partyof5

Thanks Chemar! I think we will avoid the fish oil and try the flaxseed once the tics have calmed down a bit. I guess I should just be glad that today is not a school day. I am so frustrated but, when I read your success with your own son, I know that if I can find the right combination it will all be worth it!

I am still waiting for the allergy testing. Our insurance company is not wanting to do it, even though he wakes up stuffy every morning. He has been drinking the almond milk for a couple of weeks with no problem, although I don't think he has ever had almonds before this. To begin with we were only using a good multiple vitamin, a sublingual B complex and the Epsom salt baths and he was doing quite well. I found that he cannot tolerate the magnesium orally because he gets very loose stools and has accidents. Then the doctor said to give him the Arctic-D fish oil and the probiotics which I added in earlier this week. He has been quite a bit worse the last two days, especially with the vocals. I think maybe I will back off of both for now. I think I will start a food diary and a chart to keep track of the supplements as I add them in. I wish I knew which supplements were the most necessary.

I am going to try to get the right kind of kefir and see how it goes. The linked article is fascinating. I am finding it a bit overwhelming trying to understand what my son's triggers are. It would be one thing if I could control for all of the variables but I am finding that so difficult. Last night my husband got him some chocolate almond milk instead of the regular one. Today he is ticcing like crazy but how do I know if it might be the chocolate in the almond milk or just the natural waxing and waning of the tics? Also, we started him on the Arctic-D Cod liver Oil a few days ago and I swear he is having a bad reaction to THAT. I am pretty much ready to cry.

Chemar, Can I ask if it is OK to use kefir if my son seems to have issues with milk products?

Thank you so much for your help Jen. I find your posts very, very encouraging. I have my son on a good multi-vitamin, vitamin B complex and Arctic-D Fish Oil. He also has an Epsom salt bath each night. The integrative physician wants him on a probiotic so I have to find a good one for him this weekend. She also suggested an osteopath. She wants to do a full day work up on him and it is so expensive. We will invest the money but first I want to gain more understanding of his triggers. I also have Sheila's book and, after the negative doctor's visit, it did give me hope. He has improved greatly with the addition of the supplements and eliminating milk from his diet. I can see that I need to clean up his diet a whole lot more. I am still struggling with finding good foods that he will eat although he has surprised me with his willingness. The switch from milk to almond milk was so easy. My son doesn't seem to have much else going on except the motor/vocal tics. I would not say that he exhibits OCD or ADHD symptoms. I also think he has pollen allergies because he has been stuffy in the morning since spring started. I am not sure what to give him as Benedryl makes him tired all of the next day. This summer I am going to beg our regular doctor to do some allergy testing. His sister has seasonal asthma so I wonder if he is suffering from the same thing now that you mention asthma. I feel like a detective too and some days it gets overwhelming. Like you, I have torn my son's bedroom apart and cleaned, washed everything in detergent that is free of additives, etc and still he has sniffles in the morning. Jen, if you don't mind me asking, I would love to know what brand of probiotic you are using?

Thank you for your responses. I am afraid to try the l-carnitine just yet. I did speak to an integrative pediatrician on Friday and she has put him on a variety of supplements as well as a clean diet with no milk or gluten. She wants to see him for a full day assessment but I will have to wait a bit because it is very expensive. He was doing quite well and then today when he came home from school he was having a lot of vocal tics as well as the little head twitches. When I asked him what he had for lunch in the cafeteria (he was supposed to have the chicken) he told me that he had a cheese sandwich. I am not sure if that is what made the difference or if it is just the normal waxing and waning I have read about. I can see that I have a big learning curve ahead of me.

Hi. I am new to all of this but I have read through this forum for several weeks. My 7 year old son suddenly started snapping his head to the side about two months ago. At first it was only a few times a day but then it became fairly regular. This is now accompanied, at times, by a little vocal that sounds like a quiet hum. The tics are worse when tired or excited. The doctor diagnosed him with transient tic disorder and told us to ignore it and wait a year to see what happens. After reading through the forums I have taken him off most dairy and limit gluten as well. When I tried to reintroduce milk, his tics went crazy. So he is back off of it for now. His teacher says he is not a problem at school and that she barely notices his tics (I feel like I notice every movement when he is with me). He is a good student to this point. The pedi did ask if he had had a sore throat recently and she looked at his throat but that was it. I have looked all over the internet but I do not see anecdotal reports where these tics actually do go away. Does anyone know if there are cases where they really do resolve? Also, I would like to know more about L-Carnitine as I have seen some good results posted here. He is 7 years old. Is he too young for it? What dose would you recommend? What do I need to get: Acetyl l-carnitine or L-carnitine? Thanks for any advice you can offer.