Hospital Anxiety

Bradley has been fearful of doctors since age 2 or 3. I'm not sure what prompted his hospital anxiety, but going to check-ups (even when Bradley didn't get immunizations) use to be incredibly stressful!!! Bradley would scream, kick, cry, drool excessively, and yell while I did whatever I could to calm him. By the time we'd leave the clinic or doctor's office I would be a sweaty mess in need of reapplication of deodorant. Parenting tip- if you are a sweaty woman like me, carry at least two sticks of deodorant with you at all times!

Where did this anxiety come from?

Maybe it's genetic- my father really doesn't like hospitals, but he tolerated them enough to visit me for both deliveries of his grandkids and when I had an appendectomy at age 12. Maybe I influenced it some how. At Bradley's 2 day check up he was jaundice and our pediatrician told me Bradley may need to be admitted back into the hospital to treat it with special lights. I immediately started crying and did not want my baby to be away from me. I know Bradley can't remember that- he was probably asleep at the time, but I've wondered if my little breakdown affected him in some way. As he grew older, Bradley was not happy at all about going to the doctor. 

2 day old Bradley- you can see the yellow tinge of jaundice in his face

Bradley also appears to have extreme sensitivity to anticipated/perceived pain. He expects procedures to be painful, and therefor perceives pain during non-painful procedures and/or has anxiety related to anticipated pain. When I clip Bradley's fingernails 9 times out of 10 he adamantly protests and cries until I clip a few nails to remind him that it doesn't hurt. We rationalize that clipping his nails and toenails doesn't hurt and that Mommy would never do anything to hurt him. Even though nail clipping time is less dramatic than it use to be, it's still no walk in the park. This hypersensitivity is likely related to his PDD-NOS, specifically the sensation and perception differences experienced by ASD individuals compared to non-autistic individuals.

Incidents that haven't helped the anxiety

At Bradley's 4 year check up the nurse was training a new nurse who was suppose to give Bradley his booster shots in each thigh. I was 9 months pregnant with our son, Max, and my job was to hold Brad's arms down. Four-year-olds are a LOT stronger than they look! With one swift move Bradley jerked free from my hold and grabbed the syringe from "Newbie Nurse," scratching his upper thigh with the needle, breaking the skin, and screaming the entire time. Newbie Nurse just looked at me, mortified. I'm pretty sure I yelled at her to "hurry up and do something" as she squeezed the vaccine into the air and then slowly prepped a new needle. More Experienced Nurse jumped in and quickly gave Bradley his shots. It was horribly traumatic for Bradley who already feared hospitals and for his very pregnant and hormonal mother!

At his 5 year check-up Bradley's doctor promised no vaccines (phew!) but ordered a "routine" Complete Blood Count (are you kidding me?). Long story short- I also had Max with me for his one year check-up, the phlebotomist couldn't collect the blood from Bradley fast enough, Bradley apparently bleeds very slowly, I had a screaming kid in my face (Bradley, not Max), Brad's blood clotted in vile, Phlebotomist says, "sorry- I need to prick another finger" while both of my children scream and cry, Phlebotomist retrieves what we think is a good sample, a few days later the second blood sample returns with abnormalities, doctor wants another CBC because he suspects lab error, more screaming and drooling a few days later, phlebotomist gets a good sample, CBC comes back normal). When I got the call about the abnormalities I was walking in to teach my class, so it was difficult to compose myself after your pediatrician a nurse says your child has abnormal bloodwork, but the doctor doesn't want to say what the abnormalities are. Part of me was worried, but a part of me wondered if Bradley's PDD-NOS could be explained by these mysterious blood abnormalities and then possibly treated and cured... Even with that thought, I was happy to hear the second CBC was perfect.

How do I help manage Bradley's hospital anxiety?

No matter what I have tried, Bradley hates every minute of the doctor's appointment up until the moment we are leaving. Then he is everyone's best friend and is incredibly gracious to the entire staff as we are walking out the door. Now that he's a little older I try my best to talk Bradley through it by explaining procedures before hand, although not too far in advance because Bradley thinks very immediately. If I tell him he has an upcoming doctor's appointment, he thinks I mean that same day. We talk about what to expect and I always promise something fun if he does well at the appointment (an ice cream cone, a TV show or movie he wants to watch). If I keep reminding Bradley of the incentive I promised we can make it through the doctor's visit, leaving with less tears, sweat, and exhaustion.

Bradley celebrating his 4th birthday at day care

Bradley and Max celebrating their 5th and 1st birthdays with a fruit rainbow