sahm

We are on day 16 and no change in tics. Behavior and allergy symptoms seem to be better and we are off allergy meds but the diet is just so hard and expensive. Also we are off sugar cane bc naturopath said he may have a sensitivity to fruit/sugar cane eaten together. Wondering IF he had a sensitivity to either dairy or gluten would we have noticed by now? I can't even imagine eliminating more things bc this is so hard as it is...but of course there could be other food triggers. Going to see an allergist tomorrow who is supposedly more alternative/environmentally based.

Wow, thanks guys! Yes, we had been doing the Nordic Naturals Jr. 3.6.9 for months before tics started. I could try stopping ... Susie, how many days were you of the fish oil before you saw improvement? I know we have been off for 4-5 days before while on vacation... I just go Sheila Roger's book last night at the library and have been pouring over it. Lots of great information. I would still like to rule out PANDAS, need to look into that. I still in the back of my mind relate the 5yo vaccinations to the tic onset. He had 3 vax (MMR, DTap and Polio I think) and 5 days later tics developed. In which case, I wish there was a way to flush whatever it is OUT! I'm trying to look for triggers but all I can come up with is: slight stress/excitement or concentration. Like when you are telling him something important he blinks more bc he is processing the info. Or when he is responding and trying to put his sentence together.

Hi Colleen, I appreciate it! While I am aware of PANDAS, I really don't understand it. Do I need to get some kind of test regardless of whether I suspect a Strep infection/exposure? I think I have difficulty absorbing all that information and getting to the beginning of it.

Okay, I'm fairly new to this (1 month) and I am still struggling with accepting son's tics and how to deal with them. He's been off gluten and dairy/casein and sugar cane in all forms for 9 days. While his behavior is much better than at its peak (the weekend we changed the diet), I am still seeing his blinking tic and also a NEW tic which is an upper body jerk. I am confused about one thing (among others): * He had a tic for about 2 weeks where he would lick his finger or hand a lot. I let it go on and tried to ignore it but I just couldn't after a while because it was so unsanitary (during playing at child care center at gym)! I gave him a replacement thing to do - touch his lip with one finger. And to my surprise that tic just faded away quickly. Occasionally I'll see him "sneak" a lick but that is very rare. I don't know if I did the wrong thing by intervening but I didn't want him to get sick. Question: Since this worked -- would a replacement movement work for another tic? The issue at preschool is that he started doing an upper body jerk, for lack of a better description, mainly during circle time. This is a waiting time (let the other kids do their thing) and I sense it is distracting. The teachers were telling him to stop and I was too (which stems from my instinct and confusion about me being able to "cure" him of the other licking tic). But he says he can't. I think it's hard to ignore in class for teachers and other kids but luckily it's preschool and there isn't taunting yet. I then decided to say it's "okay" to do it - he was having some apprehension about being told to stop - and told his teachers to ignore and give him positive attn. We will give it a week to test the effect but I noticed he's doing that at home now and more frequently. I just wish I could help him stop. I haven't taken him to a neurologist yet bc I worry we'd get a dx with no treatment plan. Maybe I should though... I supplement with fish oil, Kids Calm (mag), probiotic, multi, and the diet modifications mentioned above. I know no one can solve this for me but any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm already anxious about starting K now...

Thanks Patty - I do need all the advice I can get and definitely don't know much about homeopathy. I wish there was someone who could look at my child and just figure it all out and fix him I am admittedly flailing and I will be careful as you advised.

That's exactly what I thought (!) so please please someone chime in if you feel differently. It would save me a lot of stress and time to not go...

Oh, and I was removing ipod games because on the way home from a trip recently we let him play 20 minutes per hour and his gasping tic was pretty bad, wondered if there was a connection and am willing to try anything "easy." I wasn't aware of the lamps but maybe I wouldn't have to be concerend about ipod touch screen time bc of the time of screen it is? And not much flickering...

Okay, I can see that working, but mine would invariably say "I feel totally healthy/not yucky anymore/all better" if not at first but days or weeks in. Also would nonstop complain/whine that he's jealous of whoever for getting to eat whatever. I have a whiny kid. I did dairy elimination last summer and it was Hard. I desperately want to do this but I need to have a major strategy I think.

How do you explain to a 5 year old WHY? Since we are not supposed to call attention to or blame the tics, how do you explain the supplements, removing video games, and especially food elimination. I can say supplements are important to make sure your body is healthy, video games are not healthy for your body/mind (though hard to change our policy all of a sudden - he was only doing ipod games 20-30 min each morning), but how do you explain the food elimination in the context of HEALTH? Do you have to mention the tics?

I'm not sure I understand the importance or relevance of when and if it is important to take your child to see a neurologist. Since tics have only been present for 3-4 weeks, is it too early? Could a diagnosis be made this early and if so would it affect his treatment?

