She asked Tif if she could talk to me on her cellphone. Just like her mother she was honest. "Hi Grandma," she said seriously. "I didn't want to take the medicine at first, but I did." We then had a conversation about why it was important to listen to her parents.
This reminded me of the summer of 1980. We came back to Hawaii for a visit with Tiffany and Jonathan. The day after we got there, we took the kids to Ala Moana beach. They had a fabulous time. Jon was nearly two years old.He promptly got sick that night and came down with a terrible fever, about 105. We put him in a tepid bath and brought him to Tripler Army Hospital the next morning. We were taken to an office and told to wait. We were a bit concerned when a doctor with a colonel's eagle insignia walked in to seriously tell us there was a problem. Jon had pneumonia. Walking pneumonia. It was the first time we'd heard of walking pneumonia. I guess it must be better since it intimates that you can still walk. However, the fact that they sent a colonel in to tell us was a bit attention getting.
We were given pink colored Amoxicillin (antibiotic) to administer to him. Well... Jon refused to take it. He just didn't like the flavor. We mashed bananas and put it in. Nope, he spit it out.
We tried mixing it with ice cream. Nope, out it came.
I can't remember all the combinations we tried. He just wouldn't swallow enough of it.
Bribery didn't work either. I still can't make him do things he doesn't want to.
We called Tripler and finally gave up. Somehow he managed to recuperate on his own rather quickly.
I'm glad KC took her medication after just two tries.
The surprising thing is Jon will now eat and drink almost anything. He's learned to do that from all his travels and his Peace Corps time in Mali. However, he sure didn't make it easy on us when he was a toddler.
Any good ideas for getting a child to take their medicine?
If you think they'll take pills, ask the docs for a capsule or pill form. I used to crush some pill and put it in empty clear capsules (you can get them from the pharmacist,) to get them down that way, in a spoonful of applesauce. Some pharmacies can add flavoring to meds.
ReplyDeleteConfession: if they're young enough (like under 2,) and sick enough, having someone hold them lying on their backs flat-- yes I hate it, and put the liquid medicine in a needleless syringe and squirt it at the back of their throats on one side of their cheek which usually works. Sit them up right after, have them drink something they like.
That fever is serious, so she doesn't feel cooperative anyway. May want to alternate with liguid motrin for kids between the tylenlol, but check with the doc on this and frequency/hours of dosing.
Get her to drink lots of liquids.
"Walking pneumonia" is a strange old term. In the elderly, pneumonia, before antibiotics, was scary for folks back in the '20s and '40s. The fact one had pneumonia back then was that you'd be so tired, winded, and feverish that you couldn't walk, not because of a muscle condition.
These days, you can get "pneumonia" which is some fluid in your lungs, infected or not, and you're usually well enough to still be walking. Another cute, dumb, old term is "double pneumonia," since most pneumonia IS on both lungs.
Kids seem to get it when their sinuses drain, have ear infections, asthma, or coughing.
My son had a two-day bout of pneumonia in 2nd grade, and was at the hospital only 2 days to get IV meds and fluid in him fast. Interestingly, his symptom was severe stomach pain! Guess it's common for a lung problem to radiate pain to the stomach in kids. I wasn't a nurse then, and was stunned with the diagnosis, much less the chest xray purpose. It was a recent asthma flare-up that probably caused the bit of fluid to collect inside each lung.
I hope Tiffany's pediatrician or pharmacist has a better trick to get meds into her. I've seen commercials for those thin mouth strips, like breath strips, with medicine in them.
Good Luck, use cool washcloths and tepid bath to help the meds work.
DrumMajor
Oops got the names crossed: KC is ill, Mom Tiffany is trying to fix it. DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteso glad I'm past those years...if they are older try bribery...lol!
ReplyDeleteI never had a problem getting my kids to take medicine that I can remember, but then again it's been so long I might have lost a few brain cells!
