...or whatever the technical term is. The untechnical term is shots and it freaks the heck out of the boys. I'm not one to beat it around the bush, I just tell them about two days beforehand (this is for all the kids) and I tell them what and why. I know everybody does it different, but it would really bug me if something was popped on me, and I don't want to do that to the kids. If you know it's coming up, you'd better be upfront with me. (no telling me two days before that you are heading off on a weekend long golfing trip. not that huz would ever do that or anything...)
So, the good news is that we did NOT put the clinic in lockdown because the boys ran away. Definite improvement. The bad news really isn't so bad, more sad or funny depending how you look at it. BoyTwo handled it all fine. I told BoyOne he'd better hold it together for his brother's sake and he did alright. Well, he sat in the front seat on the way there where he couldn't really be seen:)
When it was his turn for the shots, BoyTwo did this weird thing where he tried to hyperventilate so that he would pass out (what the crap do they teach them in Ukraine?!) and I had to smack his head to snap him out of it. The nurse was saying over and over, 'okay buddy, don't do that, you're going to faint.' As if 1) he was actually listening to her and 2) he happened to know what that even meant. But the head whap brought him right back to real life. Don't worry, it wasn't hard.
BoyOne was hyperventilating and crying in the car on the way to the appointment and continued to do so until well on our way home, but I'll hand it to him, he didn't run away, he didn't scream like he was being tortured and he didn't swear at me or anyone else. All in all it was a positive experience.
And just because I'm sure somebody is thinking that maybe I shouldn't tell them when these things are about to happen because of their reactions, it is my opinion that they are smart enough that if we were to enter a doctor's office they'd flip out because they figured it out, or it would damage the trust we've managed to build. It's just what works for us.
p.s. I nearly forgot to tell that as we entered the clinic that BoyOne told me he was going to run away again, but I told him if he did he wouldn't be playing any more soccer. It made me happy to know that he knows I am not kidding:) and he sat down and continued to leak water out his eyes. Also, when BoyTwo got down from the table he collapsed on the floor claiming he could no longer walk. The nurse simply said, 'I didn't break your legs, I gave you a shot. Get up.' and he did. hahahahaha
p.s. I nearly forgot to tell that as we entered the clinic that BoyOne told me he was going to run away again, but I told him if he did he wouldn't be playing any more soccer. It made me happy to know that he knows I am not kidding:) and he sat down and continued to leak water out his eyes. Also, when BoyTwo got down from the table he collapsed on the floor claiming he could no longer walk. The nurse simply said, 'I didn't break your legs, I gave you a shot. Get up.' and he did. hahahahaha
I'm so with you on the being up front thing. I don't sugar coat anything for the kids. Yes, you're getting a shot. Yes, it will hurt a little bit. I take what comes with a smile on my face, however fake it may be! So far it hasn't come back to bite me.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the progress! Sometimes it's the little things we cling on to the most :)
Wow. Boy One has a lot of fear going on there. Must have had some awful Ukraine hospital stays? Alex hyperventilated too the first time but the 2nd time was pretty normal. That makes me sad for Boy One but I'm with the tell them up front.
ReplyDeleteYou can always tell him his auntie use to freak out too. I remember thinking when i first started with ihc and we had to get flu shots i almost had to call you to come hole my hand. I was freaking 19! Maybe you should let him get a tattoo that cured me ;)
ReplyDeleteMy son says his eyes leak, too. He doesn't cry - he leaks.
ReplyDeleteI resonate so closely with this story. When my son was home from Ukraine (as a 4-1/2 year old) for a few weeks, we took him in for shots and he acted as if he were going to die from a shot. His super-human strength kicked in (FEAR!) and it took all the nurses in the practice to hold him still enough for the shot. As I walked out, they handed me a script for bloodwork. Are you kidding?
ReplyDeleteI ended up waiting until he was sedated for a small procedure at the hospital and asked them to add on the bloodwork.
It has gotten better, but I waited a long time (2+ years of gritty, in the trenches building trust), before agreeing to any more shots for Mx. Last time there was fighting and tears, but no desperate, terrified clawing and biting and scratching and kicking and punching, etc. like the first time.
Martita