Lozenge/Sweets - knowing what to do.........

[jb1964]

Hi,

 

Don't know whether anyone has had similar problems that can offer any advice.

 

My daughters had a really bad cough/throat now for a while and I've been trying to encourage her to take something for this - obviously medicine has always been a big big big problem - but now that she's getting older (13) she is trying if she knows it will help her.

 

However, one big stumbling block I've had - and I've really only noticed this since she's got older is sucking a lozenge/sweet etc.

 

When she was younger she never ate sweets so I never thought about it. (She was extremely fussy over what she ate but she would eat plain chocolate i.e. a freddo frog or maltesers). She did eventually when she got much much older (probably around 8'ish) try a skittle or a starburst sweet but they are chewy not the sucky type.

 

As she's got older obviously there is a more varied medicine that she can take - and I have suggested perhaps a cough sweet/lozenge type that may help soothe her throat - she says she doesn't know what to do (she has taken medicine in a tablet form but cannot swallow it - she has to chew it up completely) - I've tried to explain to her that you just suck it in your mouth - but she cannot understand that concept at all and is extremely scared to try it.

 

Wondered if anyone else has ever had this kind of problem and how did you get round it.....

 

Many thanks,

Take care,

Jb

[smiley]

Hi jb,

 

My son has said something similar to your dd - he is worried the sweet will slip down his throat and choke him. Not sure what to suggest .

 

This may not be helpful if she's dislikes some food - but i give my son some warm water with lemon (squeezed, fresh) and honey in it. Seems to soothe .

Edited October 19, 2006 by smiley

[Emum]

Has she really never sucked anything? Not an ice lolly, ice in her drink, or a drink through a straw? If she has had any of these things, could you not explain to her that the physical action is the same, and suggest that she holds on to the lozenge with her fingers while she sucks until she feels confident enough to let it go. If she really hasn't sucked anything ever, and is scared about accidentally swallowing, let her learn the action on a boiled sweet-type lollipop on a sweet, so she can see there is no chance of swallowing it until she has learnt the action.

 

In the meantime to soothe her cough she could use a cough linctus, and to soothe the pain in her throat some liquid paracetomal or ibuprofen (pharmacist will tell you which is better for throats, and if using paracetomal whether you can take it at the same time as the linctus). Alternatively you can get antiseptic sprays for sore throats, though I suspect if she is anxious about new forms of medication this would totally freak her out.

 

Finally, if its been going on for a long time (more than 2 weeks) it would be worth having it checked by GP in case it is a bacterial rather than a viral infection and needs anti-biotics.

[jb1964]

Thanks both for your replies.

 

She has been taking Ibubrofen and I have managed to get 1 spoonful of cough linctus into her - but was curious about the sucking thing.

 

She has never sucked a lolly (ice or sweet) - she doesn't like ice-lollies or ice-cream - but has occasionally had a sweet lolly when she was little. Although again - she has never actually sucked them (if you know what I mean) - she has licked them - but not put the actual lolly in her mouth. She actually eats loads of little ice cubes - but she eats them not sucks them - she crunches them up (she does this to stop herself biting her finger joints) and she has drunk through a straw although she prefers not to - but again this is a liquid - the substance isn't held in your mouth which I think is what she struggles with.

 

I've watched her trying to suck something - and she is extremely scared but she doesn't seem to know what to do with it when it's in her mouth - its as though she holds it in her mouth and produces extra saliva but doesn't know what to do with it - it reminds me of when she was little and she tried jelly - she did the same thing - just held it there and didn't seem to know what to do - and then just spat it out.

 

Take care,

Jb

[Emum]

It sounds like she has a phobia about sucking. It may be something you could get help to address from an OT, but on the other hand if she has got to 13 with it not being a problem, maybe she can just continue to adapt her life around this, and use alternative remedies for sore throats. I can't think of any other activities suitable for discussion here which would absolutely entail the need to have this skill, so maybe she can get by without it.