Robin_RN

In case anyone is following this or experiencing this, I would like to update that as of today, tics are once again gone. His usual pattern. About 4 days and then months without.

Thank you, Chris. I appreciate the input. I am going to try some different oils on him and we are starting epsom salt baths again tonight. My son just so does not show OCD type behavior. He is the exact opposite, if that makes any sense. I've noticed the sound dying down today. Interestingly, it is the same sound he was making last may when i posted. It's more like a weird gulping. My husband tells him he sounds like a baby dolphin. We are trying to make light of the situation because this is the first time he expressed feeling worried about other people noticing. Before this, he didn't seem to notice them. This is his pattern. About 4 days and then nothing. My dr feels it's very "transient" tic disorder-ish but she totally did not want to put a name on it or investigate it further. Just told me not to draw attention to it, focus on health foods, etc. After all of my reading and research the different tic disorder labels just seem like a matter of semantics anyway. What does it really matter? I am an RN and have seen my fair share of diagnosis, dr's opinions, etc. I would not consider putting my son on any of the meds that are prescribed for Tourette's so really it doesn't matter what it is called. I just find it frustrating that I can't figure out what triggers it for him. I don't believe it just has a "wax and wane" character. I know there has to be more and for him something about getting sick does it to him.

As an update, my son(now 8) has been tic free from last June, until now. In the past week, he has started with the throat clearing/low gulping type noise. Coincidentally, he has just been hit with about 3 separate virus' in the past month. Again, my pediatrician believes, like she always has, that these are triggered by a physical feeling(for example, his throat on clinical exam is red now) and that he has to "work them out". I know she's right, but what exactly does this mean? My two daughter's get sore throats too but they don't "tic" for days. It's been nearly 6 months since his last tic. I hate not being able to figure out why they go away so long and then reappear! Any thoughts?

cara615, how is your son doing now? Have you seen continued improvement?

And now they are back with throat clearing a weird sigh sound. I haven't let him have the iPad or any games for weeks as I thought that was the original trigger. I am feeling sad now and hopeless. Every time they go away, I think *maybe* this will be the end. It's so weird. He was completely tic free for over 3 months from Feb through the end of May. Now they seem to be cycling fast. All vocal. ONe will last 4 days, switch to another, last 3 days, switch back, last 3 days, etc. They are very mild. I don't think anyone else would notice them, but for me, it's all I can notice! His diet is very limited. He is seriously the pickiest eater I have ever encountered. We already eat a pretty GMO free and organic diet but I know there is room for improvement and I wouldn't doubt if he had any deficiencies. He was also severely allergic to dairy as a baby. He tested positive on the skin test and also had blood in his stool from micro tears. I breastfed him completely dairy free for over one year and then had him re-tested. He was negative at that point but maybe he is still sensitive. It's very interesting to me how these kiddos all seem to share a lot of commonalities. Allergies, sensitivities, etc. We have had food allergy, multiple odd skin rashes(not eczema), tonsils removed(very enlarged causing apnea at night), constant allergic rhinitis, etc. I need to research the symptoms of yeast overgrowth and I know I need to help him with his diet. I just wish I could figure out what triggers these cycles of tics and extreme hyperactivity. Then in a few days, he wakes up like my calm, content, tic free, relaxed boy. I also have a hard time distinguishing "normal" boy hyperactivity with excessive hyperactivity ( I have 2 daughters as well). He seems to be able to control that part because his teachers always tell me how calm and attentive he is at school, gets great grades, never in trouble a day in his life, etc. Thank you for the 2 people that responded and offered insight. Does anyone know of a more active community with more participation?

Well, just as quickly as it came on, it left. Just about 4 days and that's usual for him. He probably won't have anything for months. Now that I'm not consumed with stressing about the sound he was making, I can try to think clearly and dig into this a little more. His tics seem to coincide with cycles of being very hyper/having tons of energy. Not in an ADHD kind of way though. Just tons of physical energy. We removed the iPad forever as my husband really feels that brings this on for him. For now, he's tic free and back to his calm self. I am starting some my research.

