Did anyones's (DD, DS) tics get better withing a year?

[valsmom]

Hello,

i am new to this forum as far as posting. But i have been reading a lot of it. And i need some support , please. Here is my story.

My daughter is going to be 4 in July. She developed some eye blinking tic at around 2 or 2.5 but it went away in a month or so. In december 2011 i noticed head jerking tic and it was pretty bad. It started on Christmas day as she was opening presents. So it looked like it was brought by excitment. We went to her doctor and he said not to worry but also did strep test which came back positive with no symptoms of it. So we thought it was PANDAS but antibiotics didn't help as far as making tics to subside. We went to see Neurologist next and she is thinking they are just tics, and was more concerned about seazures then tics as i showed some video of my DD. The tics where changing all the time from scratching to neck tics, to holdong fonger next to her eye, licking lip, shoulder shrugging, blinking again.She also had humming tic. So after all in the end of february she was left with humming tic that didn't make me upset as much as watching her neck jerking tic. Her neurologist ordered MRI ( came back normal) and EEG(abnormal with some discharge in motor area, but no signs of seuzers). Again she wasn't concerned about tics as my DD was fine at the office. But now neck tic came back and it makes me so upset watching it. Did anyone have DD or DS whos tics where not severe and just turned out to be transient? Does it get better? All i read is TS and nothing much about just transient tics. We don't have any TS history but i myself was stuttering ( severe) from 3.5 to 5 y.o . And had some miner very ocassional stuttering when was very very neurvous. It is all gone since i turned 18 ( 28 now). Is this could be related to tics maybe?

Thank you,

p.s. also sorry for spelling as english is my second language.

[cgarth]

Hi valsmom,

 

It is possible that your daughter has some transient tics (which could come and go for a while and then disappear completley) or she could have Tourettes Syndrome. My 7 year old son has TS. He was diagnosed at age 5. He has had many of the same tics as your daughter. I also usually find the neck jerking/motor tics to be more bothersome (to me)than the vocal tics. Although sometimes the vocal tics are pretty hard to deal with too!

 

These conditions can be tricky and scary at first! Even if she does have TS, it isn't the end of the world. Sometimes it'll feel like it is though! Just remember that your daughter is still the same sweet child she has always been and that her tics are not who she is. They may be a part of her, but they don't define her. I have found that how I handle my son's tics or respond to them makes a HUGE difference in how he deals with them.

 

We don't really mention them( that usually makes them worse if he's worried about them)unless he brings it up. Overall, he handles it all really well and doesn't seem too bothered. I know I worry more about it than him.

 

There are several things you can try to see if they help reduce the tics.

Try giving her fish oil. My son takes 1 tsp of Nordic Naturals kids fish oil every morning.

He also takes a b12 sublingual tablet daily.(in the morning)

Try having her eat gluten free for a few months to see if that helps. Some people have had good results by doing this. Sometimes eliminating dairy from the diet is needed to.

 

Magnesium supplementation is also recommended for tics.

 

Also, reduce or eliminate sugar( as much as possible), avoid any caffeine, artificial flavors, food coloring, MSG, aspartame,and preservatives.

 

Basically just try to eat a healthy diet and very few processed foods.

 

Hope that helps. Hang in there! It will be okay...... =)

[twobit]

Hi.

My son got vocal and motor tics right as he turned 4. They were grunting and running fingers down then in his nose. No meds no nothing except for a few trips to the doc who said wait and see for a year before they would diagnose. I tried all diet supplements, but since the docs said they most probably are transient, we didnt want to go overboard. After a few weeks they went away. Now he is almost 8 and the vocal tics have never come back, but the motor ones come back a few times every year (2-4). We thought it had something to do with stress, but we also think it may be allergies. Nobody knows. What does seem to happen is that they come and go in about a week and in that time he eats like a horse and is very emotional.

You should try the diet and supplements. I hope they work for you. We also do epsom salt baths which help to slow and calm him down.

 

Rob

[valsmom]

Thank you so much for your responds. I do have hope that my DD's tics are transient. We saw allergist and she has no food sensetivities. And as far as diet since she was little we do eat very healthy, but she does love sugar though ( i try to give her fruit based snacks for it ). She takes her vitamins, magnesium ( natural calm), fish oil. She also takes iron ( she was very low on ferritin levels which is the way body stores iron) . She takes iron for night twitches and it seems to help a lot. After all we run so many tests on her and everything seems to be normal but ferretin and EEG. We have an appointment with neurologist on Monday and i will try to talk to her more about tics this time .