Childhood Tic

[Irena]

Hi Marianne!

 

Big hug from yet another part of the world - Poland. I'm glad you have found this place. Finding it made all the difference for us. My son is 12. He had some occasional tics (blinking) in his preschool years but it was only two years ago that I noticed that he had tics. Now he's pretty well and I am learnig not to allow tics dominate our life and my relationshiop with my wonderful son.

 

C.P. I also used to tell my son to hold his breath when he was getting his guitar out of the car boot when I was dropping him for an electric guitar lesson. I don't do it any more because.... I told my older son (tic free) to do it

 

Irena

[Marianne]

Hi Chemar,

 

Thankyou for the reassurance . I feel i have already made alot of progress just from the great information that you and everyone has been giving me. Fortunatley like you say, we have great doctors, but in regards to the treatment given, it is totally up to us as parents to make that decision.

 

Thankyou for the great hug, it's really made me feel like there is hope at the end of the tunnel, THANKYOU AGAIN!!!!

 

Marianne

[Marianne]

Hi all,

 

You know, i have been truly blessed to find great caring people like you all!!!!, THANKYOU, THANKYOU, is all i can say to each one of you .

I woke up this morning and was overwhelmed with all your wonderful advice.

 

To answer your questions Faith, My son has been rolling his eyes on and off for the last year and a half. He only started doing it since his younger brother was born. I just thought that it was an insecurity thing. There can be times that he will not do it at all for like 6 months straight. Just last saturday he started rolling his eyes right up and shrugging his shoulders and also doing this thing with his jaw, it really looks scary. I only just started him on these vitamins just on Sunday, so it's been 3 days now that he has been taking it;

 

Magnesium twice a day

Evening Primrose Oil Once a day

Fish oil twice a day

Vitamin B Complex half a tablet a day

Centrum Multivitamins and Minerals Once a day

 

It's made a big difference already, his ticcing is less intense. He is not as hypo as before, like i said, he is a very active child. The only thing i'm not sure about is that, everytime i give him the Centrum Multi, he seems to be doing it more. Looking at the ingredients of the Centrum vitamins, it contains, flavouring could that be making him tic more?. Maybe i will try and not give it to him today. He has been on Fish oil for about 3 years already. Do you think maybe that is what is making him tic as well. I have heard that some kids can't take the fish oil and it makes the ticcing worst. Do any of you know if giving a child Evening Primrose Oil for a long period is a bad thing?. Can you all tell how lost i am with this!!!!, geeez, sometimes it's just too much to all take in. But like you all say, one step at a time.

Also with his diet, i have taken him off Cows milk and now he is on Lactose free milk. I have taken him off pretty much most of the junk food. It's so hard because he keeps asking if he can have lollies and stuff, i just keep telling him that it's just not good for him. He really doesn't understand.

 

Lenny, its ok!, if it makes you feel better, honestly, you can seriousy tell me anything, i don't mind

 

You know, just today, he told me that there are some kids in his class asking him why he does those things with his eyes and shoulders.

What do i tell him?, I'ts just heartbreaking

 

Anyway, i just think today is another day, gotta be positive for him and me. I know that things will get better in time. Also with the love and support you all have given me, it really helps alot, so THANKYOU ALL AGAIN

 

I will keep you all updated with his progress

 

Marianne

[John]

Hi Marianne

 

The link that I gave you in my last post was not a link to another web site. It was the link to the thread that I started on this forum when my son started rolling his eyes.

 

Please please click on it and read my thread. You will see that I was going through almost identiaclly what you are.

 

It may also help you in helping your son respond to the questions or teasing at school. You wil see what we did and it worked very well.

 

Have a read and get back to me with any questions.

[Caryn]

Hi Marianne

 

Hi and welcome!

 

You mentioned something about your son ticking more when you give him the Centrum. . Hydrolyzed protein is a raw ingredient added to the Vitamin E that is found in some Centrum products. The hydrolyzed protein is derived from corn. In our case, we were giving my son CoreOmega fish oil pudding packs and it wasn't until recently that I realized they were made with corn starch. We later found out that my son is very intolerant to corn. (It is a very strong tick trigger for him and even the most delicate amount will cause him to shrug his shoulders or shake his head back and forth.)

