my little girl has cerebral palsy and drools a lot?

Question

she is nearly 4 now and it is starting to upset her wearing bibs all the time, i give her qwells but they do not really help, does anyone know of anything else i could try please, thankyou

i have tried the patches but they burn her skin, she takes qwells but they are not great, the doc is not really suggesting anything else, it was myself who suggested these 2 things to try, he is not a great help, when i ask her therapists they tell me to ask the doc, a bit of a vicious circle, i am open to any suggestions please, thanks

yes she is mobile, and has good head control, she is not talking yet though.

Answer 1

Try eye drops in her mouth, this is commonly used for drooling problems. My daughter drools but not excessively so have not tried yet. Its supposed to be safe but double check with the pediatrician.

Answer 2

Is she mobile? If not keep a towel on her wheelchair or buggy or thread some string thru a kitchen roll and hang it to the back of he chair (out of site). If you use kichen roll you will proabaly need to hang a bag on the back for disposal.
If she's mobile, will she wear a towelling top? It's a bit messy but less distressing for her.

Answer 3

Ask her paediatrician - there are patches which you can stick on her neck which help to decrease secretions - generally they contain a drug called hyoscine bromide. We use them a lot in elderly patients who've had strokes and have difficulty with excessive secretions.

Answer 4

If she has not started therapy, it may be helpful to address head and trunk control which may lead to better oral motor control. A team approach of OT, PT and Speech is best. They will also instruct you on proper positioning which may help.

Answer 5

CP does cause problems with handling secretions. Talk with your primary care physician. Maybe he/she can help with that.