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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!

Wonderful news Mar! I'm so glad all of your hard work is paying off and you are seeing improvements in your son. It's definitely a long road, but knowing you are on the right track, keeps you moving forward.

As Chemar stated, we use Quecertin for our 5 year old son who has many food and environmental allergies. We also did a spray like that over a year ago when things were very bad for him, his outdoor allergies were out of control. This is also around the time that I really opened my eyes and saw the huge correlation between allergies and tics. His allergies were much better controlled this summer on the Quecertin. Please let me know if you have any questions. And my son is allergic to pollens, dust, ragweed, and highly allergic to mold as well.

Thanks for the replies! It did start after we reintroduced dairy, but not right away. And if I'm thinking correctly, he has had this type of tic in the past even while we were dairy free. He also seems to go through periods where screens and the sun really hurt his eyes. He seems much more sensitive to those things at certain times than others. He actually doesn't get much screen time, hasn't played the Wii in weeks, he doesn't have a DS nintendo, just the Leapster. And his TV time really is limited to the 1/2hr of PBS he gets in the morning before school. He almost seems at times like he is straining to see when he pulls his eyelids open, like he can't focus. Thanks again, I'm waiting to hear back from our naturopath. Cheri - do you think it could be dairy related??

DS5 has been really pulling at his eyelids for the past several weeks. Of course with school starting he is very excited, which has always been a huge trigger for him. His allergies are a big trigger as well which we are on Quecertin for. I'm just not sure what to do here. He pulls his eyelids and clears his throat. We are back to giving him dairy every few days, but continue to be gluten, soy, and mainly dairy free. This mainly occurs anytime the TV is on or playing the Wii, the screens seem to really affect him. Any thoughts?

My son is 5 and has handled everything very well! We also had to stay away from corn and corn derivatives for the past year, which was much harder than gluten, dairy, or soy in my opinion. Corn products are moldy so it all makes sense. He always took his own snack at preschool, and he never complained about it...ever! And now in K he will have a packed lunch and take his own digestive enzymes w/ his meal, and I don't forsee any problems. His tics are way better, they are very much related to his allergies. And all of his tics could easily be allergy symptoms - throat clearing, scratching, etc. Never any major tics like head jerking or anything like that. He is being treated for a leaky gut, and things are better, he is so much healthier, never gets sick anymore. The tics are minimal when they are there, but I know overall we have made progress. And although he hasn't always enjoyed the meals I've tried to make him, he has been on board with it all 100% of the time...at times when I wanted to give up, but he just kept going:)

Hi Lynn, My son (age 5) came back with 20 IgG positives to food, including most of what you listed. It is very overwhelming at first, and for quite a while, but after one year this month, it our new normal. It's not always easy, but we've adapted and will continue to do whatever it takes. There is a lot of information about the IgG tests not being accurate, but it helped us to see that our son was dealing with a leaky gut. We just had him retested after a complete elimination diet of gluten, soy, dairy, egg, corn and many others, and his allergens our way down. We continue to avoid most of them, even though he shows mild sensitivity only. We don't want to go back to where we were. And we are all healthier!! Please let me know if you have any questions. Our son is very allergic to mold as well, we just had our finished drywall in our basement opened up to remove mold this week- like I said..whatever it takes:)

Hey Johnsmom, Enjoying my beer in Madison! Small world:) Would love it! My husband and I are headed out this evening for a few days away, so I may not get back to you right away, but would love to hear from you! Hope the wine did the trick!

Hey Johnsmom, Enjoying my beer in Madison! Small world:)

Thanks again Caryn! After meeting w/ our naturopath today, we are upping his probiotic. I know we still have work ahead of us, but knowing things are improving keeps my motivation going. We will continue to stay away from corn syrups and things like that as well. We are actually going to get our home tested for mold in the next weeks to see if that is causing problems. Again, thank you!

Hi Caryn, I was hoping to get some feedback from you and I completely agree with you about the reliability of the tests and the fungal problems associated with those foods. My son has big mold issues, he actually tested very high for aspergillus fumigatus. And his 1+ foods on the IgG were peanuts, milk, wheat...makes sense. We are cautious and going slow. Today we are meeting with our naturopath and to see where we go from here. I have no intention of giving him any type of straight corn products, but to have some flexibility with derivatives will give us more options with food, which he needs right now. I appreciate your feedback so much, you've been a huge source of information for me dealing with corn allergies and gut issues. I'm hoping to find out more today on this mold he is highly allergic to. Is there any type of treatment for that? Thanks again!