bev

Oh gosh! I hope i havent offended Shiela or anyone? I didnt mean her book was fake or anything - just that there appears to be some claims for 'miracle cures' etc and i didnt want to fill my head with nonsense. I am sure that this book is wonderful and look forward to reading it. Bev x

Thankyou Valerie, I have seen this book and wondered if it was any good - there seems to be a lot of 'bad' advice and 'fake' cures - so i was a little hesitant. However, after reading this i have just ordered it from amazon books. Thanks for the advice. Your daughter sounds lovely - you must be very proud of her. Will report back when i start making changes etc. Bev x

Thanks Cheri, That all makes sense - i was so confused! I have been out and bought a multi vitamin B complex, and he has taken some flax oil tonight. I also got some stuff for his bath. I will try these for a while to see if things calm a little, as I really prefer natural rather than meds etc. Thank you very much for explaining things so clearly, I will let you know if any of the above have any effect on him. If not, I will then try all the other supplements Bonnie recommends. I would order some things off her web site - but i think the postage would cost more than the items. Thanks. Bev x

Thanks Cheri, I think i have just filled my head with too much and cant think straight. I am starting to look at all labelling and have bought some 'free from' range of foods as a starter. But my only problem with giving him a 'clean' diet is that he sometimes has low blood sugars and needs a hypo treatment (diabetic) - and most of these treatments seem to be things like apple juice (we get organic but not sure if citric is trigger) - and the glucotablets which have colourant in them. I also know that sugar itself is a trigger - but not sure what i can do as he needs glucose on occasion? I did give him clear honey the other day instead - not sure if this is a trigger? I did try him with an epsom salt bath - but he couldnt sleep for hours afterwards (however - this was the night before the first day back at school so might be coincidence) - I am also giving him a mouth spray by bach's to help him sleep. I dont think we can get the things Bonnie sells over here - i have looked in health shops etc but to no avail. I havent given him any multi' vits as i didnt know what to look for. Chlorine - so does this mean he cant go swimming? His life already seems so restricted being diabetic. Also - am i right in thinking that wholemeal flour is a trigger? The problem is that he can only eat this as if he eats white flour his sugars shoot up. Is there a list of 'clean' foods available? It is a nightmare shopping as i have to look at the carbohydrate content and now need to look at everything else. Do you mind me asking what dose of clonodine your son was on that caused the side effects? Also, when you say puberty years - are you talking right through until 18 - or do you mean when they lose their voice etc which i would think is about 13 or so? How are your sons tics now? Thanks for all the advice i am getting - your all wonderful. Bev x

Hi all, My son became distressed yesterday and said he didnt like having tics and wants the doc to 'fix it'. So rang doc and he is happy to prescribe clonodine. But - I am very scared of giving it to my son after reading some peoples experiences and the sadative effect. I have read that there is a cream version available - has anyone tried this? How would you get the dose right? Anyone tried the patch - and can you do half doses etc? Part of me wants to stick it out and see what happens without intervention - but part of me wants to make my son feel happier - i am in a quandry about it all - anyone give any soothing advice? I dont think people at school have noticed - i think he stops some at school perhaps. I just dont want to go down a road of meds if i dont have to. I found a link from a medical college saying that the peak tic age is between 10 and 12 - my son is 11 - should we just stick it out and wait and see if things settle? He is a beautiful happy boy and always brightens my day - the thought of him being 'drugged up' and 'not with it' fills me with horror. No offence meant to anyone who is taking this med - i am just panicking and dont know what to do for the best. He is only on magnesium at the moment - is there anything else more natural i could try before meds? Thanks for any help. Bev x

Hi Michael, Ooops! I have completely misunderstood what had been said on another thread! I had thought that omega 3 tablets had caused more tics for some and that flax oil was a gentler form - but having re-read it i now realise that you either can tolerate omega 3 or you cant! Its irrelevant what form you give it in! Well i just wasted £5 on some oil - blame it on sleep deprivation and trying to do a million things at once! Phew - its a good job i hadnt given him any yet! Perhaps i will take the oil instead - might help the old grey matter. Bev

