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Faith, I don't think my ds does this because of anything pandas related but maybe it is.. I have no idea anymore.. but if he does something that he thinks is funny he definitely does it over and over again..to where it goes from funny to annoying. I constantly am reminding him that sometimes something is funny the first time and only the first time.

Hmm... not sure if this along any of these lines but I wonder if I am the only one with a long drawn out bedtime routine... ds has a zillion stuffed animals in his bed and he knows where each one belongs. He is very set in how he wants each blanket (he has a bunch) and his final thing is to remind me to check on him... now most of the time he falls asleep before actually being checked on but for a while we went through having to check a lot. I wouldn't think anything of the stuffed animals in that I know many kids who do this type of stuff but in him I wonder if it's all related.

colleen, thanks! I do hope then that it is what my ds had in June. It sure seems to have fit but the dr. said they only were testing if symptoms were dangerous and warrented it... otherwise, it was the same as any other flu. He actually said he thought instead of closing schools they should have left them open (they didn't close our schools here but in general where they did) and that it would have been better for people to just get it then... but at the same time obviously if you are one of the people who gets serioiusly sick from it, you might not agree with that. I hate this whole thing. My 2 year olds pulmonolgist wants him to get the vaccine when it is available near me.. no way. I don't want it. .. He is not pandas as far as I know but still no way. But how do I live with myself if he did get the flu and got seriously sick. I don't know.... I just stand by that sometimes being the mom just stinks.

Have you heard this before? My dr. told me that there is a good chance that in June when my ds was sick ( as well as basically his entire grade) that it was likely the H1N1 flu but they didn't test anyone.... he said it would be good if it was because then ds wouldn't get it again... Can you only get each strain of flu one time? If it was H1N1 it is weird to me that nobody else in my house got it except my pandas ds... I mean there was no stopping the spread of germs from him to us or his siblings but they didn't get it.. meanwhile out of 120 first graders there was a day that almost half were absent. At the time my ds missed one week of school, went back for 2 days and the fever came back and he missed another entire week. I think there were even more kids sick in his grade just parents were keeping them home.

Vickie, I think I was mixing up who had boys and girls. Looks like my observation on that is not accurate.

Bronxmom, exactly he doesn't see how it impacts others either. Interesting is that when I am reading here I see a lot of the girls have the phsyical rages and the boys seem to be mouthy and more emotional. I know I am just basing it on what has stood out to me on here. I would have expected to see that the other way around.

Thank you for sharing all that Meg's Mom. I am mostly trying to figure out if my ds will ever be able to tell for himself when he is not acting like himself. His symptoms are not so extreme and obvious as your daughters but I am so hoping he can identify when he is being nasty and irrational versus when he is not. He is 7. 3 days ago he was kind, I had just told him how nice his tone was when talking with his sister and how enjoyable he was to be around. Today he is back to how he was and I asked him if he was ok, if he felt ok or felt different but he just says he is fine. He has no idea what I am talking about or why I am asking. He said he is acting that way because everyone is mean to him (nothing has changed, nobody has been different with him from 3 days ago). I just wonder if as he matures if he will be able to express himself at all or see he is being irrational.

Meg's Mom, I am sorry if this is repetitive but how old is your dd? How did you figure out what the real issues/fears were? Is she able to express it now?

The dr. wanted to do chewables for me this month which I was happy about not having to deal with the liquid but the pharmacist said the amox doesn't come that way anymore.

I just looked and he was on the exact same dose... It says 400mg 1 1/2 teasoons 2 times a day. Nothing changed... except that I think we missed one dose in the evening that he finished the 10 days... and I started back the next morning. Unfortunately we ran short (not sure how since I dosed him out correctly) and I didn't get the new batch from the pharmacy until the next morning. Could 1 missed evening dose have caused a big problem?

Ds is now on daily amox. for at least the month.. should he be on acidopholus (sorry if I killed the spelling)? Also... he just finished amox for positive strep culture.. the last few days of the 10 day dose I felt he was doing great... less throat clearing, and just an overall mood change..he was his kind calm self. I never stopped the amox... he just went from what he was on for the strep to now starting yesterday 400mg daily (1 1/2 teasp. 2 times a day) and yesterday the throat clearing started up a lot again and he was back to being an emotional mess... irrational and stuff like that.... Please tell me to just give this time and that it is not necessarily bad that it was good and now bad... this morning so far is ok but lots of throat clearing... I hate to call this dr. back so fast. It's all subtle that I pick up as his mom... on a good day he can get sent to his room and then be told he can come back down it's not big deal on a bad day he can get sent to his room and he starts with "I'll never be able to come down again" and complete irrational talk like that.. with crying and a whine to his talking. Nothing seems to go right for him.. like the world is against him.

