Gina

Hi Everyone, I havent posted in a really long time. But I read posts here quite often. I have a few questions that I hope some of you can help me with. My son Dan who is in the 4th grade has TS. He has never been medicated and his vitamins consists of a good multi, B1, B6, zinc, Mag. Taurine and Calcium. I try to keep everything with no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup and no artificial color or flavor. We do OK with all of that. He has never had any other issues that seen to go along with TS. He has no learning problems. He has gotten straight A's all year. Has no signs of ADD or OCD. He has a bunch of friends and his teachers say nothing but good things about him. I have never gotten a negative comment from anyone at his school. There is a boy that came to his class about 2 months into the year and he is completely blind. Dan has taken him under his wing and helps him out with everything, even at recess they play kickball and my son holds this boys arm and runs him around the bases and the simle on both of thier faces is wonderful to see. My son was not asked to help him he took it upon himself to get to know this boy. There is also another boy in his class that is slightly Autistic he is very smart and can keep up with the work but he has problems staying focused and I would say has a maturity level of maybe a 6 or 7 year old. Again my son took a liking to this boy and has been a positive influence for this boy. I don't even think that my son is aware of the effect he has on these boys so I know that his actions are truly from his heart and soul. Now I am not telling you all this because I am trying to brag about my son but I need you to know that part about him so maybe you can help me with the next part..... My son comes home from school and it is like Dr. Jekly and Mr hyde..... That sweet boy that has a heart of gold has turned into a Whiny, argumentative, rude and completly inconsiderate little stinker to myslef his dad and his sister. Nothing is ever his fault and if things don't go his way he ruins the rest of the day for all of us. It has gotten so bad that I am so dreading the upcoming summer break. I have always looked foward to summer we always do so much fun stuff. I feel really guilty for feeling this way. Tonight we had to run out after dinner to a couple of stores (nothing fun I need to buy a new vacuum) By the time we finally made our purchase it was 8:00pm my son asked if we could walk around the mall. My husband and I both said no that it was to late. Thats all it took.... whining and crying and saying stuff like we owed him that since he had to go out shopping for stuff that we want and nothing is ever for him etc.... He sounded like a 3 year old having a temper tantrum (which he never did even at 3) This took place the whole way home and I sent him to his room and told him to go straight to bed. The problem is he can not stop arguing his point and he goes on and on I could threaten him with anything but he just goes on and on. This happens all the time and he argues to the point where I sometimes have to walk out of the house to cool myself down. Now I am aware that this could have something to do with his age but I dont think the intenseness of it is normal for his age. He would argue his point until the sun came up if I let him. He does not have issues with violence, it's all with his mouth..... Could this be part of the TS and puberty being around the corner? I know that I walk on eggshells not to upset him because than the whole day is ruined for all of us and I know that's not OK either. Why is he so different and home verses being at school or at a friends house. I know that some TS people have learned to hold back tics for a certain amount of time only to have a burst of it later in the day. Could this be the way his come out if he is holding back at school? I am just so tired of all the arguing and yelling. Sorry for such a long post but I am at the end of my rope. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks for listening Gina

Hello Everyone, I have a couple of questions to throw out to you all. My son (Dan 9 yrs) has a new tic. As I have posted in the past, every April since my son was diagnosed with TS 4 yrs ago he comes up with a new tic. I feel it is allergy related but why its a new tic each time is a bit baffling. His new tic is with his jaw. He kind of moves it from side to side and than scrunches his lips. It kind of looks like he is trying real hard to get somthing out of his teeth. As with the past April tics it last for a few weeks and than subsides but I am really worried about this one because it is hurting his jaw and I am not sure what to do to help him. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My next question is about vitamins. As of now my son takes a multi vitamin, B6, B1, Calcium Chew, Magnesium Taurate, and Zinc. I am wondering about a B-combo instead of the individuals and also if anyone knows of a calcium/mag. taurate combo. Would love to know brands that work for others befor I start my journey to the vitamin shoppe for hours of reading labels. Thanks Gina

