Severe anxiety/repetition/ocd type behavior 4 year old..

[onesontheway]

Hello, I am a mom to a 3 year old.. she is turning 4 over the summer. Something triggered this obsession with her fingers/toes/hair about a month ago. She got a little scratch that healed but she began obsessing over it asking if it was going to be ok. She'll break into hysterics screaming and crying saying "Is my finger all better?".. it started out little asking a few times a day and it developed into asking multiple times a minute all day, everyday. It has consumed every part of her waking day. she can't focus on eating or doing activities for long. I might be able to get her to color for a minute or two but coloring reminds her of her hands which triggers it all over. I had to pick her up from pre-school several times as she was crying all the time repeating over and over "is my finger all better".
I have an appt with a pediatric psyciatrist but it's a month away and she begins to see a therapist this week. However I am still so clueless and it's giving ME anxiety. I am so scared she isn't going to be able to function like a normal kid ever again. She is all consumed by these thoughts and fears and she is too little to understand. It's hard for me to take her in public because she repeats over and over. I am scared that she won't ever be able to go back to school!
I guess I am looking for other people who have heard of this or have gone through something similar. It's like she severe disabilities all of a sudden and my life is on hold. I can't go anywhere, do anything.. I don't know if I can sign her up for dance lessons, swim lessons or any "normal" kid stuff. I don't even know how to explain to people what is wrong with her, they don't believe me it seems or they say every kid goes through it. This is nowhere near normal and it's taking over our lives.
She has always been a difficult kid with separation anxiety and she has a difficult type temperament. It's never been easy with her and I love her with all my heart and I am just at a loss at what her future looks like.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by onesontheway 

I am so scared she isn't going to be able to function like a normal kid ever again. She is all consumed by these thoughts and fears and she is too little to understand. It's hard for me to take her in public because she repeats over and over. I am scared that she won't ever be able to go back to school!

.....I guess I am looking for other people who have heard of this or have gone through something similar.

....I am just at a loss at what her future looks like.

and

My name is Linda and I have a DD who is 14 and on the autism spectrum and has an anxiety disorder. I think you are doing the right things by getting professionals involved with your DD. My DD has gone through some bizarre stages when I really felt hopeless about her life, but she has also gone through stages when she is doing wonderful. Things change. What ever is going on with your DD, it WILL get better. You are getting her the help she needs, and she can still have a wonderful childhood.

There's no way of knowing that the future looks like for any child, and I think that part of being the parent of a special needs or quirky kid is making peace with the unknown.  Which I know is easier said than done!

Many of us here have our kids in different types of educational situations. There are homeschoolers, public schoolers, and private schoolers on this board. My DD goes to a private alternative school that she LOVES. It took some work to figure out the right placement for her, but she loves her school and her teachers adore her.

There is so much hope. There are so many reasons to be positive.

Peace.

[crunchy_mommy]

I don't know what advice to give you, but my DS has a lot of obsessiveness as well (though not only about one thing, and not quite as severe as your DD seems to have it)... My guy is also very anxious & it's been a difficult couple of years with him. As far as obsessing goes, he will talk & talk endlessly about something, and ask about it all day, and get very very upset about it at times. His obsessions range from wearing glasses to listening to certain songs over & over to going out in the dark to look for opossums (??? no idea where that came from) and sometimes it is really hard to hear him talking about these things because he often doesn't seem to get any joy out of it and almost seems traumatized by it. We are in the process of an evaluation with EI and the obsessions are something we mentioned among our other concerns. I'm glad you're having your DD checked out... hopefully they will be able to provide you some guidance. & welcome to MDC!

[LynnS6]

I don't have a lot of specific help to give you, but there are two good books that might get you started:

Freeing Your Child from Anxiety by Tamar Chansky

Freeing Your Child from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Tamar Chanksy

Oh, and when I was looking up the 2nd book, I remembered that there's a workbook for kids that might help (she might be too young for these, I don't know)

What to do when your brain gets stuck: A kid's guide to overcoming OCD

What to do when you worry too much: A kid's guide to overcoming anxiety

I can't tell from her symptoms (and I won't try to guess over the internet) whether the anxiety or the obsession is the root cause -- so I've listed both.

It sounds like you're doing all the "right" things -- you've got her appointments with people who should be able to help. It's hard, but right now, all you can do is be there for her and have faith that she will get past this problem. Your lovely little daughter will get past this.