ilovedogs Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Hello everyone. I am looking for another starting point. My son, 14, has more severe tics than ever. We've been doing epsom salts baths or magnesium cream nightly as well as natural calm daily. I'm not seeing any positive change for him. He doesn't get any relief as the tics are non-stop all day long and involve his shoulder and head turning so his neck is killing him most days. I do massage on him nightly and he has a chiropractor(there are no NUCCA chirps nearby) and I also get him a weekly massage at our health club. Although those things feel good, they don't relieve the tics. His only 'true' allergies are seasonal allergies and all outdoor. He tested negative to dust, mold, dust mites, etc. I just am so lost and money is tight right now so I am having trouble wanting to find a new naturopath, etc. Years ago I put tons of money and energy into this and got nowhere so I gave up and we just dealt with the symptoms. At this point, I can see that he is starting to hit puberty pretty hard, too. I asked him to cut out soy and if he'd be willing to give up any foods and he said NO. UGH, what do you do with a teenager who complains about the discomfort from the tics but who won't make changes? And, what doesn't help is that I really can't guarantee to him that any changes we make will make a difference to his tics anyway so he doesn't want to make the effort. Any suggestions on where to go from here? What can I do that is small and minimal change wise or supplement wise that won't be too dramatic to him? Seriously, I can't remember being this frustrated by the tics. I honestly can't wait for the next 18 months to be up because he'll have his braces off hopefully and maybe we can rule that out, too. UGH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemar Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Hi Bonnie with all the many anecdotal reports here about orthodontics increasing tics, that may well be the problem. Are his teeth so badly aligned that these braces are an essential? or is it more cosmetic? We declined braces for my son when he was younger for this very reason and his teeth grew out just fine. Honestly, if you are seeing not even a slight benefit from magnesium, then I would wonder whether your son's tics are really TS. As he ticced before the braces, those alone can't be the root cause, tho yes, it does seem they are being a trigge. Did you ever investigate that possible infection connection re PANDAS/PITAND stuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovedogs Posted January 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 No, Cheri, I've never really explored it. I just found a pediatrician who believes in PANDAs whom I might be able to see if I can get the testing covered by insurance. He did have a strep swab test last month and both were negative. Maybe I do need to go that route? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemar Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Strep swab alone is no indicator clear of PANDAS tho Bonnie. I am not sure if the Cunningham test is being offered routinely now? but a while back the PANDAS community seemed to feel it was a very reliable indicator of possible PANDAS, so opening the door for further testing and treatment. Has he ever had strep? tic bite? other persistent viral infections that you are aware of? Remember too that infection stuff is not the only other potential trigger for tics. You have been here a while so likely remember how many different folks have passed though and found so many assorted triggers for their kids tics...but when they addressed the problem, the tics resolved. It can also be TS that is being exacerbated by a specific trigger....I don't remember your possible family history of TS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovedogs Posted January 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Hmm, I really need to re-think the PANDAs thing or something along those lines, I guess. We have no TS anywhere on either side of our families so I didn't think the genetic component was there anyway but I didn't think that all TS was genetic either? He had strep once, after he started tics and nothing changed with his tics or OCD stuff. We don't have tics here in Phoenix and I've never found any on him when we visit back east. I try to keep our visits to cold season when the tics aren't as prevalent. Oh, and to answer the teeth question: yes, his teeth are a mess. When he bites, his top teeth are so far forward that his bottom most molars don't touch any tooth at all. They need to move his whole upper jaw back and move the bottom jaw forward to align the bite. I have a feeling he'll have his braces on for a while, too, because he doesn't wear his bands as much as he should, etc. I've been tempted to have him skip the braces but he was already having tics anyway so I guess I figured I'd just go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemar Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Bonnie have you looked into the TMJ tic connection. There are some people with tics who have found relief when they have treatment to correct misalignment of the trans mandibular joint. Sheila did a piece about this in a recent Latitudes issue and there are some threads here about it. There was a bit of hype about all TS being related to TMJ etc, which is obviously not so...but it does seem that some people tic due to TMJ problems, and if your son has these issues...well maybe this could bring the help he needs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovedogs Posted January 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 Bonnie have you looked into the TMJ tic connection. There are some people with tics who have found relief when they have treatment to correct misalignment of the trans mandibular joint. Sheila did a piece about this in a recent Latitudes issue and there are some threads here about it. There was a bit of hype about all TS being related to TMJ etc, which is obviously not so...but it does seem that some people tic due to TMJ problems, and if your son has these issues...well maybe this could bring the help he needs? I had given this some thought and I actually thought the braces might eventually fix his jaw alignment over time. If anything his bite will be fixed, but I don't know how braces fit into the TMJ thing. I'll do some research on this too. Thanks for the reminder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san70 Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Cheri, If it is indeed TS, are you saying that magnesium should make somewhat of a difference? How long does it generally take for the magnesium to make a difference It's been a while since my son had magnesium but I didn't see a difference. Sans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san70 Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Bonnie, My son is almost 12 and I have seen an increase in his tics. He does not have braces, yet, though I imagine in the next year he will have them. I have seen an increase in his tics. Did your son's tics start to increase around 11 or 12? I'm trying to see if puberty is affecting him. He is physically immature but I know things are changing! Thanks, Sans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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