susan0101

Carolyn, My daughter and I recently had our wisdom teeth removed and neither of us required anything stronger than regular Tylenol for the pain. The oral surgeon did give each of us a prescription for something stronger, but we opted to start out with the Tylenol to see if we were able to manage the pain without heavy duty pain killers. I found that the doctors mean well, but they push for the stronger pain killers first, without seeing if you really need them. Have the prescription pain killer handy, but try regular Tylenol first. Also, ask about taking Motrin in between in case the Tylenol wears off because you can take another dose. Good luck.

My 10 year old son began experiencing the eye tic about 1 year ago. Within a few months he began accupuncture treatments and we have had wonderful results. At least a full 6 weeks without any ticcing over the summer. Recently, it started again, although not as severe as a year ago. I took him back for a treatment 1 week ago and we've had days without the eye ticcing this week. From our experience, it's worth a shot. I can tell you, the longer the person has had the tic, the longer they may have to go for accupuncture treatments before seeing results. The only other thing we're doing is some herbs/minerals. Maelic Acid w/ magnesium and a stress reducer - both from an herb shop in town. Best of luck to you. Susan

Hi everyone, it's a been a while since I've written. My son (10 yrs. old) had a great summer, and like some of you, found his eye tic returning right before school began. We had wonderful results with acupuncture and will be returning for an appt. tomorrow for the first time since May. I'm curious about the eye drops and Aerius. We've used Patenol in the past for itchy eyes, but it did nothing for the eye tic. What type of eye drops are you finding success with? Also, did your ped put your child on the Aerius for seasonal allergies? I ask b/c currently we use Allegra and I'd be interested in trying something else if I thought it might help allergies and the eye tic. Susan

I'd like to think that after going to the acupuncturist weekly for treatments since the end of January the improvements we're seeing are a result of the treatments. My son's been treated for various allergies - everything from foods and trees to heavy metals. He is finally able to watch TV without ticcing non-stop and the only supplement he's on is magnesium. What I like about the acupuncturist is that all the allergy testing is done by muscle response testing, not the traditional testing done by allergists. It isn't painful at all and my 9 year old has learned to relax and rest during the actual acupuncture treatment (which is when small needles are strategically placed). I'm so happy with these treatments that I plan to take my 18 year old daughter this summer to be treated for her allergies and asthma. I'm not naive enough to think this is the end of the ticcing - but I am thrilled that after ticcing pretty much non-stop for 5 1/2 months that he has found relief. Stress is a big trigger. Also, after questioning other parents, I discovered that many children with tics are also unusually warm - especially at night. After about 1/2 dozen treatments, my son actually began saying he felt cold. I was told he had too much energy and one of the signs is when someone sweats easily and often wakes up in a pool of sweat. I don't think it's a clear cut answer for anyone. I only wish it were that simple. However, there is hope out there for everyone. It's a matter of finding what's going to work. My son may have to deal with this throughout his life. If so, I'd like to think we found a way to provide some relief. I'm convinced that stress and allergies play a key role. Unfortunately, stress is a part of life and he suffers terribly with seasonal allergies and may be developing a some others.

Like you, my son's tics have suddenly gotten much better. An eye tic he developed in October was pretty much non-stop until last week. He's 9 years old and has a good understanding of the limitations we had placed on him (limited TV, reduction of sugar/preservatives, etc) He's been seeing an acupuncturist weekly since January and being treated for various allergies. For the first time last week we went days without any sign of the eye tic. My son is well aware that it has gotten better. Although we're still limiting sugar and TV, he is not nearly as limited as he was. This has been such a learning experience for us. At 9 years old, my son has gotten in the habit of reading labels on food products! He understands the importance of eating healthy, not just for people with allergies/tics, but for everyone. I'm convinced more than ever that for my son at least, the environment and stress play a key role in his health - more so than his diet. I always was into healthy eating and homecooked/homebaked items. I've begun to look outside my home to see where other triggers can set him off. For instance, pine trees outside of his mobile classroom, stress caused by tests at school. Best of luck!

Andy, Just want you to know that I find your "journey" very interesting and thank you for sharing. My son's eye tic came out of nowhere in October and we haven't had a day without it since. Our weekly acupuncture treatments, herb and mag supplements seem to provide days of relief - but again, he hasn't had a day without any ticcing. I honestly don't know what is actually providing him relief. I'd like to think it's the acupuncture, etc. only because I've spent so much time, energy and money in that direction! But I'm not sure. It's such a motivator to read about other parents who refuse to be bullied by traditional medical doctors. Western medicine can be a wonderful thing, but not for every problem or condition. Like many of you out there, I REFUSE to have my child labeled anything - especially when it hasn't even been a year that he's exhibiting symptoms. It may be easier for a doctor to prescribe dibilating meds after they've put a label on a child, but what they don't understand is that method isn't good enough for parents! It's a band-aid to justify their fees. I wish you and your family the best. Please continue to keep us posted.

