hallucinations

[Kimiejoe]

My DS 7 1/2 had mostly auditory hallucinations - his brain would tell him things, mostly negative. Sometimes, however, these were more severe; such as stabbing mom. He knows right from wrong, & is just terrified when he tells me about the "talk". When things with his PANDAS got really bad, he began having visual hallucinations - seeing spider monsters crawl up into the ceiling; seeing friends with their heads off their body. Since he has had IVIG, most of these symptoms have disappeared - except for the occasional brain talk. Yet it hasn't been as bad as it was.

I think this behavior is more common than one might think, in PANDAS patients. It's not something you really want to discuss with anyone, as they look at you & your child as if something is drastically wrong with him. My best answer is that I comfort him & let him know I believe in him & what he is telling me.

[gunillafromsweden]

It is probably as you say, that people don't talk about it. From the answers here it doesnt seem that uncommon with auditory and visual hallucinations (and Susan Swedo mentions hallucinations among possible symptoms). Also, I would guess, smaller children with PANDAS cant really tell if they are hallucinating, oth becuase of language skills but also because it takes a certain level of cognition and having begun drawing a line between imagination and reality to know that you are hallucinating.

[oivay]

My daughter did have what I guess you could describe as hallucinations one night. Both kids had just had some sort of viral thing, and she suddenly became obsessed with the idea that the stripes on the floor were going to get her. (We have hardwood floors.) She was absolutely terrified of stepping on the floor and made me carry her, which wasn't easy. I had to spread comforters to make paths for her to get to her room. We doubled her dose of zithromax so she was on 2 per day for about 10 days and loaded her up on motrin. The hallucinations had stopped by the next day, but then she began stuttering, which lasted almost a week.

 

I have heard of one other kid who also had pandas & sydenham's having pretty severe hallucinations. Both of them are pretty much normal since having PEX.

[P_Mom]

....and Sammy (of Saving Sammy) had to step over beams he "saw." Hallucinations are far from rare in PANDAS. Don't let any doc tell you it must not be PANDAS if hallucinations are involved....at this point, such statements can't be made by anyone...any doc. There are too many unknowns.

[colleendonny]

My DD5 had these at onset at age 4, and still sometimes. She's still young, so it's hard to differenciate whether some of her intrusive thoughts may be hallucinations.

I also think this can be a pretty common symptom of PANS, but one that is less talked about.

I was also thinking of Sammy and the laser beams which somebody else mentioned.

 

Hang in there.