mylittleangel

We are going on the 20th and I can't wait. I am also slightly apprehensive because of the unknown. However, my son needs relief now and nothing seems to help for very long. Hopefully this will be our solution and we will deal with the unknown when, or if, it happens. I fear the long term use of supplements on my little guys body - that unknown scares me as well. Anyway, we are flying in on Sunday and I am counting down the days. I will definitely keep you all posted.

We are going on the 20th and I can't wait. I am also slightly apprehensive because of the unknown. However, my son needs relief now and nothing seems to help for very long. Hopefully this will be our solution and we will deal with the unknown when, or if, it happens. I fear the long term use of supplements on my little guys body - that unknown scares me as well. Anyway, we are flying in on Sunday and I am counting down the days. I will definitely keep you all posted.

Wow....that was harsh! Maybe if more people would post their experiences with Dr. Sims then we wouldn't be so skeptical. I know every single person on this forum would pay any amount of money if it would mean no more tics. We have all spent a lot of money already on doctors, tests, supplements, food and for some of us (like me) I have yet to find something to help my son. I am going to see Dr. Sims next week and I am hopeful that he will be able to help. However, I have asked him a lot of questions and am not going to just throw my money at him. I am still going to be careful. If you would like to help people who are suffering through this as you have, maybe you could post your story.

Good luck to everyone at Dr. Sims this week. I am looking forward to hearing some good news!

Hi all, My sons vocals have gotten really bad over the past few weeks (he has even started a really high pitched loud noise). The only thing I can think of that has changed for him is that he has been eating a ton of cherries and I started him on flax seed oil. Is it possible that cherries and/or flax seed oil could cause an increase in tics? I want to give him L-Carnitine. He only weighs 37lbs (he's a little guy). Any idea how much to start him on? I really can't take much more of this. It's a good thing that he's on summer break right now because he would be very distracting in a classroom. I am supposed to go and see Dr. Sims in 2 weeks. 2 weeks seems like an eternity right now.

My youngest son is mostly vocal as well. My older son's are so mild (a bit of eye blinking and occasional jaw streching) but he grinds his teeth terribly at night and I am afraid as he gets into puberty things will get worse. I figure if I am already going for my youngest I might as well have Dr. Sims evaluate my oldest. I would so appreciate hearing from you after your appointment so it would give me a better idea of how I should plan my trip. Keep in touch. I'll be praying for you.

Hi CP, I do not live within driving distance of MD. It will actually be quite a trip for me. I am coming from Toronto. Were you told that you would have to stay for 3-4 days after the initial appointment if he says he can help? I have booked flights for my family (4) but am not getting my hopes up. I am going to assume that he will not be able to help and therefore have booked my return flight for the day after my appointment. I have also only booked a hotel room for 1 night. I just can't believe that something so simple could be the answer to my prayers. I would love to have gotten an appointment on the 14th and had a chance to meet with you. I look forward to hearing your results. I only hope that we all find success.

I called and spoke to the doctor as well. We are booked for July 20th. My husband keeps telling me not to get my hopes up and I know that I need to be realistic. This is going to cost a lot of money, time off work, taking the kids out of camp, travel......but if it works it will have been worth it. I will keep you posted.

Not sure if this is too good to be true but I just got off the phone with Dr. Sims and he really convinced me. Although this will really put a strain on us financially I feel like I have to go see him with my boys. Knowing my family's luck, we will be the one's who he cannot help. I will keep everyone posted on our adventure. Pray for us!

So my son came down with a terrible virus 10 days ago, about 10 weeks in to our candida program. He had a horrible cold/cough that turned inot an ear infection. I took him to his ped who put him on antibiotics. I was soooooooo upset to put him on antibiotics again (he was on antibiotics about 30 times in the forst 3 years of his life). I knew that it would make us take 10 steps back from all the progress we had made killing the candida. Anyway, the oposite happened. He had virtually no tics at all. During the 7 days on antibiotics, I took him off all his supplements and only gave him pobiotics 2-3 times per day. Today we went for his naturopath visit and I was so excited to tell him the good news. Well, sure enough, we got home and tonight his tics are coming back.....not horrible but enough that I am upset. Could it be the supplements making him tic? The only things he takes are natural calm, B6, garlic (to kill candida), culturelle (for clostridia), a tincture of olive leaf and licorice, and a probiotic. He finished the antibiotics 3 days ago. I am so confused. Help??????

I am not sure if there is an exact way to find out other then taking the test. However, we suspected he had a yeast problem due to the insane amount of antibiotics he was on as an infant for chronic ear infections. He also had very dark circles around his eyes and very pale skin (he didn't look healthy). We also knew he was low in iron. I have now learned that this could be due the yeast feeding off all his nutrients and not letting his body absorb any. Since being on this diet and supplement regimen, i have people telling me how he looks like a different child - so much more healthy looking.

I use vitamin D for my son (his test showed him on the low side). I cannot say, however, that I have seen a direct correlation between his taking vitmin D and his tics getting better. For my son I would say that it has been clearing candida, clostridia and leaky gut that has helped.

