explaining shots to my child

[willowtree3]

i spoke with some folks in the chat room and the consensus was to tell my daughter about the copaxone injections. further thought led me to agree with this, but i am not sure how to go about this. she is almost 3, but very intelligent. i dont want her to worry that mommy is sick all the time, but i want her to be informed. i also do not want her to think that she has to give herself shots to maintain. the last thing i want is to walk in on her and a needle. i would appreciate any thoughts on this. thanks.

[MrsBones]

Let me ask a couple questions. What, if anything, have you told your daughter about MS? How do you handle other every day medications, so that she understands that she isn't to take/touch them unless an adult gives them to her?

I would say ( and please take this with a grain of salt, I have no children of my own, though I did have a hand in raising my younger cousin when my parents became her guardians) that Mommy has MS. Explain however you wish what MS is according to what you know she can understand.

Then let her know that Mommy isn't sick like she might get when she has a cold, but that MS is something Mommy must take care of with the medicine that comes in those needles. Those needles are only for Mommy's MS. They don't work on anything else and then explain how you normally would that they aren't for her to touch/use/whatever.

When I was diagnosed, I had some younger cousins, not quite as young as your daughter but young. Their mom printed out the Keep S'Myelin stuff : http://www.nationalmssociety.org/mul...lin/index.aspx
and read it over with them. She asked if they had any questions for her or for me about any of it. Ya know what they asked? If they could help give the shots.

The little guys are much more resilient than we give then credit for. I really think she'll take it in stride, it'll just be part of normal everyday life to her.

She'll pick up on your cues. If you keep it light and casual, that's how she'll take it. Too serious and she may get scared or worry. Try to find the balance and let her know that while the MS stuff is important, Mommy's OK and will always be Mommy, just sometimes you may have to do things a little differently.

If you feel concerned about her safety and the possibility she'll investigate the needles on her own, call Shared Solutions and order a couple lock boxes.The locks are more substantial than the ones they first made, pretty sturdy. The keys come on a magnetic tag that you can keep on the fridge or anywhere that's out of reach.

I keep one box in the fridge with half the needles and a second on the counter with the other half so I don't have to worry about taking a needle out to warm up.

Good luck!

[donnainct]

ummm yeah soo my son Is 5 I have been taking shots since he was 1... when he asked me why I have to take shots( I dont remember how old he was) I told him they are so mommy doesn't get sick like last time. I have a device that snaps the end of the needle off after i do the shot and sometimes I let him snap it...hes so funny he says bye bye needle! lol... I use to have the sharps container but this little contraption is much more easy..than getting rid of that container every few months! As for your child He might not be old enough to explain what MS is....so id wait until he's a little older.

[scrkpr]

Here is how I explained it to my son when he was 3. He was pretty smart too.

1. Mommy has MS. It's not like a cold; you can't catch it.

2. I explained the immune system to him by explaining that everyone has "soldiers" that fight infections when we get sick. When he gets a cold his soldiers attack the cold and kill it and he gets better. I have soldiers also. They work the right way when I get a cold. But sometimes they get confused and also attack when I am not sick. That's what MS is. This prompted LOTS of questions, which I answered honestly and openly. I made certain to tell him that MS is permanent BUT feeling bad isn't permanent. My soldiers get "unconfused" and I get better.

3. Mommy takes medicine to help her soldiers be less confused. But this medicine isn't a pill or a liquid, like kids take. I have to take a shot, everyday. I let him see the needle. I let him touch it, with the cap on, while I was there. I answered his questions. I took a shot. I put it in the Sharps container. I explained that the needles hurt a little when I take it, but will hurt him a bunch and that he should NEVER touch them. He didn't want to anyway.

4. He was no longer scared and didn't have any questions.

5. 2 weeks later I had a TERRIBLE relapse and was in the hospital for over a week. I went blind and only he and his baby sister were at home. It happened in the blink of an eye. I calmly told him that my MS had just made it so I couldn't see, and that I NEEDED him to fetch my phone. I called my hubby and we went to the hospital. He was never scared and was never scared during my entire hospital stay. He KNEW I would get better b/c I told him EVERYTHING about MS, soldiers, shots and that my soldiers would get "unconfused."

6. 4 years later he remembers that day as "The day Mommy went blind." He knows I have lasting weakness on my left side from it, and anytime my MS flairs he takes it in stride.

I suggest honesty, openness and a conversation in terms kids can understand at the earliest age possible. I shudder to think how the day would have gone if I had been at home alone with my son, gone blind and had never had that conversation.

But that's just me. I know others have different opinions and want to keep MS from their kids so they can protect their kids.

[Alicious]

My sons are four, and they caught me doing shots once. They were very worried, so I asked them if they remembered when my hand didn't work. They remembered, and I told them this was to help keep my hand working. After reassuring themselves that *they* don't need shots to keep *their* hands working, they were OK with it.

Now they insist on watching each night. It's still troublesome to them, but we talk about it and I answer questions as they come up. So far it's only been about if the shots hurt, and not any deep questions about why I do the shots.

In time, they will understand that the disease is more than my hand not working during that flare, and while I'm not hiding anything, I'm only sharing what they ask about. Every family is different, but this is what works for us.

[sdherring]

Shots

I have a 3 yr old and her and her brother are totally involved with my MS. I have only taken the shots for about 3 months now, but shot time is "family time". The kids get to use the auto injector (with my husbands assistance) to give me the shots. They know that mom has to do this so she doesn't get sick(er) and they are fine with it. They know not to touch anything that I use for the shots, although I do keep them out of reach. They feel like they are "helping" to keep me well.

I have been very honest and open with my kids through the entire process of getting the dx. I have tried not to hide anything from them. I always told my son he can talk to me about anything, and I want to show him the same. Ironically, I think the MS has brought my family a little closer together, we were already close.

The kiddo's make sure I am having a good day before asking the we can go do something. I kinda feel guilty about that because we were always spontaneous about taking the kids for "fun days". We still have "fun days" but they get planned out now. My son, 10, even offers to help more with the housework and with cooking.

Good luck, and remember kids are more adaptable to change than adults.

[Krysalus]

a mini fridge

My kids are older but that doesn't mean they weren't scared. My younger son (16 at the time) was really freaked out that Mom's needles were in the refrigerator. So - I got a mini fridge and put it in my bedroom so he didn't have to see them. It made it easier for him to deal with.

I was thinking that this might be a good idea with little ones in the house? They would be less likely to get into the needles by accident, especially if the fridge is on a high dresser? Just a suggestion.