ilovedogs

She knows of what she speaks, LOL! Seriously, CP has been at this for years and she's seen the worst and seen her son still succeed and get through school and be successful at sports, etc. I know, I've met them! Don't let this rob you of your calm. Arm yourself with knowledge and you will feel more confident in dealing with the tics. I have to admit that when I see new ones I get upset but it's temporary and I start looking at my supplements, analyzing his diet and any changes, and I start thinking about what has happened in his environment that may contribute to new tics. My son tics more from stress but I also know that allergies can trigger some nasty tics for him. He's more of an OCD type tic kid, LOL! He will do stuff like vocal noises or repeated hand movement and when I ask him if he 'has to do it' he tells me 'no, it just feels good' so then I know it's more of a repetitive habit than it actually being a tic. He can actually stop doing these if I ask him to but he can't control the actual tics. I've never heard of kids' tics waking them at night. Maybe he's actually waking at night and then the tics start up again? Research melatonin for sleep issues and see if you find anything. I've never tried the supplement myself or for ds but I know some on here have tried it and had success. Anyway, praying the rest of your week calms down. Feel free to ask lots of questions, sounds like you're on the right path and like you're taking control as only we mothers can do, right? Bonnie

I'm not sure about things that need time to build up in a system but I have to say that I have taken my son off most of his supplements over the past 2 months, as well. He still has minor eye blinking and some habits that I see(like pulling his shirt while playing tennis and smelling his fingers after eating, etc) but those are manageable and he can control those to some degree. Right now I just give vitamin C, a cal/mag chewable supplement, echinacea if I feel it's needed, and a probiotic. I am contemplating giving him a fish free Omega 3 supplement but I haven't decided yet. Anxiety was our biggest issue, the tics weren't as bothersome except one that messed with his jaw a bit, but it didn't last long. Anyway, I agree with you that sometimes their systems need a break. I think it will give us a chance to re-evaluate and I know I can always start him back on things now that I know which amino acids work for which problem, etc. Keep us posted on how your summer's going! Bonnie

Lynn, just wanted to come on and give you a cyberhug (((Lynn)))! What others have said about checking out allergies should be your first step. Histamine can affect many things in the body including neurotransmitters which can contribute to tics. I have noticed over time that my son tics are affected by his seasonal allergies and by stress(both good and bad) and that even the fall harvest moon can affect his moods and tics. We are 2 1/2 years into our journey(my son is 11 1/2 now) and I'm still looking for some answers but I've definitely come to terms with things and I've let it go so that I can enjoy him, no matter what is going on with the tics or the anxiety, etc. We, too, have no history in our families of tic disorders. But, my husband's family has a lot of anxiety and ADHD type behaviors. I noticed that my son is restless, like how you describe, and many times I have come to find out that things he does that seem like tics are actually things that he can control. One thing I ask him is, "Do you feel you HAVE to do that or do you think you can stop?" If he 'feels' that he has to complete the motion, vocalization, etc then I assume it's a tic. If not, I ask him to try to control it or stop and he can do that, too. Then, there are other 'habits' that he has that I just leave alone! For example: He plays competitive tennis and is nationally and regionally ranked as a junior. He had a habit of grabbing his crotch between points as they played out on court. It drove me crazy! So, I asked him if he could stop and he was able to stop but then a new 'habit' appeared, LOL! Now, he just grabs the side of his shirt and pulls on it between points. So, I just let that one go!!! I figured it's not as noticeable as him standing out on court grabbing himself! Also, the more I have become familiar with tics, the more I see adults and other kids who have tics. My son sees them all the time. He told me one of his tennis buddies has tics and I hadn't noticed. Finally, I paid attention and sure enough the boy had obvious eye blinking and a head tossing(like he was getting his hair out of his eyes). And, I just wanted to add that ADD, ADHD, OCD, learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, etc are co-morbid conditions to tic disorders so that's why I think ds' tics may have a genetic component to them. And, if it hasn't been mentioned yet, I suggest cleaning up the diet at home if you haven't already done so. Getting rid of food colorings, nitrates, MSG, HFCS, and other additives can go a long way toward good health, not just for your boy but also for the whole family! Many people on here have kids who are sensitive to MSG and food colorings including caramel coloring. Yet, I have found that those things don't affect my son's tics(I don't like to allow those foods much but at tennis tournaments I do allow some Powerade if that's all that's available or I may allow some nitrated bacon or pepperoni at home), but they need to be ruled out at some point. So, I hope this helps and I hope you have a lovely weekend! Bonnie

