skyler

Kim, Wow. Thanks for such a great response. You brought up so many great issues/thoughts on this matter. Gave me a lot to think about. I really had a knee-jerk reaction to what just happened with us and the chicken pox vax. I hadn't thought about what could happen if the child gets chicken pox naturally. Sky

Faith, My son had started to tic a little again, after not having any since last fall. It was very slight - a couple times an hour, maybe, for 3 or for days prior to the vaccine. Just enough so that I thought "Oh no, not that again!" It was about 24 hours after the booster that the tics just exploded. It was intense for a day or so, and has since waned to a low level again. As for why we did the booster. There has been a big breakout of chickenpox around here - in most cases the children just had the vaccine 2-3 years ago and now have chicken pox! Great vaccine, eh? Anyway, I just didn't have my thinking cap on when the doctor said he suggested getting the booster. My son has never had a noticeable reaction to vaccines before, so I just wasn't in a questioning frame of mind. I'm going to refuse all boosters from now on. So, my son is doing well on the Kid's Calm. Screen time seems to be a trigger for him, so we have cut that way down. Going to get the PANDAS test to see what is going on there, and we'll just take it step by step. I'm feeling hopeful. Sky

Hi everyone. Thank you so much for your replies. To answer some of your questions: Haven't tried the epsom salts yet, but I'm planning on buying some. My son loves taking baths, so that will be easy to implement. Yes, the tics really started waning just yesterday. This morning I let him watch 30 minutes of TV. In that period he had probably 6-10 tics. Then I had him get dressed and we went outside to blow bubbles and go for a walk - zero tics in one hour. This whole experience would be so fascinating, if it wasn't so heart wrenching! The hardest part of this is not dealing with the current tics so much - it's wondering if this is something he'll be dealing with for the next few years, or the rest of his life. He's such a great kid. Very creative, very sensitive, great sense of humor, shy in many ways, but has lots of friends. Right now it is not an issue socially, but when I get tired I really worry if it will get worse, if it will affect him socially, all the things that I'm sure you all think about too. It's just nice to be able to communicate with other parents going through this with their kids. Have a great day. I'm off to work. Sky PS. I'm also looking for a new pediatrician for my son. Current one is very traditional, not very good bedside manner. I know if I told him about the booster shot being a trigger, he would blow me off in a big way. Time to move on.

Hi, I'm brand-new here. A little background: I have an 8-year old son. Last October he had a vocal tic that lasted about 3 weeks. I noticed it about 10 times a day. About 2 weeks ago, it started up again, and I noticed it maybe a dozen times a day. Well, last Thursday, he had a well child check-up, and was given a chicken pox booster shot. Within 24 hours his tics exploded in frequency. At one point I counted 100 times in a half hour. It seems to be worse when he's watching TV. I talked to his teacher and he isn't doing it at all in school. Today it was greatly reduced, like maybe ten times between 4:00PM and 9:00PM. We don't have anyone else with tic disorders in the immediate or extended family. My son hasn't had any motor tics, just simple vocal tics. He had strep throat in March, but was treated with 10 days of antibiotics. So, this is what I'm doing. I've eliminated any artificial colorings in his food. Plan to cut back on his screen time drastically. I've ordered Kid's Calm from my local healthfood store and it will come in tomorrow. I have to be careful about the screen time restriction. Even though I am not making a big deal about his tics, he knows that I know they're going on (we've talked about them, and I told him I thought they would eventually go away. He himself is not bothered by them). I feel like if I go to zero screen time right away he will think I'm punishing him for the tics - he will make the connection. Since the weather is so gorgeous, my husband and I are going to make sure we are outside, going to the park, having picnics, etc. a lot, and not make any pronouncement about stopping the TV watching. We're just going to be too busy doing other things. I do have a sense that the screen time is somewhat of a trigger, since he seems to have more tics when he's watching TV. So could the booster have been a major trigger? I'm so upset about allowing that darn shot! Should I have him tested for PANDAS? Should I make an appointment for him to see a neurologist, or wait and see if the tics fade away again? I'd appreciate any input, as I am a babe in the woods when it comes to this. Thanks in advance, Sky