I don't know anything at all about Dan doctors but when I was searching for a dr. to help me with pandas I came across one who advertised as a whole child center... more wholistic approach. Specifically says on their website that they believe in looking at each child as an individual when it comes to vaccines, doesn't believe in more than one vaccine at at time.... all that stuff... it is a regular ped. office but more open minded doctors. I now have gone back to my traditional ped office because of location issues and finding one dr. in my regular practice who believes in pandas... just throwing it out there as a practice you might be interested in looking for.

The dr. I first saw last year regarding pandas did allergy testing via bloodwork and said it all came back fine on my pandas ds. We have not had anything done on my non pandas tummyache prone dd.

Interesting! My pandas ds who currently just finished antibiotics yesterday for strep and is now on it to hopefully finish getting this out of him has that on his cheeks.... a rash that almost seems like acne.. it's not something that stands out at all, it is raised but not icky looking if that makes sense... just looks like he has sensitive skin which he doesn't usually have.. I now recall one other time that my mom questioned his cheeks but can't remember if it was also a time he was not acting right or that I knew he had strep. I am going to start marking everything on calendars... cause if it correlates I could use all the help I can get to let me know he does indeed have strep since he never gets the sore throat. Do any kids with pandas get typical strep? sore throat and fever? Is it that pandas kids are more susceptible to getting strep? I mean, I know kids who never get it no matter how exposed. I only had it once and it was as an adult which was the first time my ds and dd also had it at the same time (ds with no symptoms but me wanting him tested not even knowing about pandas.. just figuring if we all had it maybe he did, and he did)

Shaesmom, are you suggesting that maybe I should have my dd (non pandas) have the bloodtest next time she says her tummy hurts and she has a negative culture? I wonder if the dr. will think I am crazy. He is on board with pandas for my ds but admits to not knowing a whole lot about it.

dcmom, exactly! I can't figure it out...no pattern to it. Also she is my more lethargic kid.. interesting. I considered seeing a gastro dr. but don't want to put her through unnecessary testing but don't want her to think I don't believe her. My dh and my mom think it is attention seeking and nothing is wrong. I believe something is hurting her when she says it.

dcmom, that is interesting to me because my non pandas dd who doesn't get sick a lot either except with strep complains of tummyaches a LOT. When she is very persistent about it I check her for strep because like I said before sometimes it has been strep but sometimes she just says it so much.. My dr. was at a loss and had said I could try eliminating dairy or wheat (whichever one first) to see if that was it but really that to me is a wild goose chase and I don't think it's really a sensitivity to either of them. Plus she would starve if I eliminated wheat.

My ds does not have sensory issues that I am aware of. Of course maybe I am just not aware of them when he is having trouble.

Thanks! The dr. said he was calling in chewables so I didn't have to go back since the liquid only lasts 14 days but they said they don't make it anymore... last year they had me mix it myself.. just gave me the powder and distilled water.. this time I will just go back in 2 weeks for the rest of it. I am a little concerned because I thought his throat clearing was kinda stopping and it has increased just since yesterday already this morning. I am going to cross my fingers and remember that this takes time. My dr. admitted he is new to pandas but said so far the amox. has worked for the few kids he has treated with it. I am just so grateful that a dr. in my practice is treating this and acknoledging that it is real.

My non pandas dd often gets a stomachache when she has strep... not really weeks before it though. I felt so awful before I knew this because I kept ignoring her tummyache and then she said her throat hurt too.. then I took her to the dr. and he told me in kids strep can present in so many ways including tummyaches, vomiting and rashes.... Now sometimes when she has a tummyache is strep and other times it isn't.. makes me crazy though that I can't tell without taking her to the dr.

Oh that is great news that I am going to file away in case I need it!

If that happens would he possibly still have a positive strep test or only would show with bloodwork?

Does this sound right? I saw a different dr. last year who put ds on 2 times a week of zithromax for 3 months (250 mg I think)... I am now back at my regular ped office with this because I found out one of the doctors in the practice does indeed believe in and treat for... ds just finished up 10 days of amox for strep and now he said that he will put him on a month of it daily and then talk to me at the end of the month to see how things are going. Does this sound right? I saw improvement with the 10 days in attitude and mood and less throat clearing.

Oh goodness! I never even thought about the fact they slobber their brushes all over the toothpaste. I need to buy separate toothpaste.. I wish I read this before I ran to the store. I did ok... I found a 4 pack for 3.99 that will do the trick for now... I think I will put on my list of things to keep an eye out for every time they have any on sale/coupons.

I totally forgot this time (kids are currently on antibiotics for strep) to replace their brushes.. I need to go out and buy some more in bulk. How often do you change them for your kids?