CSP

Welcome Melinda, I first want to let you know this will be ok, and try not to worry too much. I do believe the MMR could be a factor. My son exploded with tics after having two vaccines and it took about 6 weeks for the tics to become full blown. I have had some Drs. say they believe the shots are a factor and others who don't, so you may get a different answer from them. I would say to start reading as much as you can on past posts and also check out the PANDAS forum to see if there is a connection to strep with your child. Try the epsom salts baths, esp. after a day at the pool. Clean up his diet as much as you can. My son was given clonidine patch at 12yo and he was like a zombie. We took him off after a month and during that month we also cleaned his diet and his body never when back to the bad motor tics he had before the patch. My husband and I believe the diet helped more then the C. patch did. I would try as hard as you can not to have any more vaccines any time soon. If he has not had the chicken pox they will tell you he needs the shot for school. Both the MMR and the chicken pox shots are made with aborted fetal cells, this is very concerning to me. Hope that was of some help, God Bless, CP

I'm about ready to jump out of my skin! My son came home with 2 Certificates awarded to him by the Commonwealth of Virginia for the completion of course requirements by the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. You all have shared so much of the ups and downs of the past 4 1/2 years with us that I feel as if you are apart of this. Thank you all for the prayers, support, and the friendships. I really do believe this board has helped me to calm my fears and relax enough to let my son be who God wanted him to be. Chemar, I know what you do here is all worth the time and effort just to hear stories like this. Your constant encouragement will never be forgotten, and you will forever be apart of my memory. Faith, I can't tell you how much our chats have meant to me, and I can't wait for your son to do great things. I may never meet you here on earth, but I know God will introduce us and then I will give you a big (((((((((((HUG)))))))))). Bonnie, I'm so glad we have had the chance to meet and I know your son is going to to great things, I can just tell by meeting him, such a gentleman. Caryn and Kim, you both have been a great help to the board and to me. Helping with odd questions that at the time just seemed to need to be answered. 4 1/2 years ago I began a journey that left me in great pain, and I came here to seek comfort. I remember telling you all I had learned that the word compassion came from 2 Latin words that meant "To Suffer With." I know that is how we all feel about our children, and sometimes the parents are the one who suffer the most. I clearly see my journey...my TS journey... my spiritual journey... came from the suffering of one, for the healing of another. On July 29th he will graduate from fire school and I know on that day my emotions will be sky high... but this time when my body cries uncontrollable... it won't be because of pain... only joy. Thank you, and God bless you, CP

My son also does volunteering, and it does make him feel good. I can't speak for him as far a girls, but I know my husband grew up with tics and he said he was shy. I believe he said just find what you are good at and do your best, because others will see your confidence and can't help but want to be around you. One advice from me (as a girl myself is)... make them (girls) laugh you can't go wrong. CP Sorry you are hearing from us girls, hope some guys chime in soon.

Patty, How are things going with the braces? Our health food store has products called Eco-Dent. CP

Had a tough week with my 18yo dd (does not have tics) and her Dr. really pushing vaccines. My dd is going off to college in the fall and she had to have a well check. I was floored when they told me she was to have another meningitis vaccine. She and her brother (ds with TS) had these vaccines going on 5 years now, and this is one of the vaccines that sent my son overboard. I was so mad I took the sheet and told the dr. I would be contacting the university. I told the university nurse my dd would not be getting that vaccine again do to adverse affects with a family history of vaccines. She told me that was fine and I did have to have my dd get the TB skin test. That was a little freaky I don't remember ever having liquid injected for the TB, just a prick. So I don't understand why our kids have to have the meningitis when they are so little if college is the real problem for meningitis. You all will just have to have them again when they go off to college. The other thing for the parent who was sending their child to school after homeschooling. I will be also sending my youngest to public school next year and our Dr. said we could claim bad reaction to vaccine in family history. I aslo wanted to let any Catholics out there... the chicken pox vaccine is made with aborted fetal cells and as Catholics we can claim religious exemption on moral grounds. http://www.cogforlife.org CP