After taking some advice on here that some children react to omega 3 - i have bought some flax oil today. However on reading the bottle it says it tastes nutty. Son hates nuts - so i am thinking perhaps i could use it to cook chicken etc in - or would this negate the effect of the oil? If i add it to yoghurt etc i think he will taste it! He only tried omega 3 for 1 week and his tics got a bit worse - so not happy to keep him on them. Also, can anyone tell whether drinking water with flouride in may be a problem for tics? Ours tastes very 'chemical' at home so am thinking bottled water may be best? Thanks. Bev

Bev,I am a CDE (certified diabetes educator)....and, from reading your post...I would be more concerned re: getting the BS under control right now than the tics. My son was on clonidine when he was younger, and yes, it made him drowsy, so, like the others, I gave him it at bedtime and it helped him get to sleep. If your son is having low BS during the night, I would be hesitant on doing a similar (night time only) clonidine regime with him. Are you able to get a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) system for your son? That would help relieve anxiety re: night time lows. Also, as you know, the basal rate can be changed .....so working with your MD or CDE to get basal that's not causing lows would be my first priority. If you do try clonidine, I'd consider starting with just am dose, so you saw level of drowsiness....then move to twice a day with half dose am and pm, so you kind of know how sleepy it is making him. However, regarding:.. ....there is no real medical reason to start the clonidine, especially if he isnt bothered by the tics. so......if he isnt bothered by the tics....you dont need to do anything....... However, if/when you do try a med, I would agree with your MD re: ((((((hugs))))) and Best Wishes!! Wow - thankyou all! Laurena, what a coincidence that your an expert on diabetes! My son is on the medtronic pump with sensors - so we do use the alarms at night - but the problem is that sometimes there is quite a big difference between what the pump says and the 'real time' blood check! So we do random checks through the night and we have found him hypo - well the lowest was 2.1 so not too bad - but if we hadnt checked then he would have gone lower i think. We are very new to pumping and diabetes - only been one year and pumping for 4 months - so still learning! Last night i adjusted his basals and he stayed on 5mmols through the night which was great - so i dint wake him or test him and he looks very refreshed today. (sorry i dont know how to convert the mmols to your system?) I do think he has reacted since taking the omega 3 and think i may take him off it. He isnt bothered really about his tics - other than when he knows i have noticed and this can upset him. I need to learn to not look at him when he is doing it. I am thinking that if he goes on meds now it will stop him getting any worse - but is there any truth in this or can it make matters worse? Hypo - means a low blood glucose level - under 4mmols and if left untreated can cause a siezure or fit or even coma. Thankyou for all your advice - i am worried that this may make him too drowsy - but if the doc is ok with it i might start him on a quarter tab and see what happens - i can always take him off it. He had his flu jabs in November - this was after the tics started showing really. In fact , things started to get worse once he was on the pump - i wonder if there is any relationship with this and tics? Thanks all. Bev x

Hi all, My son (11) has tics which appear to be worsening. He only started them properly in August last year. This coincided with him starting secondary school and starting on an insulin pump for diabetes. The doc has suggest using clonodine if it gets worse - but i am unsure of the effects of this drug? Is it safe? How drowsy does a child become whilst taking it? He needs to be fairly 'with it' in case he suffers a 'hypo' and needs to treat himself with glucose etc - so i need to know just how 'sleepy' this drug makes your children? The doc said he would prefer him to have this drug than any of the others as it has less side effects. Is this true? I have started giving him some bach's potion - but havent seen any difference yet. Also, can i ask what levels determine mild, medium severe etc? (TS). My son has throat clearing, makes a tiny noise in the back of his throat, pulls his tummy in. and blows in a funny way. He also stretches his neck forward and ocassionally does a face grimace. He mostly does these seperately, but i have noted that on ocassion lately he does 2 or 3 of them together or in sequence. Would you say this is severe? Also, the doc said that as he is waking 3 times a night having hypo's this wont help with the tics - is this correct? I give him magnesium 500mg a day and omega 3 daily. I have not noticed that these make any difference - but he has only been taking them for 3 weeks - how long does it normally take to notice a change? Diabetics are often coeliacs - he is having a test done at next clinic in march. Do you think its possible that this is linked to tics at all? 1 year before he was diagnosed with diabetes he had a huge absess on his genital area and required an operation on it. Do you know of any link that may cause tics and this condition? Are the clonodine patches better than taking the pill? Sorry for so many questions - my head is spinning at the moment - i am just so grateful that you lovely people are all here to advise (although of course i wish your children didnt have this). Thankyou. Bev x

http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/cakes/r/chcochzcake.htm Not sure if this is what you need - but there are a few recipes to choose from - look for the 'rich chocolate cake' recipe. Bev

