eyesonGod

thank you Cheri, I have a few questions.... what does IMHO mean? also.. When you say "pure" vitamin, what is it that I am looking to avoid? I have already tried keeping him from dyes, and am becoming more and more aware of strange places where they are snuck in to the food we eat... I look for Red 40 and Yellow 5, and if it says "artificial colors." Are there any other que words for dyes? ~~ I'm sorry about all the questions... I guess I am just anxious to do this correctly. thanks again..

I appreciate all the wonderful advice, but it is a bit overwhelming..... what is step #1? Do I need to do a de-tox of sorts, or should I just start giving the magnesium, etc... When is it necessary to involve the doctor in this, and should I be talking to the Neurologist, or the Gen. Prac. Doc? Also, how long should I be waiting for results. I see most of the kids on here are still rather young... my son is 18 and about 180 lbs, ..... any advice would be greatly appreciated

I am still trying to figure out how to get around in here, so I hope this is right...... anyway, I just wanted to say, that I am not so sure it is PANDA.... from what I am reading, stress is a great factor in causing the tics to excel. I think that my son is under a lot of stress.... considering the reaction from our friends.... AND.... he just became an adult (according to the govt.) And yet... there are things from his past that may possibly point to PANDA... so, If I were to explore PANDA as a possiblity, should I make an appointment with the Family Physician, or should I come in the back door through the Neurologist? Should I bring along a copy of the article to help them understand what I am asking for , and why.... and do I have the right to simply demand a throat culture? I understand that the culture may come back negative anyway, and then where do I go from there? .... Is it too late? It has been 4 months since this whole thing blew up in our faces.....

Thank you all, I have hope that I will be able to find help for my son.... but at the same time, I am feeling very overwhelmed with all this wonderful advice...' Where do I begin? Should I just totally eliminate all foods with dyes, MSG and high fructose, and go from there? Some one else had suggested a gluten free diet.... which will take me a while to switch my kitchen and meal prep habits and train my family... and extended family.... (Grandma lives up the street.....) ..... and the other obstacle I am up against is that my 18 year old son... just glares at me when I tell him that we need to try not eating some of these things...and see if it helps... He says he has tics, because it is the only way he can control the intrusive thoughts... I know there are mental exercises that can be learned to combat the intrusive thoughts, but I'm not too sure he would be too keen on that either...... so I guess the place I need to start is getting him to realize that he needs help, and we just need to try..... So.... how do I go about doing that....? HELP!!!!

I am brand new to this site, and already elated at finally finding a place where people may be able to help us with our 18 yr. old son. He has had mild tics since the age of 3, I homeschool, so any learning difficulty I noticed, I simply modified through the years, but he has slowly slipped behind academically and I blame myself, thinking he would outgrow it, or find his niche and begin to excel. It continues to be an uphill battle, and I am afraid I have wasted a lot of time. It was just mild and manageable. However, all of a sudden, about 4 months ago, he confessed to us some horrific things that he had done. With terror and disbelief, we investigated his claims only to find out that the other people that he said were involved did not know anything about it. At the same time of confessing these things his tics have become almost non-stop, and not so mild, with gross motor movements, to the point that I feel embarrassed to take him anywhere with me in public. I have been offered every solution under the sun, but I am realizing that it is very highly likely that monitoring his diet, and supplementing with vitamins may be the way to go, but ..... what about the intrusive thoughts.... he described them so vividly that I had to believe he really believed himself. (Some of our friends are afraid to now be around him because of what he "said" that he did.... how can we prove to them that he is still the sweet boy he has always been. If we eliminate the tics, will it help the intrusive thoughts?..... what is the connection?.... is there a connection?) I am desperate for help.