tryinmybest

Hello and welcome, just go away, You picked a great name! My son has snorting tics and I find them very challenging. He always gets them during allergy season, after a cold or when his nose is running. Also when he is anxious like at a piano performance or during State testing times and after swimming in chlorine. I do think upper respiratory symptoms get him going and are a major trigger. My son is 10 and isn't as bothered by his snorts as everyone around him. Its almost as if he isn't aware of them. We have started some comprehensive behavioral therapy which seems promising. His major obstacle is that he is not very motivated to lose them because they are not a problem to him. If your son is older and more motivated it might be helpful. The tourette syndrome association has a free training DVD for doctors and also will provide physican training. I just remembered insurance is a problem. There might be some studies going on. Anyway, I also wonder what causes my sons tics. Wish I could be more helpful.

Hello, We just returned from a visit with a naturopath doctor. She did several tests which showed my son does not have food allergies but high levels or mercury amoung other things. She reccomended he start taking metal flush a natural herbal supplement. Has anyone here had experience with this? How have you dealt with high mercury levels? Thanks! Holly

Hello everyone, Someone just sent me this link. It is an eye opener! http://www.naturalnews.com/026973_MSG_food_foods.html

Thanks everyone, We have not tried l-carnitine or magnesium. I am just learning about these. When we had his magnesium level tested it was slightly above normal. I have been trying to have him eat banannas and almonds. When magnesium supplements are helpful is that becasue it is low in the body or because the body needs more than the normal amount? Would I be better off starting with magnesium or l-carnitine? School starts next week and I am sad that he still has this snorting tic. Uggh!

Hello, I am not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I hope so. My son has a loud snorting tic since March. It has improved some this summer but I am afraid it will get worse as we go back to school next week. Anyway, he had minimal tics today until we went to a concert. Then his tics became more frequent and were disturbing others who had no idea what was going on. We also have the same problem at the movies. I feel really bad for him because we ended up leaving and now his tics are worse then they have been for awhile. Also, he loves music and his tics went crazy during his last recital. He also wants to be in a concert band. Any suggestions on how to handle this? Thanks!

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has tried habit reversal training and if they have had any success with it? My son still has this loud frequent snort and I think it would make a big difference if he could change it into something less obivious.

Hello again, My son has been swimming in our pool for the last four days, sometimes for a few hours. His tics have not increased and have been fairly mild compared to the end of the school year. I am so thankful that the salt water generator we just installed is helping. Earlier this year before the salt water generator his nose started to run after just ten minutes and his tics picked up. Glad he can swim again.

HI Pat, He is getting allergy shots, we have the hepa filter, no carpet, mattress and pillows wrapped. I do use benedryl at night. It makes him really sleepy in the daytime. What is w/NAET?Thanks!

Hi! My son keeps getting these snorting tics where he blows out of his nose fairly hard and loud. Not to be gross but sometimes a clear mucus also comes out especially when his allergies are acting up. I think that is what is triggering him. He uses a hankie when he can but sometimes he misses or forgets. No one wants to sit by him. Any suggestions on how we can handle this better?

I had no idea about the carrots! I thought I was giving my son something good for him. Thanks for the info.

Hello again, Yes we have an 18x36 inground pool. We just bought a hayward swimpure plus system. My husband is going to install it tomorrow. I hope it helps him. His nose has been running like crazy and his snorts have picked up since he was in the chlorine pool. I'll post after we have the system working and he has tried it out. I know others have wondered about this too. Thanks!

Thanks so much for the Salt Water information. We also have a pool and I have been trying to decide what to do as I had noticed when my son would swim in an indoor pool he would have respiratory problems. This was before we knew about the ts and I think they were tics. Well we just opened our pool and I let my son swim for 15 minutes to see what happened. He has been having a snorting tic and it got a lot worse after swimming. I had been thinking about a Salt Water Generator and now I think we will get one for sure. What kind did you get and did you have it installed? Thanks!

Thanks Cheri, We have been trying diet alterations but today I am going to let him have pizza at his friends party. It will be interesting to see if it makes a difference. It has been challenging wheat/dairy/corn/additives and vegetarian but he has been a trooper through all of this. I did ask his pediatrican to test his magnesium, B6 and B12. B12 was in normal range. B6 and magnesium were slightly high. Does that mean magnesium is most likely not his problem. His doc did the testing for me but doesn't know alot about vitamins/minerals so he didn't know what implications it would have. Your son sounds like a nice young man, just like mine. He is way into music-piano,trombone.

Thanks everyone for your questions, ideas. His symptoms were gradual we just didn't recognize them as tics. We have been on a wheat/gluten free diet for the last month. He was allergy skin tested in 2006 and did not show any food allergies but does have dust, mold, polllen. Of course we live in Lexington Ky the worst place for allergies! DS is not all that athletic but he isn't the worse. He is a good swimmer and bike rider. We went to the neurologist yesterday and he did think ds has tourettes. He also said that it is not unusual for them to not realize they are ticcing. He also doubted that he had Aspergers. Social relationships are important to him and he is a pretty friendly guy.

