cloudy

Hi Kevin Thats great news! Long may it continue. Thankyou for keeping us updated - its wonderful to hear good news and the improvements you've seen! Cloudy

Hi Just want to pass my best wishes onto you. As you know it waxes and it wanes - it will get better! JDmom - I so know what you were going through - I too had to go onto the Anxiety medication just to help me get through the day! Happily, I too am off then now and just taking each day as it comes. They are still our perfect children.

Hi Thanks for your response. Yes, DAN is a good way to go - I havn't thought of that. My DS has no other problems except the tics. I just thought it strange that his bloods had tested for strep a couple of months ago - after a cold. And a week after Shingles his tics have come back which made me think of PITANDS. Is it right that PITANDS could be a cause after any infection not just strep? Are there any Mums out there whose children have PITANDS rather than PANDAS? Cloudy

Hi, I posted quite a while ago on the TICS forums. But I am wondering if now my son's tics could be caused by PANDAS or PITANDS. He has never had a really sore throat or any throat swabs to confirm. My DS 9 had quite a few tics starting August last year with eye blinking, throat clearing. Things did improve and we had a good few months from April till about June this year when the eye blinking came back for a couple of weeks. He had just got over a cold - no sore throat. Our doctor ( we are in the UK - no PANDAS specialists here!) did a blood test and his ASO titres were 400 IU/ml and his anti-DNase titres were 383 U/ml. His serum ferritin (Iron) was low at 20 ug/L. Our doctor mentioned that although he didn't believe the tics were caused by strep they could have aggrevated his tics. This is the first time I thought about PANDAS. The tics lasted 2 weeks in June then cleared up. Our doctor prescribed Penicillin (250mg 4 times a day for 7 days then 250mg once a day for 3 months). However, after 6 days of the Penicillin my son came out in a rash which I thought was a reaction to the drugs but the DR said it was shingles!! Shingles didn't bother him overly, but 7 days after the Shingles his eye blinking tic has come back, he is now only taking 250mg Pencillin per day. The DR didn't think the Singles had anything to do with the Pencillin but I was wondering if he has really low immunity. The DR believes that my DS has had a very stressful week and that could be why the tics came back. They came back suddenly, on Saturday morning. He has just got over shingles, had 2 dental appointments (he hates the dentist and has quite bad teeth and may need fillings), an orthodontist appointment and school is starting in just under 2 weeks. My son has also always suffered with aching legs and arms at night since he was about 3 years old. We have seen various doctors and they have all said growing pains. Any advice would be welcome. He has no OCD or other symptoms, just the tics. They came back suddenly. I just hope they go awaya again as we had a bad year last year and I don't want to go through it all again.

Hi there You don't mention whether you have ever suffered from tics before? Before you start worrying too much I would visit the opticians to get your eyes checked out. Also, the fact you are feeling discomfort in your eyes could indicate allergies. Good luck

Hi There was a news story here in the UK a few weeks ago to say that Zinc could help cure / prevent the common cold. I don't know what dosage you would have to use but it might be worth putting it in a search engine. Good luck Sal

There are also stories of the full moon in the UK papers - supposedly the moon doesn't get as clear as this very often. When I read the article I thought of this website as I had read that it can affect tic severity. I hope not.

Hi Patty Whats CST? Thanks

Hi Kim I presume the meds worked? What ones did he take? I have to say meds scare me especially as the doctors seems quite reluctant to put kids on them due to side effects. However, if I need to I will also resort to them. We have to do the best for our children. Sal

Thats great news Megan. What a relief! I would love to try the no TV but just can't see it happening. My DS loves TV - he doesn't watch it too much but is an avid soccer fan and likes to watch the matches. Best wishes. Sal

Hi All I have been reading these posts with interest. I tried dairy free with my DS but it didn't make much difference. We are on organic as much as possible, omega 3, Natural calm and do Epsom bath salts. I had though my DS tics ( sniffing, grunting) and eye blinking were calming down slightly as I sometimes saw him eye blink only once or twice a day. However, in the last couple of days we have seen an increase and change in the eye blink so it is now more exagerated and with a slight head nod at the same time. I really don't know what else to try! My DS is 9. Have you seen a peak yet in the tics yet relating to age? Speaking to numerous doctors they all say that tics decrease with age. Just hoping we will be there soon. Sal

Hi I have switched to Rapeseed oil. That is naturally high in Omega 3,6 and 9. It tastes okay.

Hi Stuart I live in the UK - a bit far to travel. I would be interested if you had any clinics you could recommend over here? Thanks

Thanks Chemar and Mythree I have spent the weekend trawling through old posts. It is quite humbling to see what other parents have been through in the past and hopefully are no longer experiencing now. I hope we will all be in a better place in the next couple of years. It is very disheartening to try diets ( in my sons case dairy free for the last 3 weeks) and the tics have got worse! I am now going to try gluten free. I am finding it quite hard at the moment. Sal

Hi I recently took my son for an allergy test (skin prick) and you are right - he was anxious and did tic. But I am glad we did as he showed up for dust mite allergy which he didn't 3 years ago. You just have to reassure your son. It doesn't hurt and doesn't take long. However, as you probably know it doesn't really test for a lot of the food intolerances which might be subtle. Good luck in reaching your decision. x