Hi all, I have been trying to find information about biofeedback in the uk. But i cant seem to find anything that tells me what it *actually* does and indeed whether it even works. Has anyone tried it and if so - did you find it effective? Thanks. Bev

I am so sorry you and your child are going through this!!!! I am so sorry for everyone here!!!!! I feel like exactly like you do. My worst times are mornings because i don't what i'll wake up to and getting him off the bus...analysing how bad/good he doing and does that measure how is day was today and the rest of the day.....And even though he may be doing well, i have a hard time being in the room with him(even then i am thinking about him) because it like someone yanking my insides as i can't stop watchng to see what else is going on...I think the realization is becausee modern medicine has not done much with this......so it is up to the parents to observe, observe, observe and figure out what was the trigger and why did it change and change and change...it has consumed me.......it is not like diabities and you live normally and dont'eat this or that......YOU need to find the trigger and figure out how to get rid of it and get the docs to cooperate if they have something you can't get on your own. My hs is vvverrryy cooperative with what i try. Maybe you need to have a stern sit down with your ds and say we are trying this for x time and then we are trying the next thing.(and you know what is helping, now we all get skeved out by the processed stuff, it becomes natural).and this is for ds and ds's kids, so if his kids are triggered maybe he will have a good lead or by then, all of us wonderful parents/individuals will have figured every combinaton and trigger and rememdy! Tell him this is this is the most important thing to you as mom(in your life right now)...and you appreciate his positive attitude and that helps you and you hope he is right, but in the mean time lets see what else we can do and we will all be healthier for it!!! Hi Fixit, I have just read your reply and would like to comment on something you said. My son is a type 1 diabetic (11) on an insulin pump and he also tics. I am fairly sure you made the comment about 'it is not like diabetes and you live normally and dont eat this or that' with the best of intentions. But i have to say to you that although tics are bad - diabetes is much much worse to cope with. There is a condition called DIB (dead in bed) syndrome, which all diabetics are at risk from. Basically it means that at any time during the night he could drop dead because of a problem with the heart that is something only found in diabetics. Obviously - i dont sleep and listen out for anything odd. Then there is the small problem of whether he will go blind, lose his kidneys, lose an arm or leg through gangrene, and other more minor conditions. Watching your child sit on the sidelines whilst his pals play because his level is too low or too high is heartbreaking to say the least! Telling him he cant have an ice-cream at his own birthday party is also heartbreaking. Knowing that other children are all having sleepovers - and he isnt invited because people are too scared of diabetes is heartbreaking. Diabetes is a 'dark art' and it never has a day off. Whilst modern technology has come along leaps and bounds to help us with keeping good control - there is still the risk that it wont work for him. So i live in absolute fear that one day he wont be here or that he will go blind etc.. I am fairly sure that you didnt mean any offence with your comment. But i feel it is my duty to educate the general public in the condition that is often referred to as the 'silent killer'. I apologise if i have offended you - that is not my intention. I just feel a huge need to make people understand that diabetes is ###### on earth to deal with and shouldnt be dismissed as something as simple as eating the right foods - i wish! Bev x

Hi Faith, http://www.truescenar.com/posts/view/Dr__I..._her_story.html This link explains the concept of it, but i dont know if this is an honest account or whether it is just a scam! I am not sure if it is worth giving it a go - i dont want to make matters any worse. I am not sure if i have replied in the right box? Thanks. Bev

Hi all, My son (11) has tics. Not diagnosed. Has anyone tried using scenar on their childrens tics? If so, is it any good? Feel little desperate as he is type1 diabetic too on an insulin pump and has a lot to cope with so am hoping that his tics dont get any worse.