets to name her fears, dislikes, and physical sensations out loud (fear of pain, fear going back to hospital, taking more meds, seeing a certain doctor, seeing you squint your eyes up as you approach her belly, the smell of the cleaning solution, it makes her heart race, or stomach squeeze into a knot, or butterflies in her chest/stomach - ANY aspects she doesn't like). She talks about each one for a round (or more, if needed) of tapping until she doesn't feel any emotional/physical anxiety about the situation. It sounds like a lot, but a round of tapping is about 1 minute or less. So she could be much calmer in 2-10 minutes, depending on how many aspects she needs to "tap out". She might need to do it again if more aspects/feelings come up again next time you need to touch it, but if you get them all in one round, that is not unheard of either. Best of luck! I hope you both feel better about the situation soon! Keep calm and Tap on! :D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Is this a g-tube? My son had one, if you'd like to IM. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Would a numbing cream prior to you cleaning it be helpful? Doctors prescribe it for my ds prior to blood draws and IV Insertions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 My dd had a port infection, had to have the port removed and they couldn't close the wound because of healing/wound protocol. She had to have a new port placed. She had some issues over both the wound care and accessing the new port. We took a multi-prong approach, including: 1. building up a routine of what we would do before and after 2. acknowledging that sometimes things hurt, and that our body is designed to feel pain as a warning system to us 3. working on conscious relaxation, taking deep breaths, and visualizing a happy thing 4. rewarding afterwards We had a brief time during radiation therapy where we had to use ativan. Her skin was literally breaking down, and having her mask snapped into the table freaked her out as well. If I knew then what I knew now, I would've jumped to anti-anxiety meds earlier. Retraining the brain not to freak out takes time, you have to build new patterns of reaction. conscious relaxation: http://move-with-me.com/self-regulation/4-breathing-exercises-for-kids-to-empower-calm-and-self-regulate/ guided meditations (I linked you to an example of a bedtime one, but they can be about anything): 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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