How the mind of a PANDAS parent works...

[airial95]

I'm getting my son ready for "school" this morning, and I notice he's hopping on one foot, every where he goes. I ask him why he's hoping, and his answer is "just because". My heart sinks. I get that sick feeling in my stomach that we're starting over again - he just finished a 90 day rx of cefdinir, we've had a bit of a backslide in OCD since he went off, but nothing significant...now here we go again.

 

I'm fighting back tears as I watch him hopping all around, trying to will myself the strentgh and mental fortitude to deal with this yet again...when my daughter walks in the room, sees my son hopping and says "oh, does your boo boo still hurt?"

 

What??? Apparently, my son scraped the bottom of his foot last night, cutting it open, and he's not walking on it because of the boo boo - that's why he's hopping. Nothing PANDAS related, just an overly dramatic 3 year old with a boo boo.

 

I couldn't help but laugh as I told my husband about the misunderstanding...only a PANDAS parent would understand that roller coaster of emotion I was on for that 10 minutes this morning!!

[lfran]

Oh yes.

 

About a year or so ago, when my son was 7 or 8, he started "rev-ving up" before walking or running. Very complicated action. After several days of a sinking heart, I mentioned "you know, it doesn't really make you go faster -- it's not like the cartoons". "Oh", he replied -- and we never saw it again.

 

What's sad is that we can't just enjoy the "kid" moments -- *everything* has a secondary meaning to us.

 

I'm getting my son ready for "school" this morning, and I notice he's hopping on one foot, every where he goes. I ask him why he's hoping, and his answer is "just because". My heart sinks. I get that sick feeling in my stomach that we're starting over again - he just finished a 90 day rx of cefdinir, we've had a bit of a backslide in OCD since he went off, but nothing significant...now here we go again.

 

I'm fighting back tears as I watch him hopping all around, trying to will myself the strentgh and mental fortitude to deal with this yet again...when my daughter walks in the room, sees my son hopping and says "oh, does your boo boo still hurt?"

 

What??? Apparently, my son scraped the bottom of his foot last night, cutting it open, and he's not walking on it because of the boo boo - that's why he's hopping. Nothing PANDAS related, just an overly dramatic 3 year old with a boo boo.

 

I couldn't help but laugh as I told my husband about the misunderstanding...only a PANDAS parent would understand that roller coaster of emotion I was on for that 10 minutes this morning!!

Edited June 14, 2011 by lfran

[JAG10]

Well, this is more of an SLP thing than a pandas thing.... I remember my then 3yo sitting behind me in our minivan. All of a sudden, she catches my eye in the rear view mirror as she starts flapping her hand rapidly back and forth as she rocked forward. WHAT are you doing?!?! I start to scream. Nothing, mommy. I'm just playing with the shadows from the sun on the back of your seat.

 

She learned young; no flapping allowed.

[lmkmip67]

LOL Oh, thank you for the chuckle. It is so true, isn't it? My poor 7 year old was playing with his bey blades the other day and was making some sort of a sound before he would launch them. I thought, oh no, another new vocal tic. I, of course, asked him why he was making that sound. He said that is the sound they make on the show, or that is what they sound like when they launch. Same thing. lol haven't heard it since, obviously. Kids will hop, play with shadows and make play noises without it having to do with anything besides just being a kid. But a PANDAS parent is always on alert for new symptoms, it seems.

[Lynn777]

What a great post, I'm so glad it isn't just me! My poor son can't do anything - cough, hiccup, make faces, etc. I try not to ever say anything, but my heart always goes into immediate meltdown.

 

The comment -- "What's sad is that we can't just enjoy the "kid" moments -- *everything* has a secondary meaning to us." it is SO true.