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Something REALLY strange happened to ds last night...........

13 replies

Zephyrcat · 05/10/2005 09:29

Sorry this is a bit long winded but I'm completely stumped!!
DS is 15 months. Last night he went to bed as usual, settled and fell asleep. A little later he woke up crying, which we're used to, usually he just needs to see me there and will go straight back to sleep. When I went into his room and tried to lie him down it was like he had seen something that scared him - he was looking round at the wall behind him and up at the ceiling and looked scared and didn't want to be put back in his cot. I calmed him down and he went back to sleep. I went to bed and was woken up about an hour later by ds screaming. DP was in with him which sometimes makes him scream if it's not me that goes in to him but it was different. He was screaming and screaming like in a severe tantrum. I had to sit him on the floor and he immediately moved right away from me and sat in the corner. I brought him into our room and put the tv on but he kept on screaming and screaming - it was like he wasn't awake, he was still asleep but wouldn't stop the screaming. The strangest part of it was that despite the fact he'd been screaming constantly for half an hour or more, his skin was cold, and there was no sweat or anything which he usually has when he gets worked up. His skin wasn't even clammy, his whole body and face were cold to touch. We finally managed to wake him up and he eventually calmed down and started to play and I was able to go and put him back to bed. He woke up later in the night and ended up sleeping in our bed as he was very restless, but not screaming. This morning he is fine.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? DD (3.9) had woken up the night before crying and in a real state. She tried to be sick but wasn't, her face was flushed but, again, her skin was cold. I took her temp and it was 25c - which is lower than her usual. I brought her downstairs, she woke up a bit, calmed down and went back to bed and has been fine since.

I think the bit that worries me most is the being cold - ds usually gets hot and sweaty when he gets worked up but he was stone cold!

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yowlingmonster · 05/10/2005 09:32

I could be wrong but it sounds as though you have been introduced to night terrors! I havent heard of children feeling cold during them though, but all the rest sounds like that is what happened.

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Lizzylou · 05/10/2005 09:33

My first thought was some sort of nightmare...

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MiaouTheFamiliar · 05/10/2005 09:33

I'm no expert zephyrcat, but it sounds like a "night terror" to me.

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Zephyrcat · 05/10/2005 09:35

(DD's temp was 95 not 25!!

I did wonder about the night terrors - are they that extreme? Also strange that they've both never had it before but did on consecutive nights!!

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MiaouTheFamiliar · 05/10/2005 09:41

Oh yes zephyr, they can be that extreme. My mum suffered from them when under stress (I don't think she does any more) - she used to run into my room in the middle of the night screaming that the dog had died (we didn't have a dog!). I used to have to calm her down and take her back to bed (she didn't remember in the morning).

Remember, as horrible as it is for you to watch, they are actually asleep when it happens, and they won't remember the next day. My mum never did.

Just be aware that they can sometimes "act out" their terrors - my dad had to nail up their bedroom window after he caught my mum trying to climb out one night - she had been dreaming that the house was on fire, and got disorientated trying the leave the room. She actually got the window open - there was a 70 foot drop to a concrete patio below!

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Zephyrcat · 05/10/2005 09:52

Blimey! Must have been really scary for you miaou. I used to do it when I was younger. My mum found me trying to kill my then 3 year old sister when i was 16 ! Have just found another thread about 'night terrors' and it certainly sounds like that's what he had. Am relieved that it's something like that and he's not sick but at the same time it was really scary!! We could tell that he hadn't woken up and it was a really strange thing to watch him go through - poor little soul - and then he woke up he was playing and his normal cheeky self!!

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Frankief · 05/10/2005 09:52

It sounds like a night terror to me. My dd (4) has had them on and off since about 18 months. There is a diffinate feeling of the child not being awake, although my dd does speak - 'go away' 'I don't like you' that sort of thing and really lashing out. I have never really noticed the cold thing altough she isn't usually sweaty either.

In my experience I have never really been able to wake dd, she usually just calms down on her own, anything from 15 mins to 1 hour. DD tends to go through periods of having three or for then none for months. They usually occure when she is over-tired or had an especailly exciting day.

Hope this helps.

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Frankief · 05/10/2005 09:52

It sounds like a night terror to me. My dd (4) has had them on and off since about 18 months. There is a diffinate feeling of the child not being awake, although my dd does speak - 'go away' 'I don't like you' that sort of thing and really lashing out. I have never really noticed the cold thing altough she isn't usually sweaty either.

In my experience I have never really been able to wake dd, she usually just calms down on her own, anything from 15 mins to 1 hour. DD tends to go through periods of having three or for then none for months. They usually occure when she is over-tired or had an especailly exciting day.

Hope this helps.

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BaronessMarsLady · 05/10/2005 09:58

It sounds like night terrors. I don't think there's anything you can do about them really. DS1 had them for about 3 weeks almost continually, then they came and went. Can't remember when they stopped.

He's always been a vivid dreamer though. Many's the time that we've stood outside his door and heard an entire footy match commentary.

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BaronessMarsLady · 05/10/2005 09:59

It sounds like night terrors. I don't think there's anything you can do about them really. DS1 had them for about 3 weeks almost continually, then they came and went. Can't remember when they stopped.

He's always been a vivid dreamer though. Many's the time that we've stood outside his door and heard an entire footy match commentary.

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Zephyrcat · 05/10/2005 15:21

Now it's happened once is it likely to happen again tonight/soon?

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MassacreOHara · 05/10/2005 15:27

Another vote for night terrors - they are really awful to witness but you can't do anything about them. They are worse for the observer than the person asleep!

My dd has them very occassionally but my brother suffered with them a lot. I hate it when dd has one but I still have childhood memories of my brother having them.

It's unlikely but possible that he will have one soon. I believe they're just like severe nightmares but not entirely sure. I think the general rule is like sleep walking don't try and wake them just try and sooth them. Although dd's eye are always open she's very clearly not awake

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cardy · 06/10/2005 20:33

My dd has had night terrors on and off for about 2 1/2 years. They do seem to come in bouts (two or three in a row)- then stop for months.

From what I have read about them they get less and less as children get older, and should cease by age 4/5.

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