Hi All, If most of us are giving epsom salts baths a few nights a week this is a wonderful non-toxic recipe to clean the tub. 1/2 cup baking soda (buy the huge one at costco) lasts long A cap full of castile soap (just a small amount) Put the soda in a pile in the tub and pour the soap over it, get your cleaning towel all wet and start scrubbing. (dirt come off so easy there is hardly any scrubbing) This recipe soaps up really well, and wipes out the tub ring, easy as pie. CP

Thanks steph, I told my husband to take it with water and put it on his athlete's foot. He about died and told me I did not tell him it was going to be that spicy. So I googled it yesterday and it may work for toenail fungus too. Wouldn't that be wonderful, I always hear that is so hard to get rid of. Just put it on the toenail, it soaks in the nail and kills the fungus. CP

justine, Did it burn his skin? Does anyone know if it would work on athlete's foot? CP

How about gluten free? Apple is gluten free. CP

Bonnie, That is great news!!! I'm so busy getting ready for a boatload of family coming for older dd's graduation I know what ya mean. We planted sweet potatoes and I thought of you and your mom, so now I know when to dig them up. Still praying for you, Patty, hoping this choice becomes easier to make. CP

((((((((((Patty)))))))))))) That number... 4 1/2 years ago, that cuts deep for me too. I'm so sorry you are dealing with this to the point your own body is suffering too. Are you thinking having the work done while he is young will help when he is a teen and the dental work is all over with? Or are you thinking waiting would be better for him until he is a teen? Bonnie, as darling as your son is, I think any girl would have him even if he had no teeth. How is the tennis going? CP

Patty, Yes, the braces did aggravate his tics, but I don't think it is the braces themselves that does it. For him it seems more like the teeth being moved that I have noticed does the aggravating. I was worried because he has an allergy to nickle and that really made me worry when he first got them, but his ortho told be they were steel braces and at first when he waxed I thought his waxing would last until his braces came off. He waxed for about 2 months, but I had to tell myself that he did that anyway so we hung in there and they did wane. Now I notice that when he has his appt. every 8 to 10 weeks he waxes for about 2 days sometimes it is a week because his teeth are sore. He is glad he got braces I think it helps him feel good about himself. I understand your worry that is alot of money and when you know your child needs something done what is the lesser of the 2 evils. I hope he does not react to the medal I know that is a worry. CP

Patty, I tell ya my son did react to the braces, but it has not been waxing for 2 years he does wane. I think you will see some kind of waxing but I think it may last while his teeth are having a major movement. I see our son does wax when his teeth are being pulled and then it calms down again. Tis has been 2 years this June and he has another year to go. I can't wait to see how he is when the braces come off. Good luck, I'll be praying this goes well for him. CP

Now you know why I do the cooking Good thing I'm not married to Marco Polo, ay. (The voyages to China just to get the goodies.) Except on Father's Day and his B-day... I let him cook, he say's it's his day and he wants the food to be cooked following a recipe... not the way I cook... I DUMP!!!!!! CP

I'm so sorry you are feeling this way but I do so understand. My husband was always the strong one and handled this much better then I, but there had been a time or two that he cried too. If at all sometimes medication can just give you the chance to relax from all the stress and feel like things have calmed down enough to think clear. We did do meds for a month in the beginning and it was something I did not like to see him on, but it gave me the courage to plunge into cleaning the diet. My son's body tics never came back after we used the clonidine patch for a month, but it did not help at all his vocal tics. I was happy to see at least the motor tics gone. Hang in there, it will get better. CP I can't remember is he taking an allergy med?