I would suggest you find a good DAN doctor or naturopath who has experience dealing with kids. I am now on my second naturopath and am much happier. He did the Organic Acid test on my son and an Igg test for food allergies. We now know that my son has a significant overgrowth of yeast in his gut as well as clostridia, along with about 18 different food sensitivities. We just started an anti-candida program and have removed all allergens from his diet. We are also working with a nutritionist to help us with meal plans as it can get tricky having to remove so much from a 5 year olds diet. My son also takes natural calm (magnesium), milk thistle (to help his liver detox), vitmamin B6, iron & vitamin D (he was tested by his pediatrician and found to be deficient in both of these) and a combination of oregano oil/licorice to help fight a virus that is believed to be living in his body. My naturopath has told me that we will be on this protocall for anywhere from 6-12 months as it takes a long time to heal the gut and we want to make sure we do it right. He said I should notice his symptoms starting to improve in 2-3 months. I am very hopeful that this will help to at least make his tics less frequent and less noticeable. My son has been ticcing for 16 months now and I wasted almost a year with a naturopath who knew nothing. I am now on the right track, I believe, and although it is not an easy path, it is worth it if I can help my son.

3 years sounds like a long time. Did the tics wax and wane during that time or were they slowly getting less frequent? I feel like I want to hide him from the world until his tics are less noticeable. I know I can't do that. My son's issues are also a result of chronic ear infections resulting in a ridiculous amount of antibiotic use. I wish I knew then what I know now. I guess that is where all the guilt comes in. Anyway, I think I am going to start from scratch and take your suggestion and keep a diary. We started on culturelle for the clostridia yesterday and today we will start on Kyolic Garlic alternating with Grapefruit Seed Extract for the yeast (along with a very restrictive diet). I am not going to give him all his supps as I don't even think they are doing anything anymore.

We got the same result on our OAT test (kynurenic was 3.28). My ND told me that it's possible he is not metabolizing the B6 properly but it also could be an effect of his candida/clostridia issues. We are now in the process of dealing with his gut issues and hope that in the process ti will help some of the other problems that were shown on his OAT test.

We did the Organic Acid Test, which is a urine test done through Great Plains Laboratory. We had previously done a stool test but the yeast can easily be missed if the wrong part of the stool is tested. If you can afford it, I would suggest the OAT test.

Thanks Phyl. His tics are not symetrical. What concerns me is the number of different tics that he has had. He never just has one. Right now he is grunting, smelling his fingers, shrugging his shoulders, pulling at his shirt, scrunching his nose, opening his mouth, wiping across his face with his arm. It's difficult to watch. How long did it take your son from beginning of treatment to having little or no tics? Does he now eat anything or does he still have to have a restricitve diet?

I do have a doctor - a naturopath that we are seeing. I am not convinced that he entirely knows what he is doing. We got the OAT test results and we were supposed to start treatment but i have not heard back from our ND. I am going to try starting on my own tomorrow. Phyl - You say you didn't have to go on any special diet while treating candida. My ND mentioned that we would have to eliminate certain foods as well as the many foods that my son tested positive for on his IGg test. He is only 5 and I am dreading the next many months. I am concerned that he is going to lose weight (he is already on the small side - 36 lbs.) and I am not sure what kinds of foods to feed him. I have heard that it takes one month for every year that you have had candida which would mean that for my son it will be at least 5 months. How often were you retesting him? Were his tics still waxing and waning while you were treating him with the pleo remedies? Did he have any really bad times? Die-off? I just want to help my little boy. He is the sweetest, cutest, most loveable little guy on the planet and I hate to see him like this. I know that it all stems from the candida, clostridia, leaky gut. I just want to heal him soon so I can start enjoying him and his brother again.

Well, we got our OAT test results and just as I suspected, we are dealing with a candida, clostridia overgrowth and leaky gut. I am so upset. I don't know where to begin. Do I use Nystatin or ThreeLac? Do we do a strict diet? What can I expect to happen? Please help. Any advice would be appreciated. I am so scared.

Caryn, Could you go into a little more detail regarding what kinds of food you fed your son while treating him for leaky gut and candida? We are about to start that process with my son and I would like to go into it prepared with a number of food options that I can feed him. He is only 5 and is quite under weight for his age (36 lbs.). I worry that he will lose more weight during this healing process. Did you find that with your son? Also, did you use Nystatin to fight the candida? We used it, along with a strict diet for 3 months and it seems that he still has candida and leaky gut. I have heard people use Oil of Oregano, Pleo, ThreeLac. What did you use? Thanks so much for your help.

I need some advice from all you experienced parents out there. I am supposed to start my son on vitamin B6 tomorrow. He has come down with a terrible cough and is very congested right now. His tics have been slightly worse the past few days. Is there any harm in starting the B6 while he is sick? Can B6 cause an adverse reaction? Thanks.

