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Nightmares and self mutilation.

Erica - posted on 06/08/2010 ( 3 moms have responded )

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Hey everyone! I am one exhausted Mamma! Ava (21 mos but only 5 hospital free mos) is neurologically intact but has a TON of diagnoses stemming from being a 29 weeker. For about 2 months she has been having night terrors and has been self mutilating ( ripping her stoma open and causing the sight to hemorrhage, biting, hitting, finding walls to scratch herself on ripping her tubes off and out ). Her night terrors are so bad she looks like she is having seizures and she is covered in sweat. She will be seeing a child psychologist next month but I want to help her...any suggestions? When she isn't awake with the terrors she is whimpering all night long. please...help us...

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Erica - posted on 06/19/2010

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Thanks guys, its just a mess! She has good days and bad days but the nightmares and the mutilation are not together. She doesn't mutilate herself at night only during wake hours. During her night terrors she is shivering, sweating and screaming. I sent her to her RN's house for the weekend so I could get some much needed sleep. Our home RN is an angel sent straight from heaven!!!! Thanks yall I will keep ya updated...

Silvia - posted on 06/18/2010

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My daughter had a cranioctomy a year ago, and she when thru a period of self mutilation. She used to skin her lil fingers. We treid everything from bandaids,arm splints, soft restains and what worked best for her was wrapping her fingers individually with non-stick gauze and wrapping ace bandage vet wrap over whole hand, while she slept. In the day time we just constantly had to pull her hands out of her mouth. I t was hard but it took like 2 months. hope this helps. my girl still tries to pull on her g-tube though

Julie - posted on 06/18/2010

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Bless her, and you. She must be petrified, and I can imagine that you are too. Have you tried scratch mits to help stop the scratching (or small cotton gloves, the type you get at a bridal wear shop)? Soothing music might help too. I hope you get something from the psychologist, maybe a slight sedative, because your situation is horrible. My son suffers from night terrors, but he runs around the house (I mean runs no sleep walking), and a few times he has run into things and hurt himself.
Good luck and lots of hugs to you both x

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