Can emotional upset cause tourettes to move to another muscle group?

[The7roses]

Hi all,

 

It's been quite some time since I posted here as all has been going well with my son, Devyn. I do have a question that I need some type of answer to, though. I have read that it is possible for tourettes to go from simple to severe due to an emotional upset. I read a post a while back that said the the child's grandmother died and the tics went from simple facial tics to the arms and legs and this little girl had no control over her extremities after that as she was so close to her grandmother and was traumatized by her death. I also read that the emotional upset from a divorce or even going from elementary to junior high can cause this to happen. I would like your feedback on this as it is a question I need an answer to. Thanks to you all!

[Irena]

Hi,

 

Stress is a powerfull tic trigger. Only yesterday I talked to a mother whose 9-year old son has severe tic problems. She just started looking to natural approach and heal his body, not just fight tics.

 

But a year ago when he was still on drugs his tics seemed to be under control. They were very mild, absolutely not noticable at school. One day he had most unpleasent incident at school being accused by the teacher of doing something that he had not done, grabbed and virtually thrown out of the classroom . The same day ALL kind of tics developed in full blown!

 

Irena

[evie]

I'm not sure about tics moving to different muscle groups, but I certainly notice that any time my son is upset, nervous or stressed out - his eye blinking gets pretty intense. There is definitely a connection there.

Good luck with whatever you may be dealing with now!

[Sunshine]

Stress is a definite trigger for my son. In fact, right now, his tic is a little whistle when he speaks. He is a bit of an introvert, and his whistle is more pronounced when he's talking to an adult or a small crowd of people. He is very sensitive, and I think he finds it a bit stressful to be 'in the spotlight', and so he tics more during the conversation.

 

Although stress plays a huge role in my son's tics, I don't believe it is the root of his problem. I believe that a strep virus compromised his immune system, and allergies, yeast, and perhaps other factors are the root of his tics. We do, however, try to minimize his stress levels. Last year my husband and I blamed ourselves for his tics, as the doctors told us that is was all anxiety. We knew that we led a busy life, and could, of course, find all sorts of reasons to believe that we contributed to his stress. We now realize that we are not to blame.

[Chemar]

Hi Roses

 

yes, stress and anxiety and even good excitement have always been a very big tic trigger for my son.

 

I am not sure I would classify the waxing of new tics as "moving to a new muscle group" tho....rather just that the focus moves from one location to another, just as sometimes the vocal tics may be up and the motor ones down and vv.

[Sydsmom]

For my daughter it's definitely stress and large crowds. At her back to school night last week there was a Book Fair and it was so crowded and so many people and I think she was a little nervous and a little embarassed to be hanging with mom and she had a little melt down. Her tics came out in full force. After we got home and she settled down all was ok. Back to "normal" meaning some subtle tics that I hardly notice anymore. They are there but subtle.

 

Lisa

[kfen]

This may sound dumb, but how do you try to reduce stress? I've noticed this in my son as well, but don't know of a way to shelter him from anything that may stress him out. He is also a worrier, so at times I feel he brings on stress when everything is calm?

[Chemar]

kfen

I find that my son de-stresses very well in an Epsom Salts bath. It always seems to calm him.

If he is in hyper stress mode, I take him for an acupuncture/massage/reflexology session, which is his #1 favorite treatment...always shows tremendous and immediate benefit both for his tics and for his general demeanor and health.

 

He finds GABA helpful for anxiety and the 5HTP that helps him with OCD also seems to have a calming effect.

 

Magnesium, which is so very important in tic control, is also calminative. And dont forget the tried and tested calming effect of deep and slow breathing!

[Andy]

My son is doing fantastic.

However, a lack of sleep...getting sick.....and stress from his grandmother dying and a visit to the dentist office did set off his tics again for short durations before becoming subdued.

[Sydsmom]

In our family the stress reduced greatly when I learned to deal with my stress and try to not project it onto the kids. So the #1 thing I did was quit working. I'm lucky to be able to do that. So for us, it first started with me looking at myself and what I was causing.

 

For both my kids - who are both worriers too - when I see them getting worked up we stop and sit and talk about things. We pray a lot and "give it up". Sometimes for my younger son we imagine that we are "blowing" the worries away. Sounds weird but it works for him and gets him laughing. Other times for my son I'll have him just full on punch his pillow. Yes, some may think it's violent but he doesn't punch anything else and I've made it a safe thing for him to do and let go of frustration. Again, after a while he usually ends up laughing because he finds it silly that he's punching his pillow. I also try hard to not over-schedule them and often make choices to not do something because it will be too much. With Syd the other night at the book fair when she started to get overwhelmed I just ignored it. In the past I would over analyze and stress her out more by trying to change her and how she was reacting. I didn't react and she ended up being ok.

 

I think Chemar's methods sound great and should try them with Syd. I'll sometimes tickle their backs to relax them too. Unfortunately, we can't shelter them as you stated Kfen, but we can look for ways to aid them in dealing with it.

 

Lisa

[kfen]

Interesting comments, I can see how me worrying about him dealing with a situation could add to his situation. I, and I'm sure all of you only want to help when your child is not doing well. But I'm sure my son know when I sence he's not doing well, which is probably stessing him out. I remember when I was at his age, and wanted my parents to be proud, not that we're not, but his preception could be that. Thanks for Everyone's comments, for me that have really helped me a lot. I was a bit of a "basket case" when my sons tics/tourettes waxed to the point that we felt he needed help to deal with them. It's great to have a place to get this kind of support.

[Chemar]

kfen

honestly, NOTHING is a bigger trigger for my son than me being anxious, or commenting on his tics, OCD or stress etc. He has a built in radar and can sense immediately when I am worried about him so I have had to really learn over the years to mask my concerns and keep a very nonchalant attitude. Even giving him his supplements has evolved into my just having them waiting in a small cup at the table for him and when he has his meal he just takes them. NO reminders from mom etc It isnt easy but it is very necessary. if you ask anyone with TS they will likely agree that having anyone look at them or comment when they tic sets them off BIG TIME!