Hi Faith, The test for leaky gut is called Intestinal Permeability Assessment and was done by my naturopath. Basically, you drink a mixture of mannitol and lactulose, which are nonmetabolized sugar molecules. The test measures the amount of lactulose and mannitol recovered in a urine sample over the next 6 hours. The small intestine has the dual function of being a digestive/ absorptive organ for nutrients as well as a barrier against the absorption of bacteria, food antigens and large molecules. Increased permeability or leaky gut of the intestinal mucosal barrier can swell the number of toxins & antigens entering the bloodstream and lead to an overly sensitized immune system in some individuals. Decreased permeability, on the other hand, appears as a fundamental cause of malnutrition, malabsorption and failure to thrive. We were given 2 different pills to use. We were initially given Permeability Complex (L-Glutamine, N-Acetyl D-Glucosamine, Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus sporogenes, Quercetin, and ginger root). Within 2 days of taking this, my son started to have a full body jerk. I immediately took him off it and the body jerk disappeared. My naturopath believes that my sons liver is not detoxing properly so anything that disturbs the toxins is going to cause an increase in tics. He also may have reacted to the L-Glutamine. I just put him on milk thistle to help his liver hopefully begin to detox properly. With regards to my son, I do believe that there was a genetic predisposition for him to have these tics. I also believe that all the antibiotics he was on caused the tics to surface. I know there is a way that I can help him. I just have to keep trying. Many days I feel like giving up but then I look at his sweet little face and I know I have to help him. He's only 5 1/2 so none of his friends have noticed anything yet. He is very well behaved and extremely bright. He has a little bit of anxiety but nothing that is effecting his daily life. His older brother is 7 1/2 and never says anything about the tics. I guess he is so used to it by now.

Hi Caryn, How exactly did you get rid of the candida and heal the leaky gut? Did you use Nystatin? Did you do the candida diet? My sons IGg results also came back with around 17 allergies (dairy/casein, eggs, almond, sorghum flour, pineapple, citrus, Oat, Whey, Hazelnut, Tuna and a few others). Do you still have to avoid sugar? Once you get rid of the candida and leaky gut, is it very easy for it to return? I am so frustrated with myself. I should never have allowed him to be given so many antibiotics.

I actually noticed his tics starting to increase just before we went away. We had tested him for leaky gut and found out that he did have a slight gut permeation. The naturopath gave him something to take to help heal his gut. Just as I started giving it to him he got a cold. I soon noticed a nose twitch. After a few weeks I decided to stop the pill for his gut to see if the nose twitch would go away. It hasn't and he is now also wiping his face with his arm (constantly), clearing his throat, making a hmmm sound, smelling his fingers and his arm, shoulder shrugs and rolls, and pulling at his shirt. It has been about 4 weeks now. The naturopath thought that perhaps his liver isn't detoxing properly so he gave me milk thistle (which I have yet to give him because I am now scared to give him anything new). I am also supposed to start him on vitamin B6 a few days after I start the milk thistle. We have no history of Tourettes in my family so I know there must be a reason why this is happening to him. I just have to figure it out.

I have been reading this forum for over a year now and finally decided to share my story. My sweet little angel is 5 years old. His story, however, begins from the moment he was born. He was born with horrible cradle cap, severe colic and acid reflux. He literally did not stop screaming from the moment I gave birth until he turned 5 months old. He was put on Zantac for his reflux but still had trouble keeping his formula down. He never slept. During his first year of life, he was always sick - colds, rashes, fevers. That is also when the chronic ear infections began. He was on antibiotics so many times during the first 3 years of his life that I have lost count. When he turned 3 1/2 we had tubes put in his ears (he had a fever and an ear infection during the operation). The next day we noticed he was constantly sniffing and clearing his throat. This continued for a few months. During that time we took him to see his ENT and an allergist who was convinced that he had allergies (due to the dark circles under his eyes) even though nothing showed up on the scratch test. When he turned 4, other tics emerged and we new there was something wrong. We realized that his tics actually started during his first year with occasional eye blinking and continued in his second year with constant pulling of the shoulders on his shirt. We went to see a neurologist who basically said you can medicate him or live with it. We never went back. I started seeing a naturopath who did some test and found that my son had a large overgrowth of yeast. We took him off dairy, gluten, and sugar for 10 weeks and treated him with nystatin and probiotics. He seemed to make huge improvements. After the 10 weeks we did another test that showed the yeast was clear and we put him on a multi vitamin, Kids Calm and kept him off gluten, dairy, artificial colours and preservatives. He was doing so well for 6 months (mild tics that only I noticed). A few months ago we found out that he was low in iron (again) and vitamin D. We immediately put him on iron supplemetns and 2000 IU of vitamin D. This past month we went on vacation. He had a bad cold and ever since then, his tics have become worse again. I just sent in a urine sample to Great Plains for the OAT test because I believe that we never fully got rid of the yeast. I am also going to start him on B6. My naturopath believes his liver might have trouble detoxing so we are also going to try milk thistle. He has always had trouble gaining weight (even though he eats well) and doesn't seem to absorb nutrients (which is why he is low in iron for the second time in 2 years). Anyway, I get a lot of hope reading many of these posts and it helps me to keep on fighting for my little angel. Thanks for listening.