Deby, My son also reacted to TSplus. He got a rash on his tummy and it wasn't until I thought about the soy in them. He is allergic to soy. CP

PRESENTATION!! PRESENTATION!! That's what my husband says about food. Last year he ran (unpaid mind you) our local concession stand for the BabeRuth baseball league. I about died when he corrected a poor volunteer mom on how to set the top bun onto a pork BBQ sandwich. It had to be gently placed to the side of a heaping scoop of pork BBQ. If he could have he would have toasted the bun. Poor woman she sent chills up my husbands spine when she smooshed the top bun on the pork BBQ so all the pork oozed out the sides. I could only put my head in my hands and shake my head. OH and the customers didn't help... their eyeballs bugged out of their heads when they saw this sandwich. They would tell my husband they couldn't wait until their son's played on that field just so they could get his pork BBQ. Bloated his head even more. My husband laughed at me all the way to the bank, raising over 10 grand for the league. Doug, all you have to do is stay out of the kitchen while he is cooking, and eat his meal as if it were your last. I want him back when the kids are grown, cuz I ain't touching a spoon unless it's shoveling something in my mouth. CP

I just had to reply, fixit, I am married to an ex-chef who spends like we are millionairs. If the recipe calls for some spice you can only get in China, by golly he needs to fine it. Having a chef in the house only means the sandwiches won't be eaten unless they are toothpicked and cut in quarters, and the veggies are artfully cut into flowers. CP

dcdad, My husband had tics as a child and he did do allergy shots. Back then no one knew he had TS, and my husband does not ever remembering the shots making things worse. He does remember some things making them better, (smoking and dipping) and beer made them worse. So the shots just are not anything that stood out to him as making them worse. Good luck, CP

Welcome Deby, I wanted to let you know my son had the screaming tics too, and his lasted a year. It was very hard but he is 16yo now and does not scream anymore. My son did not scream while sleeping, but as soon as he woke up he would start. If he had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night I would be jolted out of bed because he would start. Natural calm helped him a lot, and the epsom salts helped him get to sleep faster. It's going to be ok, just don't let all the scary TS stories run your life. I did that, and it robbed me of 2 years. God Bless, CP

SWEET! Wishing a happy birthday too, Aiden. You remember everything, Faith. CP

Do all the PANDAS children on this forum have rages, tantrums, ect....? My son DX tourettes has alwas been a very good boy. He has had major ticcing, but nothing else in the behavior dept. like some of what I have read here. Could this be a clue? True TS is just ticcing, and true PANDAS is something more effecting the brain and body? Any PANDAS parents have clear PANDAS children without the rages, ect... just OCD and tics? CP

Lifting you up to the Lord this weekend, Lynn. May the Holy Family watch over your family, giving you the peace of knowing... He is not far away. God Bless, CP

Hi Lynn, Welcome, it seems not so long ago I was feeling all the emotions you are going through, that was 4 1/2 years ago. I can tell you there will come a day when you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think the not knowing what will become of our kids is the hardest part to grasp, and make us moms sooooo upset we do wish we could take our child and just leave this world. My son was screaming for a year and the 2nd year his vocal tic were just really loud. I thought he would never stop and never have a normal life like I dreamed for him. He also just exploded overnight after having 2 shots. I still look back at home videos and cry as I watch my son play and talk with no ticcing. He is 16yo now and he still has vocal tics but they are more controlled and quieter. Here is the good part... he is a wonderful baseball player, almost has his black belt in martial arts class. (took some time off for fear of injury) The reason he does not want to hurt himself is because he would not be able to finish fire school. He is on his way to becoming a black hat at the fire house where he volunteers, then he can go into a house and really fight a fire. I can't wait for next weekend when friends and family get to watch their loved one put out fires. If he passes the test he will graduate in July. So you see... God has a plan for your child's life even if it is too hard to see it yet. As an angel said to me... ( I call her that because she came out of nowhere) "He will take care of it, He wants you to let it go." Easier said then done I know, but hold on to those words they do come true. (((((((((hugs)))))) CP

I homeschooled my son 3 years (3rd, 4th, 5th) and at that time he did not display tics that I would have noticed. Just like Bonnie's son mine also had beautiful handwriting until the explosion of tics at 12yo. He now writes very small and it still can be very nice, but that does not last long if he has to write for a long time. Yes, he also prints. CP