He all, I have a question about what to do for seasonal allergies for my son with TS. I believe other have also had to deal with this and would just like to hear what some have done. Every year around this time my sons tics become worse I believe it is due to seasonal allergies/tree pollens/grasses etc.. Usually he gets a new tic that I would consider a major motor tic. It is more noticable than his usual minor tics. It happens every year between Mar. & Apr. The past few years he has noticed that the tics are worse but it never bothered him much. This year I know will be different. He is in 4th grade and this is the year that he has actually worried about what the other kids think about him. Not just the TS but his clothes, hair, etc. I guess this is what they call pre-teen and I have to say its not much fun being the parent.... My question is what have others given thier kids to help with thier allergies. I am open to all info. I would like to know if anyone has had any positive results from Perscription, over the counter or natural remedys. Thanks Gina

Decorah, You can get the Magnesium Taurate (made by Cardiovascular Research) at the Vitamine Shoppe either online at vitaminshoppe.com or if your lucky enough to have the store near by you can get them off the shelf. Each capsule is 125 mg. of Magnesium Taurate Another one I found there but have not tried is Shpilkes by Ecological Formulas and it has per 2 caplets: 100mg - Calcium Taurate 50 mg - Magnesium Taurate 200 mcg - Co Enzyme B12 (cobomamide) I havent tried becasue right now I give my son Mag 250mg / Cal 500mg. It would be to many pills for him to take to add up to that. Gina

Well I figured it out!! Feeling kinda like the "Dumb Mom" I took my son in to our Doctor today I thought he might of been getting a sinus infection. Come to find out that he was at the tail end of an ear infection (which we weren't aware of) and tested positive for Strep Throat (YUCK). So I think all this annoying behavior was due to his body being attacked by those infections. We start antibiotics tonight. Kind of odd buy my son never complained of a soar throat or his ear bothering him. I thought that both of those are supposed to be very uncomfortable and painful? Oh well hopfully the meds will kick in and start fighting the infections and I will can get back to having fun with my son. Gina

Hi Chris, One other thing to add to Chemar post above. TS is hereditary so if its possible try and look at your family. Talk to your Mom & Dad they might not be aware of "Tourettes" but they might be able to tell you about some odd tics that other relatives have had. My husband was the first in his family to show signs and wasn't diagnosed until he was almost 20. Once the diagnosis was made and he learned more about tourettes than he could look back at others and see that he wasn't the only one just the one that it was most noticable on. One other thing, I suggest keeping a journal of everything that you eat and how your tics were for each day. You might be surprised at what you can find out. I did this for my son with TS when I first starting learning about the food issues and TS. Good Luck! Keep reading there is so much helpful info here. Gina

Hi All, I just had a few questions reguarding Tourettes and Anger. My son who is 9 1/2 has TS and has been doing very well with the diet changes and vitamins. His tics are barely noticable. But lately he has been a handful for me at home, whining and throwing fits and his anger is getting more intense. At school he is doing just fine his teacher says she dosen't notice any change in him. Tonight he got into trouble for feeding his veggies to the dog and lost his dessert. Instead of accepting he got caught and had to pay the price of no dessert (which I think was a pretty easy going punishment) He went into a fit of whining and crying (which I believe he is a bit to old for that type of behavior). He actually ended up breaking the towel bar in the bathroom out of rage. When all was said and done he said that it wasn't his fault for breaking something because he couldn't control it, he was just too angry. Now my son has always been a bit of a whinner and every now and than has had outburst just like any other normal child but they just seem to be getting more intense and more frequent. I feel bad even saying this but sometimes I can't stand to be around him lately. His fits end up ruining things for our whole family. My question is could this be part of TS or just a 9 1/2 yr. old boy misbehaving...... I am torn on how to handle this. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Gina

Deanna, Luckily my kids rarely get colds and I usually let their own immune systems go to work and fight it off. But, last month my daughter got a cold and we were heading out of town so I went to our local health store and found this stuff called Umka Cold Care I believe its made by Natures Way. It is a liquid form that I must admit dosen't taste that great but my 7 yr. old daughter did fine with it and it worked great. She was back to normal with in 2-3 days. I also found Umka at our local grocery store (Safeway) in thier natural foods section. Good Luck Gina

