What does better when ill mean?

[sandree]

Hi,

 

I am am a homeopath with a daughter diagnosed with Aspergers and OCD. Quite a while ago, I ruled out PANDAS for my daughter because there was no clear connection with strep but I continue to wonder about that. In the last couple of weeks the whole family has been sick with something viral, and I think that my son and I have had strep. Jaime rarely gets sick and usually only very mildly even when the rest of us are more seriously affected. This time she got a head cold, pretty mild, but she said that her OCD was improved during her cold. So, once again, I am wondering if there is a connection with infection. That when her body mounts a normal immune reaction, it I proves the OCD?

 

What is the meaning of feeling improved during a virus, and what would that indicate about possible PANDAS etc? I am treating myself with a very aggressive homeopathic protocol that A.U. Ramakrishnan, a homeopath from India proposes for strep (strep nosode plus high potency Sulphur homeopathic). I am already feeling improved. I think I have had a lingering infection from a couple of years ago as I have an enlarged tonsil that has never gone away since I had tonsillitis at that time.

 

I am just trying to figure out if my daughter's response would warrant trying this protocol with her. When she was tested for strep quite a while ago, the tests were negative.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Sandy Seaman

[Missmom]

Just FYI, my son usually does not test positive on the rapid tests for strep, and is sometimes not symptomatic with strep. So don't put a lot of faith in those rapid tests. Also, he had the flu this past October and his pandas symptoms improved as he was fighting off the virus. I even think some of the improvements continued even after the flu was better. I think it helps to let the immune system if it can handle fighting off some viruses. Hope you figure it all out.

[rowingmom]

My DD11 has PANS reactions to viral and bacterial infections, primarily caused by lyme/bartonella. Before we began treatment 1.5 years ago she would react to infection with an increase in motor ticcing, age regressive behaviour and an inability to socially interact (along with other PANDAS symptoms), unless there was a fever involved. Fever would result in a decrease in all symptoms, including bartonella long bone pain and motor ticcing. She would be out tearing around on her bike with a fever, any other time her shin pain would restrict her activity.

 

My thought is that when fever is involved, the immune system is perhaps (at least for a while) reacting in a proper manner.

 

DD11 doesn't often have fevers, not even during strep infections, which she is quite non reactive to. No terrible sore throat, fever, even white spots on tonsils are missing. The two times she has tested positive for strep, I have had to insist on the swab, the doctor not thinking it necessary.

 

With treatment, her flares during infection have dramatically decreased. We also don't see the large decrease in symptoms during a fever any more either - but that could be because her symptoms have resolved to a low level.

[sandree]

When my daughter went dramatically downhill, it began with severe stomach pain, not throat pain, and at that time the pediatrician suggested we should stop gluten. We did that, then saw gastro (unfortunately in the wrong order). Gastro said to start gluten again so he could test for celiac. At that time when we started gluten again, I remember stomach pain with a small, red raised rash, I think on her arms. Now I wonder if that could have been strep without the throat symptoms and because we were focused on the stomach issue, no one tested for strep. Because she did have all the sensory sensitivities and black rage begin at that time and eventually was diagnosed with Aspergers, OCD, sensory sensitivities.. Gastro found nothing with testing. She has improved a lot with homeopathy but the OCD persists. This mention of it receding with getting sick is really the only thing that has impacted it. Makes me think...

 

Sandy

[sandree]

There also was an insect bite before that, I think a tick that did not really heal for a couple of years. No rash around that. Would get irritated and a scab would form and fall off. Has finally healed now. Had another insect bite before that and had hives daily for at least a month. Before that had strep, and was given penicillin and had a rash from the penicillin.... Who is the homeopath that you work with?

 

Sandy

[ChrissyD]

When my son was sick with influenza two years ago, every time his fever rose, his Aspergers traits went away...good eye contact, speech was improved, sociability improved, less sensory issues etc. doesn't seem to happen with bacterial infections w/ fever though, only viral.

Now that he developed PANDAS we saw a similar improvement when given IV steroids...he again improved beyond what we knew to be his baseline to about 125%. Sadly, like when the fever subsides, we saw a regression when the steroids wore off. We are in the midst of setting up IVIG. Praying we get same effect but more long term.

[rowingmom]

There also was an insect bite before that, I think a tick that did not really heal for a couple of years. No rash around that. Would get irritated and a scab would form and fall off. Has finally healed now. Had another insect bite before that and had hives daily for at least a month. Before that had strep, and was given penicillin and had a rash from the penicillin.... Who is the homeopath that you work with?

 

Sandy

We are working with a LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) that uses several herbal antibacterial and homeopathic detox remedies along with abx in our daughter's treatment for lyme and coinfections.

Edited January 17, 2013 by rowingmom

[Dedee]

My daughter had a virus and ran very high fever in December. She had a near complete remission of symptoms during the time she was running the high fever. I spoke to her Integrative Medicine practitioner about this and she said that was not unusual. She said that many autistic children will also see improvement of symptoms during times of high fever. She did not know the reason. Sure would be great if we could capture this response and bottle it somehow. For us, as soon as the virus and fever resolved everything reversed and our daughter had a remission that took a few weeks to work through. Definitely something to it though.

 

Dedee

[ChrissyD]

Dr Harumi Jyonouchi has a theory about it. She told me it's most likely to occur with fever due to influenza and chicken pox. Something about resetting the immune pathway. She's very academic so it's hard to follow her sometimes.

Also Dr Hollander is doing a study of autistics that display this febrile response phenomenon; looking at the immune-inflammatory response and the inhibition of pro inflammatory cytokines (using whipworm parasites).

[BoyIowa]

My dd, 5 with PANDAS for less than a year, got the nasty flu this year (and shared it with me). Fever spiked at 102.5 and she slept a lot. As the fever came down and she was up and about, she was so caring and sweet and no screaming or crying or anxiety and everything didn't have to be a certain way.

[WorriedDADNMOM]

For us, many improvements after a high fever. No ASD diagnosis, but pretty sure somewhere on the scale. Don't really care at this point. Doing pretty well with DAN protocol. Hopeful things will improve.