ilovedogs

Bonnie: You mentioned your friend uses an allergy med to help with tics? Can you find out what it is? She said it was just claritin! And, the doctor she saw was a psychiatrist who specializes in treating Tourette's patients. I, personally, have not met with this dr. B

I have a friend here who's dd has tics, mostly throat clearing and eye blinking and their doc(who's a TS specialist here in AZ) said they were compulsions. He said that her body started doing the tic as a habit(due to an allergy or hair issue) and that her body just adapted it into a tic b/c it 'felt' good. Hence, the compulsion to do it. Quite frankly, I don't know if he's right but she did say that allergy meds broke the cycle of tics for her dd. She also mentioned that her dd does have OCD tendencies ie: she has to have the bottles in the shower arranged in perfect order. So, maybe there's something in your house or environment that causes her to tic like in an allergic reaction that is not present in NY? Have you tried allergy meds with her to see if that makes a difference? Have you had your house tested for mold? I noticed my son tics less when I give him allergy meds but I hate giving meds all the time. So, since the tics are relatively mild for now, I'm holding off and working on cleaning up our diets first and getting some good supplements in him. BTW: How is the Intrakid going? Bonnie

Wow, Tracey, I read the article and it scares me to death to tell you the truth! I already see anxiety in my son and maybe even some LD stuff, too. But, the scary stuff about self-injurious behaviors and other stuff really makes me sad! To think that I thought I was doing what was right with vaccinations. Even though I can't point to his tics or behaviors to a vaccination, I don't doubt that it could be part of the problem. My dh has ADHD and had some LD as a child. His father is an undiagnosed OCD, but I personally think it's old age and Alzheimers. It's my mother in law who thinks he's OCD. I think he's just an eccentric old man! Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if my father in law had some stuff going on as a child since my dh had problems. So, I wonder: genetics or immunizations? Or, did his genetics make him more prone to problems from the vaccinations themselves? Hmm, so much to ponder!

Spring water is supposed to be the best water to drink. I try to buy cases of Fiji or Evian if they're on sale for us to drink. Spring water has naturally occuring trace minerals which are essential for many neurological processes in the body. I also have my ds drink electrolyte waters or Penta water as we do NOT drink Gatorade, etc. I found a supplement for electrolyte replacement called Ultima Replenisher. It's sweetened with Stevia and my ds likes this. It's my compromise for the Gatorade. I allow him to drink this for football games or tennis, but not as an everyday drink. Hi, I looked up the ultima Replenisher and showed my daughter . Im going to order the berrybanna. It's will be good for summer , I get nervous with the heat. I wanted to ask is that wrapped in foil. The doctor told her to stay away from foil. If it is , ill have to ask . Thanks for the info Maryann No, the Ultima is in paper packets or you can buy a large bulk container of it. Be warned that it does have citric acid and I know some parents keep their kids away from this as well. Again, I thought it was a good compromise to have around for electrolyte replenishing.

Spring water is supposed to be the best water to drink. I try to buy cases of Fiji or Evian if they're on sale for us to drink. Spring water has naturally occuring trace minerals which are essential for many neurological processes in the body. I also have my ds drink electrolyte waters or Penta water as we do NOT drink Gatorade, etc. I found a supplement for electrolyte replacement called Ultima Replenisher. It's sweetened with Stevia and my ds likes this. It's my compromise for the Gatorade. I allow him to drink this for football games or tennis, but not as an everyday drink.

I've been reading Dr.Don Colbert's books recently and he talks a LOT about how important water is and he also talks about the dangers of tap water and the organisms(toxins, etc) that can or cannot be removed. I have a carbon filter on my fridge that we use for water but I do not have an RO system. RO removes fluoride and chlorine as well as all the other junk. The carbon filter does not remove the fluoride. What are your thoughts on water in your home and how do you treat it? Also, he suggests getting a filter for your shower head so that you aren't showering in chlorine! I know that the brain is 75% water but I guess I didn't realize that tea/coffee don't count as adding to our water intake since they are diuretics. My son definitely does not drink enough water. I know it's important to help flush out toxins, etc. Do you all think your kids are drinking enough water? He said that adults should drink about 3/4 of a milk jug of water a day. I believe he said 48 oz a day. Do you make this a priority with your children daily? I know that I'm so overwhelmed with all the supplements and paying attention to the diet that I think I miss the boat on the water thing!

Hugs to you! I don't have a child with OCD but he has tics that just started out of the blue a few months ago. I,too, spent last night in prayer as I really saw an increase in his tics yesterday. Just wanted to let you know that there are other moms out there who are trying to find answers and who pray for their children nightly! You'll get plenty of answers here from others who are familiar with the PANDAS. Hang in there, it sounds like you're already making some positive changes. This is the first year that my ds didn't get Easter candy and you know what? He didn't even notice and didn't say boo about it! I was shocked. I guess he's adapting to this healthy eating program better than I thought!