Hi guys, here's the website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/ It's called dance mat typing and my 11 year old boy didn't complain about it being a bit childish. This reminds me that I have to get him back on the website again as he still needs more practice!

Hi there, just wanted to put my 2 cents in. We've been homeschooling from K-5th grade, which we're in now and I've noticed my son's handwriting has gotten worse when I tried to get him to learn cursive. I asked him which style he liked better and he said cursive but whenever I assign him any writing, he chooses to print. He used to have beautiful printing but now it's a bit messy but still legible, thankfully. I was going to suggest a program to you called Handwriting Without Tears. They have a few workbooks that are geared towards older students(I don't know how old your child is). The one my son is working in right now is called 'Can Do Print'. The program was created by a woman who was/is an occupational therapist and the program is now used in many school districts around the country as a main handwriting program even though it wasn't originally created for that purpose. I've even ordered 2 workbooks and made him go through 2 of them back to back through the school year. I figure practice makes perfect, right? Also, my son does better while working in the workbooks but when he's give a free writing assignment I see structure fall by the wayside, so to speak. I really think the workbooks give good practice. I also found a great website for him to learn keyboarding and it's through the BBC. Let me know if you'd be interested in that, too. It's free and I think it's a great introduction to typing. Obviously, we cover a lot of bases around here. Homeschooling can be quite an adventure!! Bonnie

Thank you!!! We are on the mend finally. Spent the day disinfecting the house yesterday. Unfortunately, I'll probably take longer to heal than the boys as I have gut issues and ulcer type problems with my stomach. I'm beefing up my probiotics, drinking kombucha, and taking digestive enzymes as I get back to trying to eat normally. It sure was a whopper of an illness, though. It's never fun when all 3 people in a home are vomiting at the same time, LOL! Ds had some tennis matches yesterday and I spoke with 2 sets of parents who also had this thing run through their homes this past week. So, whatever it is, it's going around. The docs office also said that 50% of their calls are for stomach virus stuff, 40% are allergy related, and the remaining are various other health issues.

Good reminders, I do have all those things around the house! I also take NAC for the liver and I'll start taking my supplements tomorrow. I also heard that chamomile tea or peppermint tea is soothing, too.

DItto here. Do you think it could be food born (salmonella/ecoli, etc?) ? 48 hours is a long time to be throwing up.....if it continues today, I think you should call your family dr........(if nothing else, maybe a rectal suppository to settle your stomach, so you can keep some fluids down..........) My dh thought maybe it was food born but there is a stomach bug going around here so you never know. None of us threw up for 48 hrs straight. Ds threw up Wed AM constantly for hours about once every 15 mins. Then he had the diarrhea a few times and then threw up again later that night. He went all of Thursday feeling pretty good and starting to eat and drink a lot more. But, then he threw up again last night at midnight, really weird. He feels fine today but it's obvious his system is still off. As for dh and I, dh is on the mend to some degree and the diarrhea finally stopped for me a few hours ago and I ate some rice and have been drinking to replenish fluids. We'll be on bland diets for a few days obviously and today is a day of rest despite how messy the house is. I do need to re-clean the bathrooms in the house, though! I'm really praying that the worst is behind us! B