After speaking with another mother recently who has a child with tics, I discovered both of our children sweat a lot at night - even on a cold winter night. I've been taking my son to an acupuncturist for about 8 weeks now and seeing some results. Before I mentioned my son's night sweats, the acupuncturist told me he had an excessive amount of heat in him which was partially causing his "imbalance". I told him I wasn't surprised to hear that because my child is always warm. Has anyone else noticed this about their child? Susan

I'm sorry to say, but I'm totally ignorant when it comes to gluten. Is it in whole wheat and rye flours as well? I started buying organic flour in the bulk dept of my local health food store, but now I'm wondering if I'm wasting money. Maybe I should be avoiding gluten! I use a bread maker all the time now to avoid the preservatives. A few of the recipes call for a tablespoon or two of honey instead of sugar also. I began buying the honey from the health food store as well. I found "almond butter" there also - it's a great replacement for peanut butter if you want to avoid sugar and perservatives and it's delicious on the homemade bread or crackers.

Chris, My 9 year old son developed the same tic as you're describing a few months back. Although it definitely lessons the longer I keep him from screens, it doesn't go away entirely. I've also noticed that diet plays a role somehow. Stress definitely effects him. Do you notice it's worse when you're nervous or stressed over something?

The acupuncturist we began seeing loaned me a book titled " Say Goodbye to Illness" written by Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad. A good portion of the book is devoted to allergies. For those of you seeking alternative treatment and insight into allergies, you may want to pick up this paperback. The author suffered from one illness after another from the time she was a young girl - mainly due to allergic reactions to a whole host of things in her life. What I like about this book is that the writer not only possesses knowledge of western medicine (R.N) as well as alternative treatments, but she's speaking first hand about what it's like to be sick for so many years and not knowing what exactly is the cause. Her calling and research were driven by her own medical nightmares.

They'd also like us to believe the hormones and preservatives in the food we eat aren't adversely effecting us. Let's follow our gut feelings.

Claire, We went without any TV or Gameboy for 10 days. Computer he had twice at school, which I believe is about 40 minutes/session. It took at least 3 days to notice a difference, but after 7 days there was a SIGNIFICANT difference. He doesn't have vocal tics, just the eye tic. It didn't disappear, but is reduced dramatically compared to what it was two weeks ago. We explained to my son (9 years old) why we wanted to do this. I have to say, he's been a real trooper! He even commented a few days ago that his eyes had "gotten better". That in itself kept him motivated. We didn't set up a reward system, but we've spent more time keeping him occupied with board games, cartoon tracing books, etc. The other interesting thing we've noticed is how stress comes into play. In NC all 4th graders take a writing exam and must do well otherwise they face summer school. My son's been very nervous about this. Even though the tic has improved a great deal, whenever the subject of the writing exam comes up, we notice the tic more. We met with an acupuncturist yesterday - he was terrific. My son didn't even feel the needles. There's a good 60% chance he'll be able to help control the eye tic so he can return to his usual routine and watch a little TV, play computer games etc. He will not provide a diagnosis, suggest dietary changes or herbs until our next visit. Again, I'm praying this helps him. I know there isn't a cure, but I'd like to see him enjoy things kids his age enjoy. I strongly encourage everyone out there to follow their heart and try alternatives if possible. It's more expensive, but I've been doing more shopping at Earth Fare, a store that offers no preservative and organic products. I almost croaked today when I paid $9 for 1 1/2 lbs. of boneless chicken. OUCH! However, I've known for a long time that hormones fed to animals we eat have an adverse effect on us - especially our children. Since it didn't seem to effect my family, I pushed it to the back of my mind. I can no longer do that. I'll keep you posted on the acupuncture results.

Helen, My son is 9 and within the last few months developed the eye blinking/rolling problem. Thanks to this site, we realized the the TV was a major cause. The pediatric neurologist we took him to see mentioned nothing about screen/photo sensitivity - even after we mentioned how bad the tic gets when he watches TV! Around the same time he started with the eye tic he began piano lessons. We haven't noticed any problems with the tic during or after playing piano. In fact, when he's focused on anything other than a TV/computer/Gameboy screen, like reading or playing piano, the tic seems much better. As for stopping and limited TV and video games, my son's been very receptive because he has seen for himself the difference it's made with his tic. We are meeting with an acupuncturist/herbalist to discuss what alternative methods are out there that may help with this sensitivity. I'm sure diet restrictions will come into play as well. It would be nice to know that he could watch TV again without having to suffer so badly. Try piano lessons for your daughter. You'll know pretty quickly if the lessons are making things worse. Good luck!

Thanks so much for your response. I'm calling around to various accupuncturists and discovering that prices vary considerably - ex. no fee for consultation vs. $150 for consultation. I need to do something though. Any other info regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated. How often do you find you need to go for treatments?

Thanks so much for your response. I'm calling around to various accupuncturists and discovering that prices vary considerably - ex. no fee for consultation vs. $150 for consultation. I need to do something though. Any other info regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated. How often do you find you need to go for treatments?