Hi Andy, I have my son on vitamins and special diet which works wonderfully for his TS. But every year during Mar/Apr his tics seem to get out of control. It has been this way since he was diagnosed with TS almost 4 yrs ago. I have pinpointed it to allergies. (certain trees, weeds, etc) I had him tested with the skin pricks on his back 2 or 3 years ago and it pretty much matched with what I assumed. All of the things that he mostly reacted to bloom in Mar/Apr. So it could just possilby be allergies. Best Of Luck, Gina

Hi Claire, I make pecans like this (although I have never added cinnamon, cant wait to try it) and my family loves them. I use regular natural sugar in mine but would like to try it with the xylitol. Do you get it at a regular grocery store of do you have to go to a health food store? Thanks Gina ps/ I Put these pecans in a salad of lettuce, mandarin oranges, feta cheese and use poppyseed dressing. It is always a hit where ever I bring it.

Hi Decorah, I read your post on the 6th and wanted to reply but I have been sooo busy. Things have finally mellowed out. As I was reading your post I was saying to myself that sounds just like my story a few years ago. Sometimes it’s just nice to know others can relate and you’re not alone.... I just wanted to say my son who is now 9 1/2 yrs old with TS also had symptoms that came on hard and strong just like you had mentioned in your post. It's not often that I hear that. He was 6 yrs old at the time and one day we were out at a museum and all of a sudden his leg was kicking out and with in 5 min. his arms started. We had to leave and went straight to the Dr's. We did not have to go through the "what is it stage" because my Husband also has TS so we knew what it was. But my Husbands is so minor that most people don't even notice it (a throat clearing and slight hand twitch at times and thats it) He wasn't even diagnosed until he was about 20 yrs old. I was not expecting anything more than that for my son so we were definitely scared and worried with what we saw. I than took that crazy ride on the old emotional roller coaster as we all do and than things start to mellow out and you get back in control. I too read the posts here for months before posting and almost a year before giving my son any vitamins for the same reasons you mentioned. I walked in health food stores and also left empty handed and sometimes in tears because it was like another language that I just couldn't grasp and also I was very concerned about giving these to a 6 yr old child. After reading as much info here and doing my own bit of investigating I did decide to do what I thought would be the least evasive way to go and that was to change his diet. It was also something that I could do while I was still trying to understand all the vitamin stuff. I stopped all artificial flavor and color, anything with corn syrup, most preservatives, nitrites/nitrates and watched the sugar (he never was allowed caffeine so that was not as issue) and I try to go as organic as possible. I figured that none of that was doing him any benefit so taking it away was not going to harm him in any way. It was however a bit hard for my son to understand these changes at 6 yrs old. It was also a lot of my time reading labels and figuring it all out at first. But now its how I shop and its normal for me. I found out that most of the regular grocery store items were not going to work so I did most of my shopping at Whole Foods Market and Trader Joes (if you have access to those or anything like them that’s your best bet) Most of the big grocery stores here in California now have a Natural Foods section which is helpful. This change in his diet helped tremendously. I am a true believer of staying away from all that junk! I did eventually move onto the vitamins and with the help of people here it wasn't as foreign as I once thought. I also wanted to say I would lose sleep at nights just waiting for all the other disorders/syndromes that are supposed to come along with TS to appear (ADD, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, OCD etc...). Everything I read would have this all together and I can remember just watching my son like a hawk waiting for them to appear and every little thing he did that didn't seem normal would freak me out. But I have come to realize that what my son has is TS and that’s it. He has none of the other issues. I do realize that things can change but I don't wait for it to happen anymore. My son is at the top of his class (straight A's last report card) he has a great bunch of friends that know of his TS and support him. He lives a very normal life for a 9-year-old boy. He just tics every now and than. I hope this makes you feel a bit better. Just keep on reading the info here and asking any and all questions you have. Best of luck, Gina ps/ I also have a daughter 2 years younger than my son and every now and than there are little tics that I notice but they seem to always go away. You know as a parent of a child with Tourettes we notice more than we need to sometimes. We make it harder on ourselves.