Hi guys, I don't usually come on here to ask for prayer but I know some of you are prayin' folks! My ds came down with a brutal stomach virus on Wed early AM, threw up 18 times. Then dh and I started with it yesterday. The stomach pain, the weakness, and the di*rrhea have been brutal. I haven't eaten anything much in the past 2 days and then we all 3 threw up last night. We are exhausted and I just pray that we all can get our fluid intake up this AM so we can start eating and get our strength back. I was trying to take activated charcoal yesterday to handle the fluid loss but it didn't even make a dent! Thanks, Bonnie

I believe that we all have a bit of SID in us, quite frankly. It's our little quirks and unique things that we don't like or those things that appeal to us but don't appeal to someone else. I would not have ever thought that my aversion to eggplant or other slimy foods was a sensory issue but I also can't stand certain smells and I like to touch things in a certain way and rub silky things between my fingers. My dh can't stand noise. Any kind of noise. He has aversions to certain foods that don't make sense to me: ketchup? I mean what's wrong with ketchup??? He puts mayo on his fries! Blech! He also used to rub his blanket on his nose and twirl his finger in his belly button when he was a little boy. He has to have packages opened a certain way and he MUST have the fridge organized. Now, this is where I think SID crosses to OCD, but I'm no expert and he's never been officially diagnosed. But, man he sure is picky about how things are done around the house. I was so laid back when I married him, I had NO idea what I was in for, LOL! As for my ds: I do believe we have sensory issues with him, too. He hates movie theaters and is sensitive to bass. Hates it when I use wine to cook b/c he says it has a nasty smell! He likes to rub his bedding against his lip when he's falling asleep, etc. But, we don't have any problems with outbursts or anger with him. He's extremely mild mannered and gregarious. We do, however, have anxiety issues sometimes and the tics. So, we're all unique in our own ways, aren't we? As my grandmother used to say(after I refused to eat her sweet potato marshmallow dish), "To each their own". Bonnie

Just wanted to welcome, TicsXtwo to the boards! I have to say that your son with the chronic motor tics sounds a lot like my son. He started ticcing when he was 9, he's 11 now. He has OCD type anxiety and other anxieties which have pretty much gone by the wayside for now. We haven't had an anxiety issue since last November but the tics are always there. I spoke with his naturopath and he doesn't think our son fits the PANDAs model and I do agree, but I think there's always this little hope in the back of my head that antibiotics will be our miracle answer, KWIM? Anyway, to the original poster: My ds never has a day without tics. They wax and wane and somedays I hardly see anything but they are still there. It's his anxiety that seems to wane for longer periods of time. Right now, we're trying something new: NO SUPPLEMENTS except for magnesium and some antioxidants like vitamin C and D. And, he's doing great. I was so afraid to stop the amino acids he was on but it's been a week and he's doing well. I know how frustrating these things can be as I feel like we're on this constant roller coaster and I wonder if we'll ever be allowed to get off, but in the end I know I can tell myself I know a heck of a lot about the neurotransmitters in our bodies and I feel a bit more empowered as a person. Let us know how things are going this week! Bonnie

What if tics are the main concern.....if my kid was 50% better in 1 day i'd want to know what happened...since he was ticcing at about every 10 seconds/alternating tics if we could get down to 1 every 5 minutes, i think i'd be weeping Tics are a concern for us. Some days he doesn't go a second without ticcing and today I'm seeing him tic about once every minute to 2 minutes which isn't bad, considering he was ticcing about every 5 seconds yesterday. Other days we see them once every few minutes and other days I hardly see them but they are still there if I stare at him forEVER. My son hasn't had a tic free day in 2 1/2 years. I keep waiting for the day when they will miraculously disappear. But, one thing I've learned is that I'll go crazy if I obsess over the frequency, intensity, and pattern of those darn tics. I was forgetting to enjoy my son and I was neglecting my house and other duties b/c I was so worried about these tics that I spent countless hours researching them. When, in reality, my son wasn't the one as bothered by them as I was. And, I still don't have the answers or a way to get rid of the tics so what makes me think that spending another week on a dead end rabbit trail of information is going to take them away? What I aim for is MINIMIZING the tics, enjoying my child for who he is, and being grateful for his health and for everything else good we have in our lives. I still get frustrated especially when things are going so well for weeks and then a new one comes on and it's crazy intense and I analyze his diet and wonder what I did wrong, but I'm learning that there are some things that are beyond our control. For me, this has been a huge lesson in trusting God and in letting him guide me. OK, I'm totally rambling, LOL! Sorry about that!