I'm curious to know how many of us are clueless as to the origination of our child's tics? I guess I want to know how many folks are in the same boat as me! We have no hereditary TS or tics and Griffin is not PANDAS. I know that a handful of you have children with genetic TS and some can actually pinpoint PANDAS as their trigger for the tics. Also, I noticed that most of the folks on here have children between the ages of 4 and 14. Why is that? Except for Chemar, as I know her son is 18. Is it just that people get a handle on the tics by the time the kids are teens? Are teens more cognizant of their tics so they control them more? Do tics really clear up for some kids after puberty? Again, I'm just curious so if you all would like to discuss these issues please feel free to share and humor me!!!

Thanks for the clarification Carolyn. I guess my question is: do I try the mindlinx to improve gut health? I have the candida clear but was using it for myself, not for ds. I haven't heard anything about Threelac at all as I was just beginning to do some research on it!

I wanted to get some input on these products. Have any of you tried both the mindlinx and the Threelac or maybe you've had success with both. I'm having a hard time deciding which product to try first but I am leaning towards the threelac! Thanks, Bonnie

Thanks for the update! I was curious especially since these are so pricey for vitamins! And, yes, every time the tics get better I wonder if it's a waning period or if it's the supplements or diet that are helping! Bonnie

Hi Hope, Just wanted to let you know you're not alone. My ds goes through phases of stomach issues. Last time it was related to a bout of social anxiety that I just didn't recognize at first. Another time it turned out to be food poisoning and again I just thought it was his anxiety since that was the norm lately! Poor kid was always feeling icky. Anyway, if they've been on antibiotics for a while kids can definitely have stomach trouble. As long as you balance out the gut I'm sure he'll improve. You've mentioned starting candida clear but I'd also get him on some kefir or probiotic to help rebuild the good bacteria. Also, if he doesn't react to fish oils(my son tics more on omegas from fish), the omegas help the gut issues as well. Hang in there! I'm totally new to all of this and I keep reading and researching daily, too. There are many days I just want to throw in the towel but somehow I manage to keep going! Praying he's feeling better today! Bonnie

So, how's it going with the intrakid??? I'm curious b/c I've been looking into it as well! The only thing that bothers me about liquid vitamins is about traveling with them. We travel about 4 times a year via airplane and these new travel restrictions really bug me! If I start a vitamin/supplement regimen I want to keep it going. That's why I switched ds over to kids calm and got him off of the Floradix. Keep us posted! Bonnie

My son also has anxiety issues. Sometimes its separation anxiety(like tonight when I took too long at the store!). I'm wondering what the starting dosage would be for the methionine or for the inositol? Of course, we've been really bad about our diet lately too, so I wonder what part that has played lately!

Well, I don't think ds has PANDAS even though he did tic more when he had strep back in January. AFter 10 days of antibiotics I did not see a decrease or change in the amount of ticcing or type of tics he displayed. My biggest issue is his anxiety at being in that chair. he can't sit there for more than 10 minutes without getting panicky. I do see why they want to do braces and if things go poorly with Phase 1, I can always bail out of phase 2 since phase one is just being used to move his adult molars back. Phase 2 is to align his bite and fix and overbite(which I think he could live with if he had to!). I just want to avoid impactions or him losing adult teeth unnecesarily. I guess I really wanted to know what some of you experience at the ortho/dentist with kids who tic? How do the dentists work around it? Do the tics interfere with them doing their work? Thanks, Bonnie

Just wanted to let you know that we have a pool and I was worried about the same thing. I do keep the chlorine levels as low as possible b/c I have reactions to chlorine(I get bloated and an upset stomach). So, I keep it just under 1.00PPM and then shock it to get it back to 2.0PPM if we're having algae or environmental debris problems from wind, etc. On the day after I shock I require everyone to shower after having been in the pool. Here in AZ, it's the same thing with pools. Everyone has one and b/c it's so hot here in the summer it's the only diversion the kids have! I also will not take that away from him. But, I was curious about the ionizers and would love to know what you've found out. I'd love to get rid of using chlorine in the pool!

Yep, seconding CP here Chemar! As far as my son: he's 9 and he's a total people person (despite bouts of social anxiety he's gone through). He will talk to anyone about anything(well, mostly football). My son plays tennis, loves golf, but loves football more! He's a great kid, he's always getting complimented on his politeness. He's also a people pleaser which I think puts pressure on him(put on there by himself, of course). He can spout off football facts and tell you who's the quarterback for all the NFL teams. He has lots of friends, and most of them don't even seem to notice his tics. You know, my dh was almost happy that ds has tics. He thinks it's good that he has to overcome something, to struggle with being different. He thinks it will build character and make him a stronger person. I can only pray that he's right! But, I also pray that someday I won't see any more tics!

