Need to break DDs mint addiction.

[TheAlmightyBob]

She read somewhere that sucking mints stops you feeling sick.

she has felt sick all day every day for about 6 years.

So she's been sucking mints for about 4 months and it is getting ridiculous. She's up to about 3 packs day and she gets all tense and stressy if she thinks she hasn't got any.

Rationing hasn't worked. I dish her out a pack in the morning, but then if she hasn't any for the evening, with some lined up ready for the next morning she gets stroppy about it.

I've just refused to go and buy her more, she's eaten 3 packs since yesterday evening.

Apart from it costing me a small fortune it really really annoys me, she's always sucking a mint, takes them out of her mouth and leaves them half sucked on the sofa arms and is obsessed with them. It irritates me.
It's not even as if they have stopped her feeling sick. She still says about 70 times a day 'I feel sick'.

I know it could be worse and she could be hooked on crack or fags (only time will tell if she ever discovers nasties like that) but HELP.

How do I stop her?

Hi

Do you have any idea why she feels sick all day? As you have posted this in Special needs I assume she has a 'special need'?

Can't think of a way to stop her eating mints other than to take away the reason for her doing it (the nausea) if possible. Have you seen a Doctor about it? Is she ever sick? Sorry for all questions but difficult to advise otherwise
:(
Personally, if I ate that many mints a day it would make me feel sick, not prevent it!
Hope you can get some help

She has Aspergers. She's had lots of investigations for the nausea, all normal. No physical reason for it. She is never ever sick. She is completely puke-phobic.

hi bob

she might be finding comfort from the actual sucking, the 'sickness' might be nerves, not actual nausea - is there anything else she likes to put in her mouth too? does she chew corners of her clothes?

or could she have a hankie with peppermint oil on to sniff?

just putting my own DD to bed, be right back

could try peppermint oil. hadn't thought of that.

she's very funny about tastes and textures and her diet is and always has been completely rubbish. might be a sucky thing. she doesn't chew clothes thank goodness (ew ew ew ew).

i think the 'I feel sick' thing is just her feeling weird. she knows and recognises it as weird but can't fix it.

have new healthy Minds appointment next week. Will add it to my list of stuff we need help with.

DD is very 'olafactory' centred too, if she finds a smell she likes, she wants to eat it - so far we've managed to keep away from most things (christmas trees flowers, not ideal food )

it's definately worth a mention at her next appt.

how receptive is she if you talk about health implications? her teeth will be shot if she's sucking on sweets constantly

she eats the sugar free ones. 3 of which are enough to give me the runs but don't seem to affect her that way.

even the excess saliva constantly in her mouth will affect her teeth eventually though

interestingly went to the dentist this afternoon. no probs with her teeth at all. but i'll tell her that. she is sulking upstairs because i told her it was getting a bit excessive.

blooming typical that

does she have any fiddle 'toys'? i know she's a bit old for toys, but you know what i mean?

yes, she has a squashy pig and some of those tangle things. maybe i just need to ignore it and not let it irritate me so much. but i would like to ration them a bit. if only to save a few £££££

i can see if she could replace the need with something that doesn't need replacing everyday, it would make things easier - on the stress as well as the purse?

will you give the peppermint oil a try?

i think i will. i'll get some tomorrow. thanks.

Would she wear some of those travel sick bands instead?

chewy things are so gross though. maybe she gets her weird senosory stff directly from me, i can't bear chewy noises, they make me feel a bit violent, to the point I can't be in a room with other people eating, unless I am too.