Kevin, as hard as it seems, please don't obsess over the tics! They are going to wax and wane all day long and it will truly drive you crazy. Yesterday my son was ticcing like crazy and today it's only about 50% of what it was yesterday which I find weird b/c it's super windy here today and usually his allergies get those eyes blinking pretty fast. As for the taste of the Ultima, I have to say that I like it but ds just suffers through it. Nothing can truly compare to the wonderful taste of sugar filled HFCS Gatorade I guess. If you are in a bind and want to find something at a regular grocer or at Walmart, you might want to look at Crystal light Pure fitness packets. Here's a list of the ingredients: evaporated cane juice, citric acid, malic acid, maltodextrin, calcium lactate, less than 2% of dried kiwi juice, natural flavor, rebiana(a natural sweetener from the stevia plant), potassium citrate, magnesium oxide, sodium citrate, salt, dried purple carrot extract and dried hibiscus flower extract(for color). Anyway, if you need something in a pinch this is probably a better eletrolyte replacement than Gatorade and I find it to be a bit sweeter and smoother than the Ultima. The Ultima has zero sugar and is sweetened with Stevia but it has vitamins along with the minerals including C, A, B vitamins, and trace minerals such as molybdenum, selenium, and zinc. Also, remember that any time you are changing anything whether they be supplements or diet, make sure you do one thing at a time, write it all down, and then record your results after a week or so. Then you may want to change something else or add something else, but again, make sure you write it all down! You'll realize after about 3-4 weeks that you'll lose track, LOL!

Kevin, Just wanted to add that my son got a few tests done back when we did the Neuroscience neuro test and they determined he was dehydrated and needed a better electrolyte balance, etc. It was good to see that b/c he is out on court about 20 hrs a week and when it's hot here in Phoenix it can really create problems. He lost a match miserably on Friday AM at a national ranking tournament b/c he was dehydrated. You could tell; he wasn't moving his feet, his reaction time was slow, and he looked tired. After getting him hydrated during the day and giving him some electrolytes and bananas he won his singles match the next day. My son has been having knee pain but I believe it's tendon related and not related to his water intake. I give him Ultima as a supplement instead of Gatorade for electrolyte balance. They sell it in containers and also in packets which I use when we travel like we did this weekend. You can find the Ultima in most health food stores or online. I personally feel that Gatorade is junk anyway and we try to stay away from HFCS so the Ultima is a great electrolyte supplement. As for the urine tests we got done, he also tested low on some antioxidants so we have him on an antioxidant supplement called Miracle Reds. I'm really thinking of getting him re-tested to see if the supplementation has worked after 2 years, LOL! Bonnie

Hi Kevin, Just wanted to welcome you to the boards. I, too, have a son who tics, worries a lot, has mild ADD, and is a competitive athlete. My son tics more when he's stressed, getting sick, or when his allergies are bugging him. He's 11 and has been ticcing since he turned 9. We've never done meds and when things got bad I would tell myself that eventually it WILL end. And, it always did! As for the magnesium epsom salts baths my son was not keen on sitting with his feet in a bucket and he hates taking the Natural Calm so I found some other ways to get him to comply, LOL! I give him the Floradix liquid magnesium/calcium supplement which tastes much better but costs more. And, the foot baths I sell it to him as a necessity for healthy feet for his tennis matches! He goes through shoes quite frequently b/c of his pounding on the court and he sometimes has heel pain or random foot pain and the epsom salts help with overall foot health. So, in other words, I don't tell him the baths are for the tics. I tell him they're good for muscle repair, etc. Actually, now that I'm typing this I probably should make him take a whole bath b/c he worked out yesterday with a trainer and I KNOW he'll be sore. There's only so many mountain climbers, push ups, and Russian twists an 11 year old can do! I hope you keep reading these boards. There's so much information that it can be overwhelming but I know I've finally come to a place where I'm way more relaxed about the tics, and that's a good thing for our family. Bonnie

