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Daughter won't drink fluids

STapsell

Hi, I'm just after some advice on my 7yr old Daughter. She has always been difficult regarding fluid intake, she barely asks for drinks or if you do make her drinks she will leave them on the side for hours, when prompted she will only take a couple of sips & leave it again. I send her to school with a drinks bottle in her lunch bag & this will return untouched. She has now started to leak protein & red blood cells into her urine, which was discovered by the paediatric consultant who is treating her for chronic abdominal pain & constipation (possibly linked to the fluid refusal)....he took bloods which have signalled that she is dehydrated & this is causing her kidneys to possibly not work as they should, he sat with her & explained that she should drink fluids...that night she drank a full bottle of water but by te next day had reverted back to limited fluid intake! The only fluids she will drink is her Movicol & a glass of milk in the morning. I have tried researching this issue & just cannot seem to find anything, I have tried rehydration salts such as O.R.S but these are expensive& she cannot rely solely on these! She eats well but must have a fast metabolism as she is just skin & bone! I am at a loss of what to do! Any advice would be greatly appreciated as she is at risk of severely damaging her kidneys & her health! 

many thanks

Sarah x

Parents

  • i apologise for constantly posting, ive just spoke to her re drinking & we made some progress for the first time...from what I can put together is she doesn't like the sensation of liquids in her mouth...& I have sat here making a list of things she eats/drinks & what are watery based & there seems to be a pattern where if there is a meal with gravy/tomato based sauces etc she will leave the sauces on the plate, she will however have thicker substances such as Paediasure/yogurts & occasionally a milkshake? Am I looking too much into this or is it a possibility? She said when liquid is in her mouth she wants to "spit it out" but it falls down her throat & then it makes her feel "sicky" or makes her cough x

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  • i apologise for constantly posting, ive just spoke to her re drinking & we made some progress for the first time...from what I can put together is she doesn't like the sensation of liquids in her mouth...& I have sat here making a list of things she eats/drinks & what are watery based & there seems to be a pattern where if there is a meal with gravy/tomato based sauces etc she will leave the sauces on the plate, she will however have thicker substances such as Paediasure/yogurts & occasionally a milkshake? Am I looking too much into this or is it a possibility? She said when liquid is in her mouth she wants to "spit it out" but it falls down her throat & then it makes her feel "sicky" or makes her cough x

Children
  • in reply to STapsell

    I've had this problem too....and I still can not drink plain water at all because it makes me feel sick... It is a running joke (although not actually very funny) that when asked if I would like a drink I would say no thanks I had one last week! I don't really know why I don't like drinking. I am tactile sensitive so is probably something to do with the tactile sensation. I find hot drinks easier and now actually quite like tea and coffee although this wasn't until well into my 20s... I find drinking through a straw easier as that provides some proprioception and also gets the fluid down quicker and in a more directed stream rather than all the water sloshing around in my mouth. Just like with other tactile sensation I find it much much more difficult if my anxiety is higher as I become even more sensitive.... I am sure your already doing lots to try and help your daughter in relation to her anxiety but this perhaps should be as much of a focus as her drinking.

    The other thing to consider is if your daughter ever feels the sensation of being thirsty. I have difficulty with interoception (sensing information that comes from my internal organs) ..and don't sense the feelings of hunger and thirst until they become really intense. If your daughter struggles to identify the sensation of being thirsty she may not be naturally inclined to drink frequently unless it becomes routine and habit.

    I hope this is helpful I am no expert and would always say to seek proper medical advice and it might worth speaking to the peadeatrician to see if they thought speech and language therapist could help with an eating and drinking assessment?