Help with my 7 year old son, uncontrollable neck movements

[Graceer]

Help. My son is 7 years old. In September of this year my son started with excessive eye blinking. Our pediatrician said not to worry it will go away. But she had us get blood work drawn for strep which turned up negative. Just to be safe we made an appt with a neurologist. When the appt came his blinking was almost gone. We went anyways and reviewed his history. She said he had transient tic disorder. But everything had resolved on it's own. Until, this Christmas eve, my son started neck movements. I asked him if something was wrong with his neck, he just said it felt scratchy. Well then he started this bizarre neck twisting and turning. I wish I wouldn't have mentioned it. On Christmas he has been moving his neck, stretching it out. Etc. Most of the day. it does not appear he can stop it. he just said his neck feels stiff. I'll call the neurologist on Monday to set up an appt. What should I do until then? I'm thinking it was brought on by the anxiety of Christmas and lots of people, but he continues to have neck movements. We gave hin some Tylenol for the soreness.

What does soaking in Epsom salt do? I could try that first. Do you think this will go away? I'm scared and I'm sure he is to. I read your posts there is a lot we could try, but I sure would appreciate any comments, I can't sleep.

Should we talk with him about it or try to ignore it.

Edited December 26, 2010 by Graceer

[ilovedogs]

Hello and welcome to the message boards. First thing to remember (and I tell myself this often): these tics will pass, they will wax and wane in severity and intensity. So, the best thing to do is not to draw attention to them. If your son complains of discomfort you can address that, obviously, but don't ask them to stop as this often makes it worse and increases the tic. Epsom salts baths are an excellent way to relax the muscles and promote sleep. Just dissolve 2 cups of epsom salts in a bath and have him soak for about 20 mins. My ds(he's 12) loves epsom salts baths more for relaxation and help for sore muscles than for his tics.

 

Second, don't panic. Keep reading some threads here and you'll see that you are not alone. My son started with tics when he was 9 and, after all this time, I can truly say that they don't bother him as much as they bother me. The best supplement to start with is magnesium. Most people on here give the Peter Gilham's Natural Calm. I actually give a liquid calcium/magnesium supplement from Country Life vitamins. You can find good supplements online at iherb or vitacost or at your local health food store.

 

You are correct about the anxiety and excitement of Christmas. My son definitely tics more when he's excited, both good stress and bad stress can increase the frequency and sometimes bring about new tics that disappear once the stress is gone. Deep breathing, relaxation exercises, and just keeping things low key are all good ideas for any kids who are maxed out from holiday stress. As for the appointment with the neurologist, don't expect much at this point. You will probably get a typical response which is: your child has a tic disorder, possibly Tourette's and you can try medication or just wait and see. This seems to be the general consensus around here. It certainly couldn't hurt to go to the doctor just for your own peace of mind, if you need it. I have a few friends who have tried or are still using meds for their kids tics and the meds just seem to reduce the frequency and intensity. Many people on these boards here have gotten the same relief for their children by experimenting with different things like: searching for a hidden food allergy, food sensitivity, environmental allergies and sensitivities, heavy metal toxicity, candida overgrowth, etc. Yet, many of us know the contributing factors that make the tics worse for our children, not all of us have found 'the cure', so to speak, but we have found ways to help our children be more comfortable with themselves and by gaining knowledge about tics and neurological conditions we have empowered ourselves to better help our children. Happy learning and Happy New Year!

 

Bonnie

[mommyfor4]

Help. My son is 7 years old. In September of this year my son started with excessive eye blinking. Our pediatrician said not to worry it will go away. But she had us get blood work drawn for strep which turned up negative. Just to be safe we made an appt with a neurologist. When the appt came his blinking was almost gone. We went anyways and reviewed his history. She said he had transient tic disorder. But everything had resolved on it's own. Until, this Christmas eve, my son started neck movements. I asked him if something was wrong with his neck, he just said it felt scratchy. Well then he started this bizarre neck twisting and turning. I wish I wouldn't have mentioned it. On Christmas he has been moving his neck, stretching it out. Etc. Most of the day. it does not appear he can stop it. he just said his neck feels stiff. I'll call the neurologist on Monday to set up an appt. What should I do until then? I'm thinking it was brought on by the anxiety of Christmas and lots of people, but he continues to have neck movements. We gave hin some Tylenol for the soreness.

What does soaking in Epsom salt do? I could try that first. Do you think this will go away? I'm scared and I'm sure he is to. I read your posts there is a lot we could try, but I sure would appreciate any comments, I can't sleep.

Should we talk with him about it or try to ignore it.

 

Hi and Welcome!

 

Epsom baths are three fold: they are relaxing, detoxifying and they contain Magnesium sulfate which is absorbed through the skin and seems to in my humble experience balance the body some...

As far as talking to your son, if he is seven, he is probably far more aware of what is going on then he may have been talking to you about. He may not have the proper words but may feel the frustration of his body working against him. We found that talking with our son and allowing him to talk and explain in his own words how his tics feel and impact him was very cathartic for him. It gave him a safe haven to release his tics and he was given an opportunity to voice what was going on in his mind and body. Our son is now 9 but started with strong vocal tics around 5-6 yrs. Once we were sure this was ongoing we gave him the proper terminology and it gave him a way to explain it to others. If kids commented on his tics he could explain what they were, like them having hiccups, he can't control them. His seem to be very food sensitive so he also explains that food sensitivities can cause them, just like a child with a peanut allergy having body reactions only his are different. It seemed to impower him. Still not always easy but at least he has knowledge and words to defend and explain if he wishes to do so. For him with most kids the explanation is enough and they seem to accept it as only a small part of him...or they dont seem to notice at all anymore!

