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I pm'd you both, hope you got it!

April, I will send you a pm with doctors ok!!

Hi April, My son had many of the same issues as yours starting at age 3. His tics are very allergy related and after seeing many, many different doctors we now see a naturopath in Madison. After we tested allergies, we put him on a strict eliminiation diet as well as many supplements, he is virtually tic free. He also had the same type of eye rolling tic as you describe. I don't believe he has Tourettes, we definitely see the correlation between allergies (both food and seasonal) and his tics. So please let me know if you need anything since we live in the Madison area. I can recommend doctors and naturopaths for you as well. Thinking of you!

Has she been checked for food or environmental allergies? The hardest time my son ever had with tics was during a time when his outdoor allergies were out of control, multiple tics happening and it was very scary. Just a thought! No she hasn't been checked for any allergies. Would there be more obvious signs if she had allergies - like stomach issues or sneezing, coughing, etc.? She doesn't have any symptoms like that. Also, what kind of doctor/provider do you see if you want allergy testing done? Thx! Amy My DS6 has symptoms including puffy eyes, sneezing, itchy eyes and throat - very obvious symptoms! He also has food allergies, which were not so obvious. He was sensitive to many foods that we had no idea he was sensitive to. We first did the RAST testing on the skin, which showed no food allergies. The blood tests showed us the food sensitivities and gave us some direction. An allergist can do these things, but we did them through our naturopath. Food sensitiities can be very tricky to figure out, but it's definitely something to rule out when looking at tic triggers.

Has she been checked for food or environmental allergies? The hardest time my son ever had with tics was during a time when his outdoor allergies were out of control, multiple tics happening and it was very scary. Just a thought!

My son has had tics for 3-4years, we didn't even realize what we were seeing for a very long time. After testing food allergies, our naturopath has been treating him for a leaky gut...he can back with 23 food allergies which really pointed us in the direction of leaky gut. We also did the Cunningham test to rule out Pandas. There are so many directions to explore, it is so hard to know where to begin. The allergy tests were most helpful, gave us direction, and brought positive results. Our son is also on many supplements to heal his gut and boost his immune system. As far as doctors, I'll pm you a doctor who I think would be worthwhile to see. I'm not saying she will be your one and only, I think it would also be a good idea if you can afford it to see some sort of naturopath or environmental doctor. Our naturopath is not covered, but we order labs and tests through our Dean doctor, and he understands we need to do it that way to get it covered. Our situation is different, because thankfully my husbands job covers all of our expenses, including our naturopath and my son's supplements, but it wasn't always that way and I know how incredibly expensive it can be...we were selling off furniture to pay for things. As far as shopping, I would have a hard time doing without Trader Joes or Whole Foods...I go to both every week. Woodmans actually carries quite a bit as well, it's just too hard to go to that many grocery stores every week. I have never been to Willy St. Co-op, but need to get there, heard it's great! There is so much to discuss, explore, research...it's a neverending battle to figure things out. I will pm you!!

Yes! I'm about 25 miles from Madison!! I'm not sure where you are located, but Dean does have some doctors that are more open to alternative treatments. We have used a DAN doctor in the past, and currently work with a naturopath in Madison for the past 2 years. My son is 6, and our pediatrician is understanding of what we are doing, he knows we work with a naturopath as well, and it feels like we have a good team. But it did take a long time to find the right docs. We shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, the co-ops are great as well. We are GF, CF, and soy free. The diet completely changed our life, we emptied our cupboards, there was nothing left! But slowly we figured things out, and the diet became much easier. We could never go back, we are all so much healthier because of our son. My son does not have tourettes, just tics mainly associated with food and outdoor allergies. Do you have any family history? Let me know if you have any questions, I know how completely overwhelming and depressing your situation feels right now - but it will be ok, you will do what you need to do, and this forum will provide you with answers and hope!

Hi, I see you have Dean Insurance?? Are you located in WI...you can pm me if you feel more comfortable. We are in Madison.

My son has had many issues with throat clearing in the past, that has probably been the tic we have seen most of. We kept him off dairy for one year, and now we allow it maybe once a week. When we first had his allergies tested, both beef and milk tested positive, and I remember reading that some who test positive for milk can also test positive for beef. I can't really remember the exact details of it all. He has been on digestive enzymes for almost 2 years now, and takes them with every meal. He always drinks rice milk, so you may want to switch your son back to that strictly. We use Trienza as our enzyme and it has really helped. We also strictly keep him off gluten and soy. Whenever my son has his throat clearing tic, I think maybe too much dairy?? My son's tics are very much related to allergies, and he can go months without tics, but spring and summer are harder on him. Good luck!

His allergies are much more under control with Quecertin, much more mild. He still has allergy symptoms, but nothing like it used to be. I do feel it is helping. We also run an air purifier in his room all the time.

Hope things begin to improve for you! I am awaiting the big increase as well, spring brings out the stuffy nose, sniffing and throat clearing for my son too. He is 6 and like your family, we follow a very restricted diet and have for the past 2 years now. We have been on Quecertin for quite awhile for his seasonal allergies. It's hard when things ramp up again after they've been so good for awhile. Take care!

We buy from Amazon as well, you can really save that way! We feel the toll week after week, but we make it work! Great job!!

That seems pretty reasonable Patty, I would say that we are around $700-800 per month as well. I do most of our shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joes. I don't think there is too much I can do right now to change that, it's a given expense at this point. We are in the same boat here!

I shop at both places every week. I get most of my organic stuff at Trader Joes, they have great prices. But due to the fact that my son's diet is very restrictive due to allergies, we buy most things at Whole Foods because it's hard to find food for him anywhere else without all of the allergens. We also buy certain foods in bulk from Amazon that we would normally buy every week at Whole Foods. I would have a hard time living without either store, both great and needed for different items.

None here, stopped 2 years ago, I can't bring myself to do it!