Hi Decorah, I read your post on the 6th and wanted to reply but I have been sooo busy. Things have finally mellowed out. As I was reading your post I was saying to myself that sounds just like my story a few years ago. Sometimes its just nice to know others can relate and your not alone.... I just wanted to say my son who is now 9 1/2 yrs old with TS also had symptoms that came on hard and strong just like you had mentioned in your post. It's not often that I hear that. He was 6 yrs old at the time and one day we were out at a museum and all of a sudden his leg was kicking out and with in 5 min. his arms started. We had to leave and went straight to the Dr's. We did not have to go through the "what is it stage" because my Husband also has TS so we knew what it was. But my Husbands is so minor that most people don't even notice it (a throat clearing and slight hand twitch at times and thats it) He wasn't even diagnosed until he was about 20 yrs old. I was not expecting anything more than that for my son so we were definately scared and worried with what we saw. I than took that crazy ride on the old emotional rollercoaster as we all do and than things start to mellow out and you get back in control. I too read the posts here for months befor posting and almost a year befor giving my son any vitamins for the same reasons you mentioned. I walked in health food stores and also left empty handed and sometimes in tears because it was like another language that I just couldn't grasp and also I was very concerned about giving these to a 6 yr old child. After reading as much info here and doing my own bit of investigating I did decide to do what I thought would be the least advasive way to go and that was to change his diet. It was also somthing that I could do while I was still trying to understand all the vitamin stuff. I stopped all artificial flavor and color, Anything with corn syrup, most preservatives, nitrites/nitriates and watched the sugar (he never was allowed caffiene so that was not as issue) and I try to go as organic as possible. I figured that none of that was doing him any benifit so taking it away was not going to harm him in any way. It was however a bit hard for my son to understand these changes at 6 yrs old. It was also a lot of my time reading labels and figuring it all out at first. But now its how I shop and its normal for me. I found out that most of the regular grocery store items were not going to work so I did most of my shopping at Whole Foods Market and Trader Joes (if you have access to those or anything like them thats your best bet) Most of the big grocery stores here in Califonia now have a Natural Foods section which is helpful. This change in his diet helped tremendously. I am a true believer of staying away from all that junk! I did eventually move onto the vitamins and with the help of people here it wasn't as foreign as I once thought. I also wanted to say I would lose sleep at nights just waiting for all the other disorders/syndroms that are supposed to come along with TS to appear (ADD, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, OCD etc...). Everything I read would have this all together and I can remember just watching my son like a hawk waiting for them to appear and every little thing he did that didn't seem normal would freak me out. But I have come to realize that what my son has is TS and thats it. He has none of the other issues. I do realize that things can change but I don't wait for it to happen anymore. My son is at the top of his class (straight A's last report card) he has a great bunch of friends that know of his TS and support him. He lives a very normal life for a 9 year old boy. He just tics every now and than. I hope this makes you feel a bit better. Just keep on reading the info here and asking any and all questions you have. Best of luck, Gina ps/ I also have a daughter 2 years yonger than my son and every now and than there are little tics that I notice but they seem to always go away. You know as a parent of a child with Tourettes we notice more than we need to sometimes. We make it harder on ourselves.

Claire, I also do the AM and PM vitamins just because otherwise its so many at once. I was wondering why you said not to give Cal/Mag with zinc at the same time? I have been giving them to my son (250mg Mag Taurate, 500 mg. Calcium and 25 mg zinc.) Is it considered dangerous? Thanks Gina

Hello All, I have a few questions on Allergy Testing. I had my son tested for environmental allergies (weeds,trees,molds etc.) That was done by a prick test on his back. (not a fun experience) I have decided to look into food allergies and I know that there is a few different kind. 1. Skin pricks, 2. IgE (Is that the same as RAST?)and 3. IgG. I think both IgE and IgG are both blood tests but I am not sure what the difference is between them. Does anyone know what that might be? Thanks Gina

Hi My name is Daniel, I am 9 years old and also have TS. I live in Fremont, California. I think my TS started when I was in Kindergaten. I am not allowed to eat certain foods also and it stinks! I also take vitamins too. I don't mind taking the vitamins. I don't think that TV bothers my tics but my mom thinks it does. Sometimes I dont even know that I am ticcing. In school sometimes I tic but I tic more at home. I think I tic more when I am bored and have nothing to concentrate on. I am in the 4th grade My best friends are Billy & Myles My favorite color is Red My favorite subjects in school is Recess, PE, & Science I don't know any other kids with TS its nice to hear from others like me. Please write back, Daniel