 

If you can get a good food intolerance test that may help you decide what his triggers are. If not, keep a log of what you feed him and then maybe you can piece together what his triggers are over time. According to Sheila Roger's book the four main tic triggers are: milk, wheat, eggs, and corn. Our ds is intolerant to wheat, eggs, and corn. I'm not sure how prevalent corn is in food products down under, but here in middle America it is in everything!

 

Caryn

 

P.S. for what it is worth, Centrum is a multi that is made from synthetic ingredients and we were advised not to use a vitamin made from synthetics or fillers. We are currently using Bontech, made in the USA.

[Chemar]

Marianne

as far as I know, Centrum, in addition to being full of much synthetic stuff, also contains artificial coloring, which is known to be a BIG tic trigger as well as a trigger for other neuro issues like hyperactivity, OCD, rages etc

[Marianne]

Hi Caryn/Chemar,

 

Thanks for the great advice. I never gave my son Centrum today and the ticcing wasn't as bad as yesterday when i gave it to him. I think i will definately ask the dr for a food intolerance test. At least that way i will know what is triggering it. Caryn, i think America is just like Australia when it comes to food products. Almost everything here has corn and Wheat in it as well.

 

How do i know what multi's are not synthetic ingredients?, do any of you know what products i can purchase from here in Australia that do not contain those ingredients?. I don't think i can purchase Bontech Products as that is only based in the US.

 

John, thanks for the link, i have been reading and still am. There is alot to take in like you said. I'm just reading it slowly.

 

Thanks heaps you guys, i wouldn't know what i would do without you all

 

Marianne

[patty]

Marianne,

 

Welcome to the forum. I understand and sympathize what you are going thru. I too have been in your shoes and felt somehow i am the cause of my son's tics. Let me tell you, if you have found this forum, you are a caring & concern mother. One of the most important things i learned is not to be a tic watcher. It will cause you & your child anxiety. Afterall, you are the care taker for your child, you will need the energy to care for your child. And remember, things do get better. I am very hopeful that this is something that my son will outgrow as we are using alternative treatments, his asthma since birth is gone.

 

There is a wealth of info here. You will find what you are looking for.

 

Patty

[Marianne]

Hi Patty,

 

Thanks for the comment. This forum is a great source of information regarding tic's. People are so helpful and caring. I try so hard not to watch him, but i think as a mother it just comes naturally when there is something wrong with your child. The last few days that i have been chatting with you and others on this forum has really helped me pick myself up again. I feel more positve now, and like you i totally believe that he will outgrow it as well.

 

I'm glad to hear that your son's asthma is gone. My son also suffers from asthma ocassionally depending with the weather here in Australia. Pollen levels are very high here. Thank goodness he has only had one bad experience with it and it is under control at the moment.

 

Thanks again

Marianne

[John]

Glad to hear your reading my thread Marianne. In time you will come to terms withwhat is going on and I must re-iterate, please try not to watch for his tic and please try not to let it dominate your life. The more you let it bother you the more it will bother him.

 

Back when this first started in January I was out shopping and I saw this girl about 13 yrs old out shopping with her mum. It was during the school time.

 

This girl suffered from Psoriosis and her whole face, hair, hands, every inch of flesh was covered in scabs and pieces of skin flaking off. Some parts were bleeding from scratching and her shoulders were covered in flakes of skin. Her skinn was also covered in ointment to help elivioate the itching flaking etc.

 

Everyone stared at this poor girl, as it really did look terrible. My heart went out to her and her mother, and it effected me deeply. I felt such pity for them that even now my thoughts and prayers go out to them.

 

My point here is when I got out of the shop I thanked god for given my son a tic and not what that poor girl had. I went home and told my wife how bloody lucky we are and still think that to this day.

 

Keep your chin up, at times its like a roller coaster ride. You will have your highs and lows but always remember you are not alone here and nor are your children

[Marianne]

Hi John,

 

Thanks for sharing that experience with me. It breaks my heart at any time when i know that any child is suffering from any kind of illness, because they are so innocent and it saddens me that they are afflicted with illness. The poor girl, everyone was staring at her. My heart goes out to her and her mother as well. I have a friend who has a daughter with the same problem. Luckily she has outgrown it.

