The sleep issues that still plague J have had me pondering.
Being pushed back and forth between the GP and the paediatrician with both saying it is the others responsibility is not getting us anywhere.
There is a 'sleep clinic' in operation in our area, but as I have accessed this kind of service previously in Cheshire I am all too aware of the time wasting, paper pushing, form filling that you have to do for them, before they will look at medical ways in helping your child.
Filling out daily diaries with exercise activites, routines and timings for bed is time consuming and not practical when you have more than one child. These diaries are requested over a number of weeks so as the 'sleep clininc' team can assess and try to find a pattern.
However, all to often there is no pattern that is discernible enough to warrant a simple change in routine.
Parents who are seeking the final step for helping their child to sleep (IE medication) have exhausted all avenues of reasoning and have tried all suggestions and methods.
Medication is the answer.
Why then, is it hit and miss as to who is prescribed it?
Surely a child who is sleeping four hours a night is not sleeping enough?
Oh I have heard the classic line of " special needs children don't need as much sleep as neurotypical children" many a time from the medical field, but when the child is presenting with dark circles under the eyes, poor health, behaviour issues, yawning in the day and lethargy towards activites, surely these are signs that the sleep (or lack of it) issue is affecting not just the family but the child?
Melatonin is a popular prescription drug and is a naturally occuring substance within the brain. It encourages sleepiness and if not produced enough by the childs brain can cause problems in getting off to sleep as well as maintaining sleep through the night.
If this is a naturally occuring hormone in the body and is available on prescription, why is it treated as gold dust? There are other stronger sleep inducing medications out there prescribed for children, but this basic starter is very hard to aquire it seems.
If a child can not get off to sleep until very late, wakes in the night, and is often very lethargic in the morning due to the lack of sleep, would this constitute a form of negligence from the medical professionals? If it is affecting his day to day life and physicality? I am not talking about the impact it has on myself and the rest of my family either, simply J and his body and well being.
How can months of form filling be deemed acceptable when it has already been done by me?
Oh and let us not forget that to actually meet with the 'sleep clininc' initially is a wait. Another waiting list.
My GP told me to give him an over the counter drug for allergies called Piriton. Apparently this foul tasting liquid can have a sedative effect. I tried it on him and apart from gagging on it (I did too and that was only through smelling it) it had no other effect.
It appears fine to medicate him with a drug designed for allergies but not a naturally occuring drug.
My GP has no knowledge of prescribing melatonin apparently so would not do so.
I did mention that online pharmacies sell it from abroad (usually the USA) and that I think it dangerous that with all the fobbing off I get from professionals I could easily input my credit card details and send off for some bottles of the stuff immeadiatly - never mind that they may be dangerously formulated.
So perhaps I should push again for another try at actually seeing someone who can prescribe a medicine and not a questionaire.