Connor/Ausclare, Awsome topic to start.... My son is in bed right now but I will have him check this topic out tomorrow. He was just telling me that he wished he could meet/talk to other kids with TS. Plus it would be nice for him to see how/where I get all my info from. I never thought to show him the site. Thanks for sharing Connor Gina

Both of my children were breastfed. My son (with TS) for almost 1 year. formula was introduced to him at 6 mo. My husband also has TS so it is genetic in our case. If I remember correctly the issues with allergies and breast feeding isn't about how long you breastfed but at what time you introduced fomula into the babies system. I was told that the longer you breastfeed and wait on the formula the better the chances with food allergies. That is why they say to only breastfeed for the first year. Unfortunatly not always an option. Gina

Hi Everyone, My son who is 9 and also my Husband both with TS (no ADD) have awsome memory, long term and short term. I used to think that thier good memory was linked to TS. Go Figure.... I do have a friend with a child that has ADD (no TS) and his short term memory is like what I read in the other posts. Constantly forgetting things. Gina

Hi Dara, Welcome, as others have posted there is a huge amount of info here in our Latitudes World. READ READ READ........ You will find answers and ideas on helping your son. I know a lot of people have addressed the issues with your son so I wanted to address your feelings of depression and heartache. I think a lot of people here can understand your frustration with doctors. I know for myself being told "here is the outcome now go home and deal with it" was one of the worst days of my life. So I can understand your feelings. I did go into extreme depression and ended up on Paxil. I do not recommend this at all. It completely changes who you are. It's numbing from all feelings not just the awful ones. You need to feel to be able to help your son and yourself..... After my son was diagnosed with TS I can remember having to go back east (just me and my son) via Airplane shortly after 9/11 and thinking to myself that if the plane goes down so be it. It would be better than having my son have to live this way for the rest of his life... How sad is that. Now I can't even believe that I ever felt that way. But I was so depressed. My Son is so bright and such an inspiration to so many people. I wouldn't trade him in for anything. He has taught me so much and he is only 9. I found this website completely by accident and have been reading almost daily and posting now and than for the past 2 years. It is what helped me with my depression not any magic pill. What a feeling to know that I can actually help my child and not have to sit back and do nothing. I consider myself (and other moms here) the true Dr. Mom's. Your quote - "I can't explain to anyone the 'sadness' I feel about what has happened to our beautiful son." You don't even have to try and explain it we have all lived it and understand it all to well. I can tell you for me that I now know that the emotion that I was going through was actually Grief I was not aware of that until last year when I lost my Dad to an awful accident that I could actually compare the feeling of Grief from loosing my Dad to the day my son was diagnosed. In some strange way your feeling like its a loss. But it will get better. Best of luck to you, Remember read and get as much info as you can from this website. Knowledge is Power. Gina

Hi Everyone, I also "Buy Back" candy from my kids and than we usually go to Toys R Us and they can get what ever they want with thier money. I dont have any teenagers but I think they would also like the cash... Maybe not the Toys R Us part but I bet a trip to the local Mall might be good. I remember my teen years and what I really wanted was to make my own decissions. I am sure your son is aware of what the candy does to him and dosen't want that either. Maybe it needs to be his decision. Throw the ball back in his court and just remind him what the candy does to him. (If there is allergies involved that can hurt him than you should step in) You might be amazed at his decision if he feels its "His" and not anyone elses. Especially when there is $$ involved. Also, I remember a post here by some of the parents that use the Fiengold Diet and in one of thier post they talked about an online candy store that I believe is all OK for the Fiengold diet plan. I believe the name was Squirrels Nest Candy. You might want to go online and see if any of it is good for yoru son. Than maybe show your son the website and let him pick out what he would like to trade the "bad candy" in for. Again it would be his decision if he picked it out himself. Than just make sure its at your house by halloween so the trade off can take place immediatly. I will probably do a bit of both this year. Buy Back and also Trade Off. Nobody needs to much Junk Feed even if it is not so bad for you. Good Luck Gina

