Chronological Order of PANDAS Symptoms

[Guest pandas16]

Do you notice this is in your children? My PANDAS episodes vary in severity depending on what causes them- they start with an anxious feeling, then the OCD comes, then the tics, and then the anger. If I have a cold, its just an anxious feeling. In full blown PANDAS episode I have all 4. As I get better its not just BOOM gone.... first the anger disapears, then the tics, then the OCD and last the anxiety. Its like a step by step idk what to call it but does anyone else have this?

Edited April 13, 2011 by pandas16

[dcmom]

Pandas 16-

 

Yes. We see this type of pattern in both of my pandas girls.

 

The older one, her first symptom is almost what we see as oppositional. To us, she becomes very moody and difficult, with lots of blow ups. When we talk about it, she tells me she feels overly sensitive. We see this first. Then comes the ocd, which snowballs, then anger and depression. ugh. It kinda disappears in reverse order when healing.

 

Did you ever get this "over sensitive" feeling, to others around you? My other daughter seems to get something similar- however she reacts differently, lots of tears. Otherwise, she has a similar pattern, although she also has sensory issues (mostly to clothing), which comes prior to the ocd.

 

I hope you are continuing to heal!

[thereishope]

When it's strep, we've had a tell tale meltdown or rage. Then we get the OCD and everything else. The severity , overall symptoms and duration has varied even with the same trigger of strep.

 

Whne he reacted to non-strep triggers, it was not as bad. It was more mild OCD but no rages or meltdowns. Then as time wen on when he had a virus, it was jsut some heightened emotions.

 

And,no, with strep it is not boom...gone. It's gradual. The rages and meltdowns have subsided earlier in the exacerbations. OCD being one of the last things to fully go away.

[dcmom]

Oh- we did have BOOM ! everything gone with PEX (for both), but other than that, a slower in reverse order healing.

[MomWithOCDSon]

Do you notice this is in your children? My PANDAS episodes vary in severity depending on what causes them- they start with an anxious feeling, then the OCD comes, then the tics, and then the anger. If I have a cold, its just an anxious feeling. In full blown PANDAS episode I have all 4. As I get better its not just BOOM gone.... first the anger disapears, then the tics, then the OCD and last the anxiety. Its like a step by step idk what to call it but does anyone else have this?

 

I think our DS14's exacerbation experience travels along a very similar road to yours, with the exception of tics, which he really doesn't seem to have. But first, yes, that anxious feeling, followed by increasing OCD, and then anger. The anger is new for him . . . part of his teenage maturation, I think. In his younger years, we'd see despair rather than anger, but now he's mad at everybody and everything that serve as triggers.

 

His anger is beginning to fade now, finally, and we see a slight lessening of the OCD and general anxiety, as well. But if this "healing period" follows suit to the previous two, both of those will very slowly diminish over time, and the anxiety will be the last thing to "leave the building."

 

Thanks for summing it up so clearly; I honestly hadn't thought of it before, but now it helps me see a light at the end of the tunnel.

[TexasDad]

DS16 presents the same way minus the anger (fortunately). At it's worst, he would have severe anxiety bordering on psychosis. As he was healing, he would have bouts of sadness (just felt sad and would cry, no real reason). I'll substitute sadness for the anger/rages I've read so much about any day.