Have you thought about lowering the dosage? My ds has never had a problem with magnesium and loose stools but too much Vitamin C can bug him. What about her diet? Is she eating foods that can help contain loose bowels like rice, applesauce, and bananas? What about trying activated charcoal 2 hours after she takes the mag? Research activated charcoal for diarrhea and see how you feel about it. Bonnie

I give my son 1 tsp of the Natural Calm plus calcium to my ds at night. I like the fact that it's already balanced for mag/cal/Vit D for me already. I'm actually giving it to him for many reasons not just for tics. I think cal/mag supplements are excellent for bone growth and density, including teeth. And, he plays competitive tennis and sometimes has muscle aches, etc, so I find the magnesium helps relax the muscles, etc. Bonnie

This is a very interesting thread. I'd really like to get away from using my non-stick pans as I know how bad they can be for you. I have a cast iron coated skillet that I use but I hate it b/c everything sticks and it's hard to clean. I use stainless pots from Williams Sonoma and glass in the oven. So, what does everyone use for bakeware? What do you make cookies on or heat up frozen pizzas(we buy the gluten free ones from our local health food store). I have a stone baking pan and a pizza stone but they are so big and bulky and sometimes those non-stick baking sheets are far more convenient. As for glass, Cheri is the glass cookware expensive? I wouldn't mind switching to glass pots and pans at all. Oh, and what about storing food? I use polycarbonate storage bowls and try to stay away from the cheapy plastic ones that look like they'll melt in the oven. Do you use glass for storage, too? Bonnie

I had to laugh b/c my son is the one who sees other people's tics before I do these days. One day he came home from a tennis tournament and he was doing this pursing of his lips and I asked him what was up with that? He says, "Jeremy has tics, too, and this is one he says he does sometimes." My son said this was a fun one. Every once in a while I still see him do it but he can stop doing it so it's more of habit than a tic for him. Anyway, I never noticed that this boy had tics but now I see them. He blinks his eyes, swishes his hair side to side, and I've seen a mild lip/jaw movement. I haven't spoken to his parents. Not sure if I ever will. Quite frankly, I've seen a LOT of kids and adults who tic and all of them seem pretty well-adjusted and not bothered by their tics. Not everyone sees tics as something that NEEDS fixing right away. Some kids just have tics, others have tic disorders along with co-morbid conditions(like us), and others have tics due to ADHD meds. I guess it's hard to figure out if there really is a problem that needs addressing. If my son only had tics I'd probably just wait it out and see how they progress as he gets into his teen years, but b/c of his anxiety and sensory issues I feel there is something that needs assistance and I like problem solving. If you overheard the other mother speaking to her daughter about the red lips, you could have interjected and said, "My son did something similar(or had a similar problem) and I found that chamomile tea bags soaked in warm water and used as a compress can be of great relief. That might open up the conversation or not, but you may feel better that you could at least lend some advice.

We've done the Neuroscience testing about 2 years ago. At the time, it was priceless to us. It really helped b/c the supplement they put him on was a miracle for his intrusive OCD at the time. Unfortunately, they really weren't able to help him with his tics.

He wakes up barely ticcing and they increase through the day. It doesn't matter if we're home all day long or if we're at the tennis courts all day long(which are 30 mins away) he still just increases the tics through the day. He does have a HEPA filter in his room and I give him allergy meds at night so that may be why he wakes up barely ticcing at all!

