med refusal adhd etc. all post ivig

[danddd]

hi everyone,

 

dd9 had ivig @ 4 1/2 weeks ago. of course she had to catch a cold/fever last week, and things went real bad. i have just realized that since the ivig (maybe before too) she has had adhd type trouble. since getting sick, it is horrible. it now takes her hours to get ready for school. she cant focus enough to eat, get dressed or anything without someone constantly helping her, and reminding her. She also is starting to refuse to take her augmentin!!!! it takes a few hours to get it in her. adhd is pretty new for us, and i dont know how to deal with it. i cant force her to do anything, it just doesnt work. same with rewards and charts, those make her upset. Any ideas?

 

also, when a kid gets sick post ivig, how long can it take to get out of the exacerbation? it has been 6 days, and i dont see any sign of improvement yet. maybe i should take her to see her pediatrician?

 

I keep trying to remind myself that the ivig fixed the rages, and that it could still fix other problems too. but i am just feeling so negative about it all right now.

thanks for any advice, (i will go cry some more before i have to get my little one from school).

[airial95]

I can't give you any advice on the IVIG points - we haven't been there. But ADHD is one of our bigger symptoms. We've been working on that along with the OCD with a behavior therapist.

 

One of the tools that they have given us, that seems to be working well with our son, is to give them only one task at a time (duh) - but use a timer with it. Tell them that they have to get dressed before the timer goes off - and of course offer praise/reward, etc... while their doing it. The key is to set the timer with realistic times that will allow them to complete the task, but are short enough too that they have to stay focused to finish them.

 

Our son is younger, but he LOVES his timer. We started with just staying seated during dinner (even if he didn't eat - one task at a time!) and now HE wants to use it for many other things. Ironically, he likes the timer so much it's helped with our evening seperation anxiety too. We'll snuggle him and lay with him until the timer goes off - but then we have to go. It's worked so well, that we've been reducing the snuggle time every few days without him even noticing! I'm down to 10 minutes after story - but my husband is still closer to 30 min (his sep anxiety is more about him right now...). But hey - it beats the hours on end or having to sleep with him entirely!!!

 

It's worth a try - it's working wonders for us so far.

[momaine]

My dd got a sinus infection in the third week post 2nd Hd IVIG. It took a week back on Augmentin (along with the azith she was already on) for things to begin to improve. Though, 24 hours after the first dose of Augmentin, she stopped back sliding and symptoms evened out.

 

My dd cannot be bribed or bought and she has difficulty at times taking medicine because of OCD issues, but when I keep pounding it into her head that she WILL MOST LIKELY gets worse without them, she eventually takes them. I stand there and hold them with the cup of water until she does.

 

Once, in extreme frustration, I said, OK, I give up, don't take them. Get worse but don't expect me to be there to pick up the pieces when you won't even take your medicine. It wasn't nice but it had an impact and she took the medication.

 

Sometimes though, she just likes to ###### and complain a little about having to take them. She just wants to be heard. It is so frustrating to have to take medication ALL the time. She just wants to be normal. I make sure she knows I 'm listening and that I empathise with her. Then she takes them more easily. Best of luck.

 

The one thing that helps the most is that she does KNOW she is doing better because of them and she trusts that I have her best interests at heart.

[danddd]

maybe I should see if I she can go up to full strength on the augmentin if she doesnt get better soon. ocd really does get in the way of taking meds. actually today, i did not nag her as much, and she took them much quicker. maybe ignoring her a bit is the key! thanks guys