Lynn777

That’s the thing that is most confusing. He has been a completely “normal”, happy, healthy child up until now. I had an uncomplicated delivery with him; he was an easy baby, was always a great sleeper and was rarely sick. As for the toddler years, we went through the typical terrible 2’s/3’s, but outside of that he’s been bright, happy, independent, loving and a truly pleasurable child. Outside of some formula sensitivity, seasonal allergies and recently (the past 6-9 months) some tummy upset/diarrhea bouts (our family has a history of digestive/intestinal issues like IBS, Colitis & Crohns) he hasn’t had many infections other then pink eye, no strep that I know of and no other antibiotics. Also, the last vaccine he had before the tics started was polio in 4/2009 and the blinking started in 8/2009. So, it doesn’t seem like there’s a relationship there either. Also, we do not have a family history of any kind of tic disorder that anyone on either side can remember, except my one cousin (who was adopted). The only thing I can come up with genetically is the fact that ADD runs in my family and my dad, myself and my older son are very ‘restless’ people. I know our restlessness is not tics because we can stop/control it if we want to. Maybe it just manifested itself differently in my younger son. So, now I feel guilt on top of everything else. My genes probably did this to him. Anyway, all that to say, he hasn’t been tested for strep. The pediatrician ordered a CBC, but that’s it for now. I asked about allergy testing and he said that we should wait a while and see if the tics go away. He also said the tics are not related to his seasonal allergies or any of his tummy issues. Of course, what does he know…? Also, I have two questions. First, as I mentioned before, the pediatrician recommended we give him Benadryl to help with the tics, which I thought was odd for two reasons 1) I thought I read decongestants make tics worse 2) He had just told me allergies and tics are unrelated!?!?! So, does anyone have any experience with Benadryl and tics? Is there anything natural that acts in the same way as Benadryl? They do seem to take the edge off the tics for him. Second, I slowly started the Bontech supplements, but am wondering if there is anything additional I should give to him or are the Bontech’s all inclusive? Thanks so much! Your help, support, information, links and hugs are more empowering and comforting then you will ever know. Cheri, I’m thrilled by your story and that your son is doing well! I love happy endings. I am trying to remember to enjoy this time with my son despite these nasty little tics. Some days it seems impossible, but I really am trying!

Hello, my name is Lynn and my son is almost 5 years old and we first noticed eye blinking back in August of 2009, the pediatrician said it was common and would go away on its own – 2-3 weeks later it did. Then in February of 2010 the blinking returned, but with facial grimacing, the pediatrician still said not to worry about it and that it was probably a transient tic. Well, in April of 2010 he began having a vocal tic too, it’s a low hum/grunt and almost overnight things went down hill. He now has about 5-10 different tics that he does periodically throughout the day. The most common is still the grimacing/grunting, but we’ve also noticed some behavior changes. He’s less independent and needs lots of hugs and reassurance from us and he has started to become preoccupied with numbers and counting (OCD?). We haven’t noticed any signs of ADHD, in fact my older son has ADHD and my younger son really doesn’t exhibit any of the common signs of the disorder. So, we are hoping that doesn’t manifest itself too. So, for now we are most concerned about the tics, they break my heart and I feel so sorry for him. The doctor referred us to a neurologist and we will be seeing her in June. I have slowly started him on the Bontech supplements (the doctor ok’ed it), but haven’t seen any improvements yet. I also use the Epson salt bath’s, which seem to work for him and our pediatrician recommended giving him Benadryl, which I was worried about, but it did seem to take the edge off the tics. However, I stopped giving it to him because I was worried that long term use wouldn’t be healthy for him. We took him to a cognitive therapist this Monday and she is going to work with him weekly through play therapy. Although he doesn’t exhibit any major signs of needing cognitive therapy, we figured it couldn’t hurt and the early intervention might help in the long run. I just can’t break through my pain and sadness. I want to be strong for him, but everyday I’m actually terrified for the moment he wakes up (nice mom huh?), I keep wondering when the day is going to come that my son is so mangled with tics that I don’t even recognize him anymore. He is the joy of my life & I keep fixating on what will become of his life with TS. The other night we were outside blowing bubbles and he was laughing, giggling and we were joking around having fun and for 10 minutes I was so happy, but then the realty set back in and the pain was so strong I thought I might actually die. I will do anything and everything possible to help my son get better and for him to have the best life possible. I will love him to health. I just keep praying that my heart stops breaking and that I can be the person he needs me to be! Thanks for listening!