You know, Patty, I don't think it's trees. Well, maybe it's the orange blossoms. We live in AZ and there are plants here from every tropical and desert area on earth. We have Australian trees, South American tipu trees, jacarandas(although, they aren't in bloom right now), pear trees(which just finished their blooming), and many plants from South Africa, and the tropics. We had a lot of rain this winter and there are lots of wildflowers blooming right now along with the weeds. This is the worst my allergies have ever been, too! I am constantly congested and sniffling and my throat and ears are itching like crazy. I've been giving both of us quercetin, local honey, nasal washes and sprays, and we're both taking OTC allergy meds. Oh, and 1000 mg of Vitamin C daily but nothing is really gives us great relief. I'm thinking of getting him on Flonase b/c I remember that helping me the best in years past but I don't have any left at home. Most allergists around here have a hard time pinpointing the actual allergies b/c we have so many new plants being brought in to our area yearly. So, his NAET doc just treats with the basic muscle testing. And, when we did NAET 2 years ago he didn't come up with any tree allergies, he came up sensitive to lantana and one other plant, but not trees....go figure! So, maybe it's just the weeds! The allergens in the Phoenix area change monthly as plants around here bloom on and off all year and then the trees have a different cycle. Throw in the fact that we have 2 different grasses plus native desert cactus that bloom and you've got an allergy waiting to happen. I moved here 14 years ago from MD and I never had allergies. After about 3 yrs here I started developing allergy symptoms and now I can truly say I'm blessed with almost year round allergy problems, LOL! My husband goes to an allergist and he's on a pharmaceutical product called Xolair. He's been on it for about 4 years now and it's very expensive but it has completely eliminated his allergies and asthma. He hasn't needed an inhaler in months and he was only using it as a precaution before that. Now, this coming from a man who's eyes would swell shut at my mom's farm and he'd be gripping the car door as I drove him to the urgent care b/c he couldn't breathe. He had severe allergic asthma and that's one of the reasons we moved to AZ. So, this stuff has been a miracle to him but it's not approved for children(at least I don't think it is yet). Anyway, so while ds and I suffer all season long my dh just goes about his life happily without a sniffle!

Thanks for helping me, Bonnie, I really wish we could meet some families whoes kids have TS, I really need a support group to help me out, but we don't have a chepron of TSA in Virginia. It has been a year since my son shown his first sign of TS, I still can't accept it well, shame on myself. If I am not strong, who can help my poor boy! Where in VA are you??? CSP is in VA, right down the road from my mom's house. I live in AZ so I get together with CSP when I go back to visit my mom. Small world, seriously!!! And, I understand about accepting it! My ds is waxing majorly right now and it's bugging the heck out of me! It's been well over 2 years for us, too!

I know how hard these can be. These are the worst tics for us. Right now we are in a major waning and I'm wondering if allergies are a trigger for him. He's been sniffling and he has watery eyes and by the end of the day, I can actually HEAR his eyes blinking b/c they are watering so badly. I've tried some allergy meds but I give them at bedtime so things always seem worse at night. He's even added a head nodding to the eye blinking, which we've seen before, too. For him right now, it's more of an eye squeezing shut than just a mild wink like it was just 2 weeks ago. Things had been pretty mild for us but when the orange trees started blooming I noticed him start blinking more! We may try NAET again since the allergy meds really don't seem to be helping much!

Ok, Cheri said it all the best so I have nothing to add. Except to say that I am ashamed that a MAN(a parent, no less) would make fun of a child. I don't care what the child is doing, adults should know how to keep their comments to themselves. He needs a lesson in controlling his rude and inappropriate behavior! That said, when kids ask my son why he does certain tics he just tells them they are tics. Sometimes when it's adults who ask him if he has something in his eye, he tells them he has allergies or tics....depends on the intrusiveness of the person, I guess! Also, he is really quick to notice others who tic and it has made him feel better that he knows he's not the only one. Can you find a support group or do you know of anyone who has a child who tics whom you can introduce your son to? My son has met CSP's son and Carolyn N's son(both are here on the board) and it has helped him to know that he isn't alone. Bonnie