Thank you for your post. I truly believe my son is being triggered by something. I know there is no stereotypical TS patient but he just doesn't seem to fit the behavior description from what I've read. Maybe he has a mild form, I don't know. I'm worried about having him "diagnosed" as I don't want this to unnecessarily put him in any category. I find it very interesting that people are misdiagnosed as having TS when it could be a result of aomething else. Thanks again for the info.

Hi everyone, I am really hoping to get some advice as I am concerned and confused. My 7 year old son, for the last year, has been experiencing some tics on and off. I first noticed an eye "stretching" as he would call it. This was last year. I took him to our pediatrician and she felt it was due to allergies. She confirmed that he had allergic rhinitis which she said was a finding that he always shows clinically. At this time, he was also experiencing very loud and obstructive snoring which ultimately lead to a tonsillectomy last summer. Clearly, he has seasonal allergies and always has. He also had a dairy allergy as an infant and I nursed him exclusively for over one year (with dairy removed from my diet). At the time he was being evaluated for his tonsillectomy (last summer) I also mentioned to the ENT the eye rolling/stretching behavior and while he agreed that it may possibly have been related to allergies, he felt it was a "tic" but that it was normal at this age and would disappear. Coincidentally, it completely disappeared after that. Around the time school started up, it reappeared briefly. Next, he had a neck stretching type behavior that initially began from his back pack hurting him. It took on a life of it's own and became a tic. That disappeared and was replaced by a throat clearing sound that lasted a little less than a week. That was about 2 months ago. He has been tic free until now. Two weeks ago, he noticed a molar growing in and it was covered in part by his gum. This started irritating him and he started opening his mouth really wide. Just like the past, this behavior took on a life of it's own and became a tic lasting a week. It disappeared completely and was replaced a day later with our current issue. The throat clearing noise which sounds almost like he's losing his breath or making a high pitch inhale. He had a well check with our pediatrician a few weeks ago and although he wasn't doing any of these things at the time, I did mention my prior concerns to her. We have been seeing her for 10 years and she has known my son since birth. She is also very young and up on current research. She is brilliant. Anyway, she said that she still feels that my sons behaviors are triggered by allergies. Like, allergies are irritating his eyes and causing the need to roll/stretch them. She feels that they then take on an addictive type quality for him and he has to, in her words, "work them out" by working through these tics. She said that unless he personally is bothered or having issues at school with people pointing them out, his teacher, etc, that i do not need to do much about them except to ignore them and not draw attention to them. She is also big on a healthy diet, limited screen time, etc. So, now I am seeing this everyday and totally freaking out. I am so worried about him. I really felt these were benign childhood tics as he only has one at a time and long periods with nothing. I also notice that his behavior is more "hyper" when the tics are present. He does not have ADHD by any means or OCD. He is super smart, sensitive, loving and just a great happy boy. He is so happy and care free. He doesn't exhibit nervous or anxious behaviors. He doesn't have trouble learning. All of these things make me think that something is causing this. He doesn't seem to fit the stereotypical Tourette's diagnosis so I'm not sure where to go with this. We did let him have a lot of time on the iPad this past 2 weeks and my husband feels that they are correlated. As if this wasn't stressful enough, he is the pickiest eater I have ever met and eats very few foods. Our pediatrician has, at this point, recommended "feeding therapy" as his pickiness is beyond normal. I would love any advice. I am so worried. I am worried that this will be too much for him and his fun loving spirit will be broken down if anyone makes fun of him or if he is embarrassed. I have read the statistics on depression and TD and it scares me. He is the happiest most fun loving kid in the world and I never want that to change. I just don't know where to begin. I am not sure if I should just take him to a neuro or ride this out. I'm also an RN so I have a hard time balancing the medical and natural aspects of care. I would just love a starting point….testing, supplements, etc. Sorry this is so long. Thanks for reading if you got this far!