Thursday, March 26, 2009

Help wanted.

Jaysen's sick. Again.
People don't usually realize that your typical "sick" can be more concerning to a parent whose child has sensory issues- but a lot of you do.
Which is why I am seeking the expertise of my wise and beautiful peers.
Okay, and you too.

Here is my dilemma:
Jaysen has a fever of 103+.
He cannot take any medication- as soon as it's in his mouth, he gags, and throws up.
Because he takes his Risperdal hidden in his OJ every morning (shhhh) with little problem, I think it has something to do with the flavoring or sweetener they put in kids' OTC medication.

The reason doesn't really matter, since the issue is I Have To Get This Fever Down.

If anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE let me know! I am truly desperate. If there are any crazies who have drugged their significant other, I need to know how you did it. If you've had to give meds to a pet, I want details. If you have a child with Autism, your tips are golden. If you are a creative genius, I need your creativity. If you have worked for the government, I need your secrets. Now is the time for you lurkers to come out!

Here is what I have tried so far-

Liquid medicine (in syringe, in cup, in spoon).
Chewable medicine (whole, halved, and quartered).
Fastmelt tabs.
Fastmelt strips.
Caplets.
Different brands.
Different flavors.
Meds hidden in Jello.
Meds hidden in juice.
Meds hidden in a Gusher fruit snack.
Meds hidden in a muffin.
Bite of food, medicine, bite of food.
Stroking his throat to help meds (and keep vomit) down. (Yes, like an animal. I told you I was desperate.)
Compound pharmacies to see if they could make a topical or transdermal patch (nope).

-But-

Keep in mind my son will not eat-
Anything gooey (peanut butter, honey)
Gloppy (applesauce, yogurt, mashed potatoes)
Crunchy (veggies, most fruits, anything that particulates)
Textured (multigrain breads etc)
Ugly (too many ingredients like spaghetti sauce or soups)
Homemade (yeah, he kinda sucks like that)

The most difficult thing is that he tries! He tries so hard to get the meds down. Last night, he had a chewable in his hand and he gave himself a pep-talk "Okay. Let's do this. Let's do this. We're gonna do this. Let's DO IT!" Popped the pill in, went to chew, made "the face", out the pill came, and barf-o-rama ensued.

So please- go through my list of what I've tried already, again- and if you have anything (and I mean anything) that I am missing, please let me know! Currently, he is stripped down to his undies with a cold cloth on his head, drinking water. Poor guy.

11 comments:

Marshella said...

I'm sorry Jayson's sick. I don't have any ideas for you. Deklan rarely gets sick - especially with fever. And, he really likes the cherry (red) flavored liquid meds. But I can keep you guys in our prayers.

mommy~dearest said...

Thank you.

I was asked to leave what Jaysen WILL eat (awesome idea, thankyou!), so here it is:

Cheese-its.
Goldfish.
Kraft individually wrapped cheese slices.
Grilled cheese sandwich.
Chicken nuggets.
Pepperoni pizza.
Kraft mac and cheese spirals.
Mini muffins (choc chip).
Waffles (choc chip).
Dry cereal (cocoa puffs, corn pops, froot loops).
Potato chips.
Cheetos (puffs).
Gushers fruit snacks.
Ice cream (vanilla).
Chocolate (plain).
Skittles.

And that is about it.
Really.

Yes, you can see my son has a well balanced diet. *ugh* Don't judge.

Anonymous said...

Suppositories! Tylenol is a fever reducer and definitely comes in suppository form. Call your doctor or pharmacy.

Anonymous said...

We also try lukewarm baths to bring the fever down. Hope something comes to you soon!!

Heike Fabig said...

Hmm, yeah, suppositories are the way to go. Or injections... And yes, keep him cool. You too. Don't stess too much, fever is the body's way to get better, so it's mostly ok. If his fever gets too high, your local hospital should be able to give an injection. Thinking of you...

Anonymous said...

I do what Babs suggested - or sponge baths. That really helped Nigel when he was younger. Hope Jaysen gets well soon.

Casdok said...

Poor Jaysen - hope he is feeling better soon. I have the same probs with C and still havent found the answer.

Ashley's Mom said...

From my experience, suppositories for any child over the age of 2 just aren't going to work - unless they are delirious and can't fight you.

OK, so you asked how we give our pets meds. I wrap a pill in sliced cheese. Jaysen will eat that, right? How about popping a pill into the center of a muffin? Will he discover the texture change and still gag? Maybe better than a muffin, use a cruchy Cheeto. Just very gently stick it into the middle.

I don't think I saw pudding on your list. Will he eat that? If so, it is usually so strongly flavored that you can crush a pill, mix it in, and kiddo will eat it right up.

Or, with the icecream, will he eat a topping on the ice cream - say chocolate sauce? If so, crush the pill and mix it in.

Same goes for the grilled cheese sandwich. Crush the pill first - bury it between two slices of cheese, and the flavor of the cheese will most likely disguise the flavor of the pill.

What things will he drink? Is there anything strongly flavored enough that a liquid med would work in that?

I'll keep thinking and please let us know if you find something that works.

Erin said...

Cold baths work wonders at bringing down temperature. Or try waiting until he's really thirsty, then give him liquid medicine, followed by a LOT of juice/water/his favorite beverage very quickly. That worked for me as a kid.

Anonymous said...

We had success with suppositories. We called it "bottom medicine" It's shaped like a bullet, is soft and kind of greasy feeling. I just had my kid bend over like she was get her hiney wiped and it slipped in really quick. I think she even got the connection that after it went in she began to feel better.

Call around to pharmacies first. Not all carry them. Make sure you get the right dose for his weight.

Good luck!
Sara

Nicki said...

Oh, poor kid, I love the part where he was trying to give himself a pep talk to get the medicine down! I don't have any suggestions for you, since it looks to me like you really have tried EVERYTHING! How about trying some sort of organic or holistic medicine? Look at a natural foods store like WHole Foods? Obviously organic or natural medicines won't have that kind of sweeteners in them, and might be milder-tasting. It would at least be better than nothing!