ReplyDeleteMatthew is our problem medicine child. Aspen was always complacent not happy but did it any way. He is 6 and had the flu February I think. Anyway he was horrible!! We had to hold him down to get Tylenol and Motrin down! Ugh and the Tamiflu!!! I even made a chart, he had to get so many stickers in order to get a prize. So every time he was good about his medicine he got a sticker. Then he would have gone to Walmart for a toy. He didn't earn it but maybe it might work with KC. What finally worked with him (and I feel bad for it) was I brought him outside and we couldn't go back inside till he took his medicine. It was cold out and with a fever he felt colder. I only has to do it twice then he started taking his medicine with less of a fight.
ReplyDeleteGosh, my kids are four legged. If it is the dog, I just open his mouths and ram the pill down his throat with two fingers.
ReplyDeleteThe cats pretty much have to rely on their nine lives to save them. I just don't take pain well enough to force the issue with them.
Yep, Arkansas Patti -- I remember the days of pills down the dogs throat, baiting capsules in giant balls of ground beef, just to see only the pill spit out. I hadn't mentioned the animal method yet to Kay for fear she might try it. Human bites are supposed to be worse than animal bites. DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteOur doctor always gave them liquid medication with a dropper so when the Dynamic Duo were sick, I would aim for the back of the their mouth where they HAD to swallow it and. In fact, I kept the droppers and used them for the over-the-counter cough syrup. It worked. They didn't like it but it got the job done.
ReplyDeleteDrumMajor: I just LOVE all your knowledge and advice! Thank you, thank you, a million times over. I know all our blog family is loving it!
ReplyDeleteKay: Droppers? That is a new one for me. It was liquid Tylenol but KC put up a fight.
Everybody: Apparently, after KC told me she took her medicine, her fever went up again the following day and she was up to her old tricks not wanting to take the medicine. She was running my daughter ragged. However, KC is recovered now and my daughter is recuperating from the ordeal.
Melissa: My daughter would love to commiserate with you. Sighhhhh.
ReplyDeleteI hope KC gets better quickly. I never really had a problem with either one of my girls taking meds. Sorry no great remedies to make them take it.
ReplyDeleteKay, it's been too long, I don't remember a thing about it except I think my son was very difficult about it. There was bribery for sure and all kinds of tricks that likely failed!
ReplyDeleteLuckily KC is a bit older than Jon was and able to reason a bit more.
My parents used death threats on me. If you are looking for a more nurturing approach that won't work.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful pair of stories. :)
ReplyDeleteBoy can I relate to this post. My son Jon was the same way. He was allergic to penicillin so it was hard to even come up with medicine for him in the first place. I was a single mom, so I had no back-up. He would just refuse to take medicine. He still refuses to go to the doctor when I think he really should. I have no answers when it comes to this topic.
ReplyDeleteWow, Tif must have been so scared with KC sick and refusing to take medicine. I'm never going to cry while watching cute diaper commercials again. Now I'm glad I'm not a mother.
ReplyDeleteMy only remaining "child" is our Golden Retriever, Lindy, who gets two probiotic capsules a day. She licks the capsule off my hand, chews it, then eats her yogurt. My only problem then is dog-spit on my hand, but it's easily washed off.
Not much help, I know.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
To Kay L. Davies -- Golden Retriever dog-spit is healthy, spiritually nurturing and better than the alcohol foam cleaner.
ReplyDelete(Had a Golden myself.) DrumMajor
Jake had so many ear infections and tube insertions, that he got very used to that pink liquid.
ReplyDeleteGlad Art is OK despite his Dr's awful people skills!
ReplyDeleteWarm Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
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Hi Kay! I have a son who suffers from schizofrenia and refuses to take his medicine. Result: he lives in an alien world and believes that I am not his mother.I haven't seen him for 13 years now.
ReplyDeleteThank you dear Kay! I have two wonderful daughters, who share the sadness about my son. We can pray for him that he might be happy.
ReplyDeleteFormerly, a doctor used to give me a kind of linctus in my childhood. I wonder if your granddaughter would like to drink such a sweet syrupy liquid medicine.σ(^_^;)
ReplyDeleteInteresting that I can fool the dogs and cats, but not my grand daughter!!
ReplyDelete