Last Monday, we received that familiar call. You know the routine.....daycare.....fever......doctor.....ear infection. This time, the doc prescribed a different antibiotic. Just so I won't get sued, we will call this the "fruit medicine." We gave her two doses of the fruit medicine like the doctor told us. Usually, she starts feeling more like herself in less than 24 hours. But this time, she seemed to feel worse. Thank God, her fever broke. But she was terribly fussy, like nothing would make her happy. I thought, her ears must be really bothering her, this should pass in another day. But the next day, she was still pretty bad. She would not stop crying. She woke up crying and nothing would calm her down. She would hardly eat a thing.
She took about three big naps, which is not like Kamryn. If she wasn't sleeping, she wasn't happy. She was also terribly clingy. Then, her body broke out in a rash. To make matters worse, she had terrible diarrhea. It was so bad that her wet wipes made her poor little booty burn. She went through two to three pairs of pants a day, because her bm's were so explosive. She stopped smiling. She stopped laughing. Usually when I play peek-a-boo with her, I turn into Dave Chappelle in her eyes. I am so hilarious!!! But she just looked at me with a glazed over look in her eyes.
She returned to daycare after a couple of days and even the teachers were baffled. She wouldn't crawl, smile or laugh. She just wasn't my little Kamryn.
The scariest thing happened after day eight of the fruit medicine. At about 1:30am, I heard a blood-curdling scream. I had never heard a scream like that in my life. I feared she may have fallen out of her crib or something. I knew it had to be bad. I ran to her room, where she was in her crib screaming. I went to pick her up and calm her down, and she freaked out even more! She started kicking and flailing around, pushing me away. I could not calm her down! I went to get her a bottle of milk. She took a few sips and knocked it to the floor. I didn't know what to do. I put her back in her crib, turned on her jungle soother, and gave her the glowing seahorse toy that plays music. She seemed to finally calm down. But about ten minutes later she started screaming again. I got back up and checked her diaper to make sure there wasn't another explosion. It seemed fine. I tucked her back in, gave her a pacifier, and left the room again.
I told my mom about the incident the next morning, and she said I should google it. Well, after hours of googling, it seems that Kamryn had a "night terror." Read the definition from
babycenter.com below.
What are night terrors?
Night terrors occur in at least 5 percent of young children, and can start as early as 9 months. These mysterious disturbances happen during deep, non-dreaming sleep. A child in this state will cry, whimper, flail, and even bolt out of bed. Though his eyes may be wide open, he's not awake and isn't aware of your presence. Once the night terror (which can last anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour or more) is over, your child will return to a sound sleep and have no memory of the incident in the morning.
How are night terrors different from nightmares?
Nightmares happen during rapid eye movement (REM) or dream sleep. A child who's had a nightmare is likely to have a fairly clear idea of what scared him, though he probably won't be able to articulate his fright until he's about 2. He may also be afraid to fall back asleep, and in the morning, he'll probably remember that he had a bad dream.
What should I do when my toddler has a night terror?
Of course, your first instinct will be to comfort him, but your efforts will most likely be futile (remember, he's not really awake and he's not aware of your presence). You just have to wait it out and make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Don't speak to him or try to soothe him, and don't try to shake or startle him awake or physically restrain him — all of which could lead to more frantic behavior. In 15 to 20 minutes, your child should calm down, curl up, and fall into a deep sleep again
Kamryn has done a lot of weird things in her lifetime, but she's never done anything like this. So, with the rash, zombie-like behavior and night terrors, I decided to google the fruit medicine. It seems that these bizarre things are all side effects of this medicine, including the night terrors!!! Why wouldn't doctors warn parents of this? I am so mad, hurt and confused. Does the treatment have to be just as bad as the illness? Where did my little girl go?
Thankfully, she is now officially off the fruit medicine and my happy little girl is back. This is yet another lesson learned. Ask plenty of questions. DO NOT depend on your doctor. You have to be your own advocate for your child. If you want to know what the fruit medicine is, call me or shoot me an e-mail: denise.rowell@gmail.com
