Son's Panic Attacks

I cant tell you why this happens but I also had and still have that...no matter where Im going if Im about to leave to go somewhere I get nausea..i dont throw up b/c i can control that now but I get that queesy feeling and I usually work through it. I get mine b/c I get social anxiety...dont know why but I do.I never got help for mine but I think maybe you should take him to the ped and ask if there is anything they can prescribe or anyone they can refer you to so that he can work through this. I know it seems crazy but I use to not even want to order through the drive thru on fast food places..I would make someone ride with me just so they could order.And I do still to this day get the butterflys in my stomace anytime I got to go to an appointment or anything like that..I get it everyday I have to take my son to school,but as an adult I just work through it.

Hi L. H,
My daughter Aimee started K on Aug. 10. We r blessed that she loves every min of it. I was just wonderin if your son took his lunch 2 school or bought his lunch in the lunch line. I like to pack Aimee's lunch & put a special note or picture in side her lunch bag. She had expressed that buying lunch in line was a little stressful & she didn't have as much time eating. Will def say a little prayer for u & u're son. Let me know how things go.

Whatever is making him uneasy about school could run the gammit. Since he mentioned lunch time, it might be that there is another child that sits with him at lunch, or whom he only sees during lunch that he doesn't get along with. As for the vomitting- that's a sign that he is really troubled about this issue; vomitting, like crying can be a reflex when we are frightened and anxious. It's our bodies' way of releaving some of the tension we are feeling (if we're not sick, of course.) I would definately ask the teacher to monitor him throughout the day and make sure that there isn't anything going on with another child that could be preventing him from enjoying school, or learning. Also, remind him that his school counselor is there for him. He might feel better about talking to an impartial person. If none of this works, I would have a meeting with his teacher to discuss what she thinks the problem is and how to solve it. But I wouldn't keep him out of shool anymore, unless he's in danger or sick. That sends him a message that it's okay to run from our problems. (I know that sounds a little "too old" for your son, but good habbits and practices, as well as bad ones, are taught and learned at a young age. We spend the rest of our years refining them.) I hope this helps a little.

I believe that Colleen hit the nail on the head. I suffer from panic attacks during certain situations and have had to learn to work through them. I AM on medication from the MD to help since I daily experience one aspect that causes the attacks. Over time and with learning self calming techniques he CAN work through this with your help.

I cannot handle crowds and this may be his issue. The lunchroom at most schools is small and there are so many kids at 1 time and he may be scrunched up at the table. Talk with the teacher and find out where they sit in the lunchroom. He will do best in the very back of the room with his back to a wall or maybe even facing the wall. He should sit at the end of the table with no one on 1 side. These are techniques that I learned from the MD and they help. Teach him stress release breathing and make sure that he know where all the exits from the room are located and that he can ask the teacher for help. He should have a key word with the teacher that means "HELP ME I am panicking" and know that when he says this word that he needs to be reassured and calmed. The word should be something unusual that would not be in the normal realm of Kindergarten. Try words like a favorite cartoon character or cartoon show that is easy for him to remember. This will usually relieve some of the distress. Good luck and all will be well with some work!

L..

Buy the book The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. It is about a little racoon who doesn't want to be away from his mom and how they handle it. It is a wonderful story and I think it will help your son during his panic attacks to be calm and think about you.

hope it helps
R.

My little sister had the very same issue years ago. She had loved PreK and the first couple years of elementary school, but was "sick" every day of the beginning of 2nd grade. In her case, the problem was the teacher -- she was verbally abusive to the class and an alcoholic. Since your son is not liking lunchtime, I'd focus in on that when talking to the teacher. It sounds like he's having a problem that rests specifically in the lunchroom. You might try whittling down the problem by asking him all about it -- what he eats, if he likes the lunch servers, where he sits in the cafeteria, etc. For my mother, she zeroed in on my sister's problem because it was the subject she wouldn't talk about. She covered everything from her classmates and curriculum, to other teachers, but would only say that her main teacher was "very nice" -- no examples.

HTH!