There are some nights that seem very long. Last night was one of them. We put Nathan to bed as usual, but when we headed to bed, I could still hear him awake in his room. This isn't unusual for a child with autism to have problems sleeping (most of them do). When my husband went in to give him more melatonin Nathan was able to communicate with him, "Help. Tooth." Justin brought him out and we were finally able to see that a part of his upper back tooth had chipped off at some point and it was hurting him. Poor baby! I have no idea when or how it happened. Because he has problems communicating Nathan couldn't just say, "Hey mom I chipped my back tooth today."
After several hours wherein we gave him Tylenol and put some gum-numbing stuff around the tooth, we finally tried to put him back to bed. But he didn't want to go to bed--he wanted to skip to "6:00" so he could wakeup. Therein ensued a long night. He cried and whined and wouldn't even lay down to try to sleep. I tried to get him husband to go to sleep since he has to work tomorrow, but he stubbornly stayed by my side (bless him). Nathan was finally able to calm down and fall asleep somewhere early in this morning. There are days and hours I am sure God sends angels to stay with us, and last night was one of those times. Thank you God--I needed the peace and the patience.
So, we're off to see the dentist today. Wish us luck because it isn't going to be an easy day for any of us--he's never had any kind of dental work done (other than a cleaning).
#autism #toothache
I understand your plight. I too have a child with autism, and it is very hard to tell when something is wrong since communication is an issue. I try very hard to watch for physical cues such as when he rubs places more than once. He once had a stomach ache and was holding his stomach most of the day.
ReplyDeleteHarrison Buck @ Shreveport's Dentist