It is scary in the beginning...a very helpless feeling for parents. There is hope though. Many of us have had at least some success decreasing tics with a clean diet, good multi, Natural Calm and for some probiotics and Omega 3's, Vitamin D. Take it slow and it won't be so overwhelming maybe start by removing artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners as well as preservatives and high fructose corn syrup etc. Then for example try eliminating either dairy or wheat for a few weeks. Even the supplements should be added singularly so you can better see positive or negative results. It is time intensive but as I said for many there has been exciting decreases and our kids feel better and healthier, plus dont we as parents feel better when we can DO ANYTHING?!

 

I really do wish you the best and I empathize with your feeling of helplessness...keep faith

 

Megan

[Graceer]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your responses. After reading alot on the fourm and your responses, we have given my son epson salt baths but I really don't know if they are helping. We also took him to a chiropactor that specialises in cranial-sacral treatments and peds. She didn't think he would need any supplements. We waited 3 days but he was not any better so we took him back to her yesterday. We also have another appt. I want to get some supplements for him today. Kids Natural Calm has been discontinued, right? So just adjust the dose for kids on the brand they now sell. Has stevia that is in flavored version caused problems? Also I saw some fourm members recommend Bonie Grimald's TS-Plus. Is there a place on this site that lists recommendations for supplements?

Please advise which brand of supplements to purchase. We bought magnesium at the pharmacy but it was too large a dose for our son. thank you

Edited December 31, 2010 by Graceer

[Cj60]

Hi Graceer,

Don't overlook a good multivitamin! I'd start asap. Forum members have mentioned several brands which have had a definite positive result, including a brand named Progressive, and another named Spectrum Complete (by Kirkman).

 

Good luck,

Chris

 

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your responses. After reading alot on the fourm and your responses, we have given my son epson salt baths but I really don't know if they are helping. We also took him to a chiropactor that specialises in cranial-sacral treatments and peds. She didn't think he would need any supplements. We waited 3 days but he was not any better so we took him back to her yesterday. We also have another appt. I want to get some supplements for him today. Kids Natural Calm has been discontinued, right? So just adjust the dose for kids on the brand they now sell. Has stevia that is in flavored version caused problems? Also I saw some fourm members recommend Bonie Grimald's TS-Plus. Is there a place on this site that lists recommendations for supplements?

Please advise which brand of supplements to purchase. We bought magnesium at the pharmacy but it was too large a dose for our son. thank you

[Chrisnick]

Help. My son is 7 years old. In September of this year my son started with excessive eye blinking. Our pediatrician said not to worry it will go away. But she had us get blood work drawn for strep which turned up negative. Just to be safe we made an appt with a neurologist. When the appt came his blinking was almost gone. We went anyways and reviewed his history. She said he had transient tic disorder. But everything had resolved on it's own. Until, this Christmas eve, my son started neck movements. I asked him if something was wrong with his neck, he just said it felt scratchy. Well then he started this bizarre neck twisting and turning. I wish I wouldn't have mentioned it. On Christmas he has been moving his neck, stretching it out. Etc. Most of the day. it does not appear he can stop it. he just said his neck feels stiff. I'll call the neurologist on Monday to set up an appt. What should I do until then? I'm thinking it was brought on by the anxiety of Christmas and lots of people, but he continues to have neck movements. We gave hin some Tylenol for the soreness.

What does soaking in Epsom salt do? I could try that first. Do you think this will go away? I'm scared and I'm sure he is to. I read your posts there is a lot we could try, but I sure would appreciate any comments, I can't sleep.

Should we talk with him about it or try to ignore it.

 

 

I know exactly how you are feeling. I wanted so bad to give my son a neck massage and wishing it all away...well that certainly did not work! My husband and I went to pediatricians, several Neurologists, Neuro-psychologists, etc with no real help. If you are open to meds that is all the Neuros are going to offer you. I started my son out on meds (my son was 5 when he was diagnosed - he is now 7).He was on Topamax, Clonidine, Risperidone, Focalin, Guanfacine, Intuniv with no real results. So in doing more research - reading alot of these posts I started to think of other avenues - not anything traditionally I would have considered. So I found a Holistic pediatrician. This pediatrician is the FIRST doctor that actually ran tests on my son. She did blood, urine and stool testing and found out that he has a gluten intolerance and sensitive to alot of other foods we were not aware of (even though we had also seen an allergist). She also assessed that he is Vitamin D deficient and his cholesterol is terrible - great. Anyway, we started out slowly on the gluten free lifestyle - because it can be very overwhelming - I have seen a very significant change in his tics - they are truly few and far between. I do see an increase in his OCD symtoms but I am so happy that his tics have subsided. this has been since about November 2010. I would give a Holistic pediatrician a try - at least see if they will do testing to assess any sensitivities/intolerances - then start from there - especially if you aren't really excited about the idea of medication. The neurologists arent really on board with the idea of what you put in your body (nutrition-wise) has an affect on Tourette's. Good luck to you and your family and my prayers are with you.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Chrisnick