lauramacf

Claire, Just saw the note, I'll email her, but I should clarify that the doctor's recommendation wasn't regarding tics in particular. This doctor is just pretty anti-tv in general and I haven't yet mentioned the tics to her since it has only just occurred to me that these may be tics (I'm taking him in tomorrow to rule out any othr explaination for the throat clearing). The doctor's recommendations for eliminating TV viewing followed consultation about ADHD, and is just a big part of the philosophy of this particular medical practice that TV is harmful. I'm quite sure she would agree with the conclusion that TVs and computers trigger tics, however. I'd be more than happy to ask the doctor if she wouldn't mind being contacted about screen issues. thanks for the links and info!!

Oh yes, Calire, what is the GF forum you referred to? I don't see a link!

Claire, Don't worry about sounding like a broken record! I'll keep working on my husband on the screens tests because I believe you are right about that, and also because the doctor ordered no tv and computers (she says no more than 1/2 hour per week--at which point it is probably better to just drop it altogether). It is really hard to gain DH's cooperation on this matter even for just a weekend, since DS is not watching or using the computer at home during the week. TV issues are a flashpoint in our relationsip, for some reason. I was actually thinking last night of looking into taking a mini-vacation to get away from the screens (though hubby bought a van with a dvd player in it!! so even that may be tricky!) We tried houston enzymes this summer and really only stopped due to finances. I think doing the enzymes does help him with gas, and if we learn that he doesn't have celiac or some other reason for complete avoidance, we'll probably go back to using the houston enzymes. A friend has offered some spare no-fenol, but I'm feeling overloaded with stuff right now, so i think I'm going to stick to what we're doing with diet for now. On the vitamin testing, do you know if the results would be better if I stopped giving him all the supplements I've been giving? Also, back on the subject of whether this is tourettes or not, how is tourette's differentiated from other tic disorders? Is the presence of tics the only significant symptom of tourette's?

Chemar, thanks for the link, it's good to have a list of possibilities to refer to! Claire, I'm with you, I think the computer focus exercises all this week explain the emergence of throat-clearing-with-a-vengence! I showed my husband the threads on screens and he agrees with the assessment of the computer as a cause of this episode (but he's still very against eliminating--he wants to get an LCD, instead because he's a big proponent of LCD monitors at his work too). The computer monitor he was using is particularly bad, very fuzzy and low hz rate, then add to that the flashing aspect of the focus exercises--most definitely I think we've found something major here. Unfortunately there are computers in his classroom, but they don't spend much time at them (my son actually never gets to use them and is really mad about it because he gets pulled out of the class for special instruction at center time). His desk doesn't face the computers, so at least I know he isn't staring into them all day. I help out with the computers everyday so I may sneak a peek at the refresh rates and see what I can do to lessen the impact they may have on all the children in the class. Thanks for the advice on drinking water, I didn't know that! There is only carpeting in one room in our house (the playroom), but I've long felt that we need to get serious about investigating for mold. As for the GF diet making a difference, I'm just not certain about it. He had two really awesome days as far as both flatulence and behavior, and now no real sign of a difference--being semi-feingold and doing supplements may be playing a role too, so it is rather confusing. But I am still concerned about a gluten connection for him and think it is worth looking into. I'll admit that corn elimination is just about the scariest thing I can imagine!! Gluten and Casein are a breeze for us, because wheat and dairy are among my daughter's food allergies. She is wheat-dairy-soy-egg-oat-nuts-seeds free, so she relies really heavily on corn!! Feeding the two of them so differently would be a royal pain, but I've been learning I can do just about anything to help them out! Yes, we have unusual doctors. I consider us really lucky to have them because I always know for certain that they will never recommend pharmaceuticals unless it is absolutely necessary. I haven't brought up the TS concerns yet, though I've mentioned previously the things I am now thinking of as tics. I think I'm going to take him in asap to have ear nose throat check to rule out problems there, then get talking about diagnosis. Thanks again to you all for your responses. This forum is amazing!!

