UPDATE: Overly Medicated Child

[littlemommy]

I posted a month or so ago about terming a child due to his mother overly medicating him. It was reported to CPS, and I've wondered how things have gone for him, but had no way of finding out due to confidentiality.

I know the daycare provider he is going to now, and I talked to her today. Before she started watching him, I told her how DCM constantly wanted him on meds and that I was not comfortable with that. She said that she would give it a try-she was desperate for enrollment.

Today she told me that he was sick with a fever for a while and just wasn't himself, but mom kept saying it was teething (what she always told me, too.) He was in the hospital here with a fever of 103, and doctors couldn't figure anything out. They sent him to a children's hospital 2 hours away, where his fever went up to 106 for a few days. Doctors figured out there that his kidneys were severely infected.

Can that be from her over-medicating him? That was my first thought. The boy is rather small for his age, very picky eater, very whiny/clingy, and either slept all day long or not at all. Not sure if those can be from the infection or not.

[nannyde]

I posted a month or so ago about terming a child due to his mother overly medicating him. It was reported to CPS, and I've wondered how things have gone for him, but had no way of finding out due to confidentiality.

I know the daycare provider he is going to now, and I talked to her today. Before she started watching him, I told her how DCM constantly wanted him on meds and that I was not comfortable with that. She said that she would give it a try-she was desperate for enrollment.

Today she told me that he was sick with a fever for a while and just wasn't himself, but mom kept saying it was teething (what she always told me, too.) He was in the hospital here with a fever of 103, and doctors couldn't figure anything out. They sent him to a children's hospital 2 hours away, where his fever went up to 106 for a few days. Doctors figured out there that his kidneys were severely infected.

Can that be from her over-medicating him? That was my first thought. The boy is rather small for his age, very picky eater, very whiny/clingy, and either slept all day long or not at all. Not sure if those can be from the infection or not.

YES

Please please call child protective again and tell them of this hospitalization. They NEED to get ahold of his Doctors so he can be properly treated.

I would ask SPECIFICALLY for the supervisor at child protective and get her/his name, phone number, and title. I would tell them that you want documentation of this complaint because you fear this child may loose his life and you want to make SURE you have documentation that you did EVERYTHING you could to protect him.

Knowing that he has had significant daily exposure to this medication could be the difference of saving his life and loosing him.

[Unregistered]

Poor kid!

This is just an educated guess, but since he's a small kid and the mom was medicating him a lot, maybe she was giving him too much at each dose? Tylenol and Motrin can both cause kidney damage if used too much. Another thought here is that the infection wasn't properly treated if the child wasn't on antibiotics for the infection and all that the mom was doing was trying to reduce the fever. It would make sense that the infection would get worse.

[littlemommy]

YES

Please please call child protective again and tell them of this hospitalization. They NEED to get ahold of his Doctors so he can be properly treated.

I would ask SPECIFICALLY for the supervisor at child protective and get her/his name, phone number, and title. I would tell them that you want documentation of this complaint because you fear this child may loose his life and you want to make SURE you have documentation that you did EVERYTHING you could to protect him.

Knowing that he has had significant daily exposure to this medication could be the difference of saving his life and loosing him.

Would they listen to me knowing that I've only heard this information second hand? Another thought I had...if he was that sick and being hospitalized, is there any way doctors can see that CPS was contacted about over-medicating? I'm guessing not, and I know the mother would lie to them if they asked how much he was on.

[Zoe]

Would they listen to me knowing that I've only heard this information second hand? Another thought I had...if he was that sick and being hospitalized, is there any way doctors can see that CPS was contacted about over-medicating? I'm guessing not, and I know the mother would lie to them if they asked how much he was on.

Then get the provider you talked to to call CPS, have her mention you as a previous provider and tell her to give CPS your info so they can talk to you as another resource of information. You both need to get CPS informed of this! It sounds really scary.

Thanks for updating us!

[littlemommy]

This is just an educated guess, but since he's a small kid and the mom was medicating him a lot, maybe she was giving him too much at each dose? Tylenol and Motrin can both cause kidney damage if used too much. Another thought here is that the infection wasn't properly treated if the child wasn't on antibiotics for the infection and all that the mom was doing was trying to reduce the fever. It would make sense that the infection would get worse.

I don't know what dosages she was giving him, as she NEVER told me how much of what and when to give him. She had 8 meds in his bag and told me to give them every couple hours.

Obviously I didn't feel right giving him anything, especially since there was nothing wrong with him. Teething doesn't need 8 meds. She was mixing prescription and over the counter, and 3 of 4 of the meds she was giving him weren't meant for children under the age of 2 or 6, so how did she know how much to give him?!

I'm in complete shock that this is happening. I'm scared for him!

[cheerfuldom]

They will listen to you when the complaint is verified. He IS in the hospital, that is no secret. Knowing his past and present issues, his current provider should be talking to CPS too.

[littlemommy]

Then get the provider you talked to to call CPS, have her mention you as a previous provider and tell her to give CPS your info so they can talk to you as another resource of information. You both need to get CPS informed of this! It sounds really scary.

Thanks for updating us!

Honestly, I don't think the other provider would call. She knows I did, and she gets along okay with the mom, better than I did. Maybe I could still call and then give them the current provider's name and contact info so they know I'm not making it up.

[nannyde]

Would they listen to me knowing that I've only heard this information second hand? Another thought I had...if he was that sick and being hospitalized, is there any way doctors can see that CPS was contacted about over-medicating? I'm guessing not, and I know the mother would lie to them if they asked how much he was on.

They have NO choice but to listen to you. You have an ongoing complaint with them.

[daycare]

YES. OMG so sad and so scary. I was on medication for an illness years ago. I was on it for almost 5 years and then guess what. My kidneys failed.

I would call right now. I am so sorry that you are still having to deal with this.

Big hugs to you.....

Just know this, you can make a difference. Don't give up...

[MsMe]

Honestly, I don't think the other provider would call. She knows I did, and she gets along okay with the mom, better than I did. Maybe I could still call and then give them the current provider's name and contact info so they know I'm not making it up.

She is a mandatory reporter and she has seen the over medication, you are telling her you saw it as well, and now the child has been in the hospital....she doesn't have any choice but to call.

The right choice is not always easy convinent. This Mother is going to kill her child.

[Zoe]

Honestly, I don't think the other provider would call. She knows I did, and she gets along okay with the mom, better than I did. Maybe I could still call and then give them the current provider's name and contact info so they know I'm not making it up.

That's a good idea, if your provider friend won't do it. You seem to be the only one that's really concerned about this kid (from what I've gathered), so do whatever you can. Be a pest about it too! Who cares as long as the kid get the help he needs. Oh. poor baby. This is so terrible. That kid is so lucky to have you, even if he isn't in your care anymore.

[SilverSabre25]

(((HUGS))) How scary! Definitely call CPS and give them the new provider's information. You're still a mandatory reported, so it seems perfectly logical to me.

I'll be thinking of that poor kid and hoping that everything works out for him and he pulls through this okay!

[Ariana]

This is so sad Please do what you can for this kid. We're behind you 100%.

[nannyde]

Aren't you so so so glad you listened to us and stood up to this Mom? I hope you took my advice on holding onto a diaper.

This provider friend of yours is in serious risk of having a kid die on her watch. She needs to be SUPER vigilant with the kid and understand that she can't be a part of medicating him without a current docs order with specific dosages time frames, etc.

She also needs to keep diapers for evidence. Date, double bag, and freeze.