Glenn, Welcome! When I read your post I couldn't help but remember how I felt when the bomb hit for me. (and that is exactly what it felt like) My heart goes out to you. My son was diagnosed 3 years ago and he was also in 1st grade and lucky for us no signs of ADD/ADHD or OCD either. It was probably 4 months that went by before I found this wonderful web site. Prior I searched so much and found so much negative and worst cases of TS on other websites that I was a complete basket case just from reading all the info. To the point of making myself physically and emotionally sick. I can sooo relate to your feelings of Scared and Lost. I have been there. But consider yourself "found" here with all this wonderful info. My first suggestios to you is to read, read, read. There is a whole lot of info and compassion here. I truly believe that "Knowledge Is Power" After I found latitudes I was still a bit worried about all the vitamine/supplements stuff. Mostly because I didn't understand a lot of it. So I chose to do the least advasive which was changing my sons diet. No preservatives, artificial color/flavor, high fructose corn syrup, etc. That alone made such a difference for my son. But I have to say its not easy at first and it takes a lot of time reading food labels and finding the right places to shop (Whole Foods is a great place if there is one in your area) and I know for me there was not a whole lot of support from others. Friends and Family thought I was a bit wierd for going this route. But now they see how it has helped and are amazed and even quite proud of us. After I did all my reading here and found our what to try I eventually added vitamines and saw even more positive changes. If you do decide to introduce vitamines into your sons routine I recommend reading info from Bonnies Supplements. (bonniegr.com) I hope you are feeling a little bit less stressed and a bit more hopeful. Sometimes knowing that your not alone helps a ton.... Best of luck to you and your son. Gina

Hello Everyone, I am trying to find Magnesium Taurate but can not find it. I know Bonnie sells them but I would really prefer to be able to walk into a store and purchase it as I need it. So if anyone knows of a good brand and where they get it at I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks Hope everyone is doing well Gina

BEAN, Does your daughter have TS? If so remember there is no absolute cure and the waxing & waning of tics are a part of TS. My son has TS and he is on a restricted diet and vitamines. But he has TS and will always have tics. But with these changes it is less severe and less frequent. Another big thing that brings on tics for my son is seasonal allergies. Hayfever, trees, flowers, grasses etc. Every year around April my sons tics are at thier worse I believe it is completely environmentally related. Unfortunatly I am still working on how to help that one. And than there is our Ol' Faithful: STRESS. Big tic trigger for my son and husband. Check out the rest of whats going on in her day to day life and see if there are any triggers there. But most of all don't get discouraged. For every Down theres an Up. Good Luck Gina

Hello All, I have a few questions regarding heriditary TS... Isn't OCD, ADD, ADHD, all possible symptoms that go along with TS? So can you have the TS gene and only show an OCD/ADD/ADHD behavior w/o tics? Or do you have to have tics with the added behavior issues? Can you be a carrier of the TS gene and not show any signs at all but pass it on to your children? My husband has TS which has passed onto my son. When I look at my husbands parents I would bet that he got his TS from his Dad. There are no noticable tics but he is what I would call OCD and an alcoholic and I would say he has an explosive temper and likes things his way but, that could be due to the alcohol. My father in-law has 3 brothers and 2 sisters that are all quite mellow and easy going. Although the whole family can party pretty heavy with thier alcohol. I notice minor things in the rest of his family. My husband is the only one that has it severe enough to be diagnosed (he has 2 brothers and a ton of cousins mostly boys with no major symptoms) I do notice that if it is infact that it comes from my father in law that the TS seems to worsen with each generation. (ex. my father in law has very little signs of ts and my husbands was more apparent and my sons very apparent.....) Is this noticed by others that can pinpoint the hereditary factor of TS in thier families? What do you all think? Would love to hear other peoples ideas on this. Thanks for listening, Gina

Sorry, I forgot to add this question also... It there a differnece in L-carnitine and Acety-L-Carnitine if so which one is better for the vocal tics? Thank You Gina