Hey Carolyn, Just wanted to let you know that I take NAC every time I take Tylenol. I use it to offset the effect the Tylenol has on my liver. I also take NAC if my gallbladder starts acting up b/c I ate too much fatty foods, etc. Also, the apple cider vinegar: I've been taking that for heartburn and stomach acid problems. I take about 2 TBSP of vinegar, 2-3 TBSP of local honey, lots of water and ice: I drink this a few times through the day as needed. This is just another alternative way to take the apple cider vinegar. Also, make sure if you buy liquid that you buy the vinegar with the 'mother' in it. The good enzymes will still be there! I buy Bragg's brand. Hey, was it Profrock that you were working with on this? I still haven't made an appointment with him yet! We're dealing with the orthodontist issues these days!

Well, I've decided to give the Ortho a try(I think!??). His teeth are really OVERCROWDED and I can see the future(he's got my tooth problems: big teeth and small jaw and mouth). He's got 3 teeth trying to come into one spot on the upper right and the one tooth looks like it could get impacted if we don't move the other teeth out of the way soon! Right now they're recommending the braces on the uppers only. In a year or so we'll see how things look and then try to realign the teeth both uppers and lowers. I'm just trying to take this one step at a time. I would love to pass on the ORTHO but I can see that at some point he's going to need braces to keep from having worse problems as a teen. I feel like he's cursed to have my teeth! I never even got my wisdom teeth on the bottom. I got my wisdom teeth up top and they pushed all my teeth forward creating more overcrowding...this is after 4 years of braces as a child. Of course, I never got to have palate expanders, etc to really help expand my jaw. Back then it was just traditional braces.

Ok, here goes: I have lived here in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona for 13 years. I grew up on the East Coast, was born in NJ but went to college in MD. Once I moved to AZ I got a job as a stock broker and worked crazy hours but loved it. When ds was born I decided I wanted to stay home so I have been home ever since. When ds was 2 I knew I needed an outlet so I took up exercising. I eventually got certified and started teaching step aerobics and conditioning classes at various gyms here. Then when my knees started to have trouble I took up yoga. I am now only teaching yoga and I LOVE it! I also play tennis, love to walk and bike ride around the neighborhood, and hike the beautiful desert here. We love to travel and homeschooling has given us the opportunity to do that more frequently since we don't have to worry about the school breaks, etc. So far we've traveled to Paris and to Italy(mostly Tuscany and Rome), the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and Jamaica. We've also had trips to Seattle, NYC, Orlando, Santa Fe(for skiing), Washington, DC, and the mountains of CO(many times over), and most of CA. I have one child, 2 dogs, and a husband who works out of the home. So, we're all together all the time! My dream is to retire to VA or NC to be closer to my family and have a nice piece of property so I can grow my own vegetables, etc. My mother lives in VA and has a farm that we visit yearly. She has beehives and sells her honey. She also has chickens and sells the eggs or sells the chickens if they're roasters(depends on the season). She raises all her own organic vegetables and some fruits: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, apples, peaches, plums, and sometimes melons. I learn so much from her each time we go visit!

Has anyone here had a challenge with getting dental work done on their ticcing children? My son has major anxiety about the dentist and ortho and it increases his tics. His eye winking tic really exaggerated his mouth and his hair throwing tic could also get in the way. What do you do for this? He has an ortho consult today and a cleaning scheduled for early May. The last time we went to the dentist was back in October and he wasn't ticcing back then! Also, b/c of his anxiety they usually have to sedate him(even though last time he was so nervous he threw up the sedation medication so they had to use nitrous) and I wonder how that affects the nervous system and the tics! Any thoughts?

Just wanted to add that I give my son both the kids calm and the Floradix(you can find it online through vitacost for much less than some other places). I give him the floradix in the AM and the kidscalm at night before bed. I love both products but I wanted his bedtime magnesium to be 'just magnesium'. I love the floradix b/c it's easily absorbed and doesn't upset his stomach and we all love the taste. I give him the cal/mag/zinc/vitamin D Floradix, btw!

Oh my! I just had a handful of chocolate pretzels from Sprouts and I love the Panda's black licorice. Of course, I worked out for the past 3 days hoping to offset the extra calories!!! BTW: I love the idea about the Webkinz easter basket. My son would love that since he's already eyeing some new Webkinz for Easter!

If you want to come up to my house I'll keep a secret stash for you! Griffin is NOT a huge candy person but my husband and I are! Griffin will get a ton of candy for Halloween or Valentines and he'll eat one piece and not ask for another for another 2 months or so! Of course, by then it's all gone b/c I have eaten it ! Thanks for the link, I'll go check it out!