Thanks Claire and ntbowen for your responses. Nt, I'll definitely keep you informed as I (hopefully) find things that are working. I am also going to get started with Bonnie G's supplement program (although for now I'll be buying them separately since I already started getting them before I knew about BonTech). I'm still feeling a bit like I'm jumping from thing to thing, but maybe that will start feeling more calm after I get a grip on the idea of tourette's and stop freaking out! Claire, in answer/response to your questions and suggestions: My son is 7 and in first grade. *"no screens" was the very first suggestion our doctors gave us (they've wanted to see that for many years, in fact!) and we are TV-free during the week, but I haven't the complete cooperation of my husband so he is watching on the weekends--I mentioned the information in the "no screens" posts to him tonight, so hopefully he'll be more willing to do it more completely after we discuss it some more. Funny, we'd gone computer-free for him on weekdays too, until this last week when I found a program called brainbuilder that I was certain would be helpful to him . . . in retrospect, maybe those flashing "focus" exercises have done him more harm than good! Wow. I really think there could be a connection there. I was making him do two ten-minute sessions a day all last week. I think I'll stop that now. *Thank you for the testing suggestions. I will talk to the doctor abot what we can add from drawing this week. I definitely think metals should happen this week. *Allergies have long been suspected with all this sniffling and throat clearing (given we have a younger daughter with very severe food allergies and asthma it would make sense that he'd have some too). He does sleep in a room with allergy coverings on beds and pillows and with a HEPA filter running all night, but there is always room for improvement in cleaning. I've also been wondering if he is reacting to mold--my daughter's asthma has been flared up for a month due to the high mold levels in our area for the last few months--or maybe something at school. I looked up some area doctors on the DAN list and will make some calls on Monday. Thanks so much Claire for the ideas--I feel much clearer now! And thanks, too, NT for the commiseration. I hope we can both find the help our kids need! Laura

Hello all, I'm new to the forum and am investigating the possibility of my son having TS. This isn't the first time I've wondered--back when he was a toddler I would occasionally notice strange facial grimaces and worried a bit, but never looked further into it. He has frequently had excessive sniffing and throat clearing, but we thought it was mild allergies; now i'm realizing it could be TS. He was diagnosed with an ocular motor dysfunction and is currently in vision therapy for that, so when he started having some odd eye movements, I thought it had to do with the exercises he was doing. The eye issues started a little over a month ago; he would open his eyes really wide and then they would dart from side to side. This occurred regularly and excessively for about 2 weeks and slowly got to the point where it happens just a few times a day. His teachers, the vision clinic staff, and I all thought it was just an oddity and when we noticed it happening would ask if he was having a problem with his eyes and if he needed some eye drops (he once told me he did it because his eyes were dry). Just a few days ago he began non-stop sniffing and throat-clearing, and that is when TS really occurred to me, probably because all of my reasearch has led me frequently to sites where TS is mentioned. I twice gave him antihistamines to see if the sniffing/clearing responded, but didn't feel it helped. Additionally we frequently notice him rolling his head, like someone who has a crick in his neck. Looking over a list of TS symptoms in Dr. Rapp's book, I checked the following 12 out of 35 symptoms listed: making faces, eye rolling, eye blinking, neck snapping, shoulder shrugging, leg swinging, leg jerking, sniffling, snorting, throat clearing, poor concentration, licking lips. Obviously, these don't all occur all the time, and some may not be significiant enough to fit into the syndrome possibility, but the two recent experiences with the eyes and throat clearing seem very significant to me. He was recently assessed by his school to see if special services are required; the only service he qualified for was for a mild speech impediment. Aspergers and PDD were things that had been mentioned previously as potential diagnoses for him, but after their assessment the focus has been on ADHD. His inattention, distractability, and behavior issues all seem to point in that direction. I've been volunteering in his class every morning and can see how severely these issues are affecting his learning. I began searching for alternative treatments for ADHD. We've recently joined the Feingold association and have been gearing up for going on the diet (we've already eliminated natural salycilates and significantly reduced artificial additives--but are not yet 100% on board). We've also recently eliminated dairy (2 months ago) and gluten (2 weeks ago). I thought i was seeing improvement after dropping gluten, but that was short-lived. I also had been giving B-complex and niacinamide daily. Just two days ago we decided to try combating his constant flatulence by taking some anti-candida measures--since that seems compatible with the other dietary interventions it doesn't seem it would hurt to try. But now I'm wondering if any of these dietary changes are really helping, since rather than seeing improvement I am seeing tics!! I no longer feel certain about any of the actions we are taking and am quickly getting mired down in confusion and apathy! My mind is running in circles and the internet research is non-stop. I'm driving myself crazy wanting to help him, and feeling frustrated that every turn seems to bring out something new to deal with. If any of you can share some ideas about getting a good diagnosis I'd really appreciate it. We use homeopathic MDs who aren't interested in medicating for ADHD and they support my recent decision to test for lead and gluten intolerance; are there any other tests I should consider while we are drawing blood? I wondered about iron levels too. I'm a little worried about seeking a mainstream specialist because we are really hesitant to consider medications, but I did recently contact a psychological services clinic to see about professional assessment for ADHD. Sorry this is so long. Thanks in advance for any ideas.