a blog about raising a daughter with cerebral palsy and learning unexpected lessons along the way

Monday, July 12, 2010

Casting: Sleepless Nights

One week of casting over, one week to go (that we know of). Days are going well but the nights...not so much.

We have been very fortunate in that Oia has always been a rockstar sleeper. In her own bed, in her own room, since she was just 4 months old. Aside from waking for an early morning feeding in the infancy days, she has always been able to sleep through the night. Knowing that Oia is well rested means in my mind that she is therefor healthy which has eliminated a lot of unnecessary worry.

But these dang casts are messin' up the program...

She has not had a good nights sleep or a decent nap since being casted. Up crying, tossing and turning, just trying to get comfortable but can't. I have tried to problem-solve every scenario in my head to remedy the problem but we're not having much luck.

All I can figure is that the casts are heavy which makes rolling over into a new position difficult for her. And they are probably hot, especially being under a light blanket. And the casts are rough. But the biggest reason we have come to conclude is that Oia's muscles have to be achy at night. They are in a constant stretch. My guess is that she remains active enough in the day to not notice the ache but at night it seems the ache is unbearable. We are hoping a little tylenol may alleviate the ache just enough so she can get some decent rest. Aside from sawing the casts off myself, I don't know what else to do to help her.

This is another classic example of when I wish my little girl could talk. How easy it would be if she could only say "Mommy, my legs hurt". Instead, I'll continue guessing and just pray for the ache to go away.

3 comments:

  1. Oh, Oia! I wish I could help!
    I hope the tylenol helps, Mo...
    Good luck. Here's to a very fast week! :)

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  2. I hope the tylenol helps. I know what it's like to sleep with casts and it's hard. I also know what it's like to have a little one who can't talk to tell you exactly what's going on. I hope it gets better for all of you soon.

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  3. Poor baby! I hope the medication helps. :(

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