Hi! We are just now learning that some of my 10 year old sons behaviors when he was younger were actually tics. He is now having loud throat clearing and nose puffing noises. Everyone around him is very aware of them but they don't seem to bother him. They can be almost constant sometimes and never once has he complained. Is this atypical. We do not have a diagnosis yet but I am also wondering if that would be an indicator of aspergers? My sister thinks he is too social to have that. Thanks! Holly

Hi, I am sorry for all of your worries. I can't offer any advice since I am new at this also but I can understand your frustration. My son is also doing a cough snort type tic that is non stop and loud. Sometimes I just want to take him with me and run away from it all. I just don't know what to do. I have learned to be suspicious of medications and wonder if I am doing the right thing since it is so constant. Does your son seem to be bothered by this? I can't believe my son has never complained about it. Allergies are high right now in Kentucky and I think that can be a trigger. I just wish I could help him. Did your regular doc do the hair, urine , allergy tests? My son is going to be 10 next week. How old is your son?

Hi, I am sorry for all of your worries. I can't offer any advice since I am new at this also but I can understand your frustration. My son is also doing a cough snort type tic that is non stop and loud. Sometimes I just want to take him with me and run away from it all. I just don't know what to do. I have learned to be suspicious of medications and wonder if I am doing the right thing since it is so constant. Does your son seem to be bothered by this? I can't believe my son has never complained about it. Allergies are high right now in Kentucky and I think that can be a trigger. I just wish I could help him. Did your regular doc do the hair, urine , allergy tests? My son is going to be 10 next week. How old is your son?

Hi! My son has been on/off of antihistamines for the last 7 years. He has had throat clearing tics on/off for the several yearsbut we did not know what they were. Last fall we put him on allegra and within 3-5 days he started to have movement tics for the first time(head/shoulder shrugs). I am not sure they were related but I am very suspicious that antihistamines have played a role in his tics. He is also on nasal spray which I thought might trigger his sniffing but when we took him off he still continued. We do try to use saline spray when his allergies are mild instead of the prescription spray. It might be hard to elimate wheat from the diet at first but if you have a health food store nearby there are a lot of rice substitutes (pasta, crackers, rice cakes, pancake mix). It takes a little getting use to but should be worth it. They also sell a substitute powder mix that you can use in baking in place of eggs. Good luck experimenting!

Thank you both for your responses. I can't help but think something is triggering him. I have a call into our doctor to ask about Panda testing. When your children are nonstop ticcing do you send them to school? My son doesn't even complain but I don't see how he can concentrate.

Hello, Although my 10 year old son has had tics for a few years we always thought they were allergy related throat clearing. This fall he started head jerking and the neurologist said he had transient tics. The winter he had mild occasional nose twitches. For the last 6 weeks he has been having vocal tics mainly puffing air out of his nose loudly. I don't even know where to begin other than reading and researching. We have an appointment with neurolgist in June but I am much against medication. In fact I wonder if antihistamines is causing some of his problems. He has been on over the counter at night for over 9 months and then Loradine and others over the years. Right now his snorting is getting worse. Almost nonstop. I don't know what to do. We are trying a wheat free/ dairy free diet but it hasn't helped so far. His nose is running a little more than usual and they are testing in school this week. He is being tested by himself which I understand to have the room be quiet for the other students and he will have less distractions but I don't see how he can concentrate while he is ticcing the whole time. This is a nightmare! How do you start helping your child? His pediatrican didn't know what to do. I wanted him to do some blood tests/to check for nutritional deficencies but he said there wasn't any test for tourettes. Should the doctors do any type of testing to rule out secondary causes or triggers? Sorry for so many questions I just feel alone and desparate.

Hello, I have not introduced myself yet but have started reading this forum. My 10 year old son has not yet been formerly diagnosed with Tourettes but I think he will. He has been having vocal tics (throat clearing, shallow coughs) for several years. I always thought they were due to reactive airway/reflux/allergy issues although several docs told us they thought they were tics. This past fall he started doing some jerking motions with his head. The neurologist diagnosed him with transient tic disorder based on the fact that he is doing well in school. He has recently started doing the throat clearing and also puffing air out of his nose making a loud noise. He has been doing this for about 5 weeks at some points it has been almost constant. It doesn't seem to bother him though. Anyway, the one thing I have noticed is that he tends to start vocal tics after he has been swimming in chlorine pools. We have an inground pool. I am wondering if anyone has had any success with a non chlorine treatment system? He loves to swim but it is not worth it if it is going to trigger his tics. I am hoping to find some alternative. I have read about some online but can't find any info about whether they actually work. Thanks for your help.