Well my son has had tics now for a few weeks and we have been giving him "Tic Tamer" which is: (from their website) Hyoscyamus (30C) is beneficial for those who tend to feel restless and often display jerky movement when they are enthusiastic or worried about something. Zinc met (30C) supports the absorption of minerals in the body. In addition, Zinc met acts as a nervous system tonic to soothe the nerves at night as well as during the day. Cina (30C) is thought to be named after Artemisia – the queen of Persia and renowned herbalist in the 4th century BC. It is used homeopathically to relieve irritability, increase tolerance and prevent outbursts. Chamomilla (12C) is a well–known soothing and calming homeopathic remedy to address any common nervous spasms. Citricidal Extract (inactive ingredient) We went to a naturopath and she agreed that this was a good place to start. So we noticed NO CHANGE in his tics giving him 5+ drops 3 times a day. My naturopath is now suggesting to try the hyoscyamus in a different dose (not sure yet what does) ALONE to see if that makes a difference. I will let you know when we start that and how it goes...

Thanks you guys - I appreciate the link to the previous thread too. I have a lot to learn, especially since I'm still trying to figure out the cause of his tics (allergies or 5yo vaccines or something else). I'm so exhausted and overwhelmed.

I'm wondering if other kids who have eye blinking tics: - complain of their eyes bothering them from time to time - rub their eyes - also squint their eyes and appear to close them sometimes for a few seconds I've been wondering about an allergy connection or also a "dry eyes" thing from too much antihistamine or some other eye problem. Of course that wouldn't explain away the other tics but just curious about this eye blinking one. Maybe his eyes are just tired from blinking so much!

Okay so if the onset of his tics corresponded with spring allergy season should I still go through food elimination stuff (and he tested negative for major allergens with skin prick test)? I ask bc it is such a major undertaking with a picky eater!

Okay thank you! I will investigate the big threads, just didn't know if I should "dig in"

If DS just turned 5 and hasn't had strep since he was 8-9 months old (and that was the only time)? The only other relevant info is that he had this 5yo vaccines 5 days before tics started.... Thank you!!!

Last post, sorry - I have a lot of questions! He will lick his finger or palm or arm and usually be looking at me or look at me afterwards, maybe because the first time I noticed it I called him on it and asked what he was doing. He got all defensive and mad and said "I don't know..." I just wonder about this one because it seems more intentional and I feel like I could change it somehow. Should I leave it alone? Discuss that is is germy, and call it to his attention when he is doing it subconsciously? Have a reward system for when he doesn't do it? Am I crazy? For some reason blinking seems more unintentional then licking your finger or hand... Thanks again!

Is there anyone out there who thinks their child's tics are connected to an increase in environmental (pollen/trees) allergies? We are new to this (3.5 weeks) but DS5 is having a HORRIBLE time with allergies when this all started and I can't help but think they are related somehow. I have increased his allergy meds in addition to supplementing on a basic level but he is still sneezing/runny nose/rubbing eyes which makes me wonder if the aggravation/frustration of his discomfort STARTED his tics. His tics are: - Blinking a lot - Mouth stretching/gasping (not much in last week though) - Throat noises like soft intermittent hum while eating, occassional throat noises, mucous-y sounding - Lick fingers then wipe on clothes (this is totally unrelated and confusing to me) I would appreciate any info if others are thinking along these lines (environmental allergies, not food allergies) and how they are treating. Thank you!!!

Here is the link I came across: http://somepsychology.com/pstics.htm ------------ Here is an excerpt: "Dr. Levine's treatment is this: When a tic occurs, repeat the tic 10 times. Don't do this "practice" in public; just doing this at home is fine (and the recommended treatment). It is important to do the practice right after the tic occurs. The idea of just practicing the tic, without waiting for it to occur, is called "massed negative practice" (see ref., or ref.). Dr. Levine calls his technique "contingent negative practice". Simple "massed practice" can help, but apparently takes a lot longer and is not as effective: "Patients have shown some decrease in tic frequency, but the long-term benefits of massed negative practice are unclear." (ref) There is nothing magical about the number 10. Perhaps more would be better; perhaps less would be sufficient. But in the absence of any reason to the contrary, you should probably do 10. An "accepting" attitude probably helps. If practicing the tic makes it go away, it follows somewhat logically that a contributing factor to the tic occurring in the first place was that the person was fighting against the tic. Hence, accepting the tic might be useful. Along similar lines, there are suggestions that tics are increased by anxiety, and that the fear of having a tic might increase anxiety. So it is useful to disrupt this feedback loop by taking the anxiety out of the tic." ------------ I thoroughly realize this is totally contradictory to the experts' advice of ignoring tics, but this philosophy intrigues me. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with anything like this? Thank you!!