 

It's already been a rollercoaster ride for my little boy and i, on and off for the last year and a half. I think yesterday was our best day. He hardly did any tic's at all. I didn't give him any Centrum Multi for kids or Fish oil. It seems everytime i give him either, it really triggers his ticcing alot. So far so good, i will probably give the fish oil in about a weeks time to see what happens. If he starts ticcing bad again, then it's probably that. I have been monitoring his food everyday for the last 2 weeks as well. I have also been doing relaxation with him by breathing and body massage everynight before bedtime. I think that has helped in alot of ways.

I truly believe that this tic problem that our children have is just temporary and is something they will outgrow.

 

I have read through your thread and am shocked how your doctor was reluctant to do any testing. At least you were firm with him and he agreed to do them anyway. I wonder how our Ped will be. When i took my son to our local GP, he was not helpful at all. We were probably in there for less than 5 minutes. The only questions he asked me was, how long has he been doing it and are there any verbal tics as well. That's it. It just seemed to me that he was so uninterested. This Sunday i am going to take him to another doctor just to get another opinion before the appt with the Ped this Wednesday. I am trying my hardest to keep my chin up.

 

I will let you and all know how it goes.

 

Thanks heaps again

 

Marianne

[John]

Good luck with the Ped Marianne but please dont get your hopes up.

 

Most Drs & Peds are only interested and believe in things that are medically and scientifically proven. In there book TS etc can only be treated with strong drugs. Even Drs that study TS dont want to hear about Tic triggers, stress realated issues etc.

 

Im not trying to rain on your parade, I just dont want you to get your hopoes up.

 

Be prepared to battle to get these tests done, and dont let the b*****ds get you down

[Marianne]

Hi Everyone!!

 

It's been a while. I've been so busy with my son!, spending quality time with him. I gotta say that the Ped appt was a waste of time. I was basically in there for like not even 10 minutes. She was a real B*tch to my son. I just found her so rude and totally not interested at all. She only weighed him, Measured his height and checked his blood pressure. At the time of the appt, i have to say that my son had improved from his tics about 95% better. He hardly did it at all at the time. She did not recommend medication on my son which was probably a good thing. When i asked her about natural therapy, she just said that nothing works. I then told her that i have him on Natural Supplements and she just thinks its other things that is making him better, like me spending more time with him. I totally believe that the vitamins he is taking is working, i hardly see a tic at all now. Like you said John, not to get my hopes up when i go there. I just kept thinking about what you said. It's so true how they just brush you off the topic. She told me that if he doesn't improve within the next few weeks, then to consider puting him on medication. I guess it's their easy way out!

 

Anyway, i think i have my son's tic's under control. Its been a month now that i have been monitoring what he eats. I now know the certain things that trigger it. He cannot tolerate Full Cream Milk. Even just a little bit will trigger tics for the next few days. Baked Bean is another tic trigger for him. I feel so bad for him coz he loves baked beans so much. Other things with any colouring will also tirgger it too. It's funny though, when i give him chocolate, it doesn't affect him at all. So i've just been really careful with what he eats now. I always check the ingredients with everything he eats. It's a hard job, but it's worth it!

 

For the first time last week he did his news for school, i got him to practice at home and you know what, he didn't tic not even once. Even though he was really nervous, he never did not one tic. His school even got him to do public speaking at their school assembly, he did really well. At the moment i'm really happy!, i can see such a big improvement with my little boy already.

 

Thankyou to all of you for your great advice, i would have not gotten this far if it werent for all of you, so THANKYOU AGAIN!!

[faith]

Hi Marianne

It is so nice to hear your heart smiling again, and so glad your son is doing well.

 

Of course, (as is my usual MO) I must ask a few questions of you!

 

Could I ask how long after you eliminated certain things (especially the fish oil) did you notice improvement? When you say certain foods, i.e. milk, beans, etc., triggered more ticcing, did you just assume because he had consumed that recently, or did you challenge it a few times (I mean, had you seen the same thing happen everytime he had milk or whatever?) I have some suspect foods and stuff, but I am always too scared to deliberately try a real challenge test, I get too worked up when he flairs up. I really want to put him back on fish oil, but am worried, as I don't positively know if this causes flair up, but it seems to when I was using it, so I just don't. Also, I noticed on other post you said he takes Evening Primrose Oil? How long have you given that, and does he do well on it? But does that have Omega 3 or just Omega 6?

 

Thanks

Faith

[Marianne]

Hi Faith,

 

Sorry it has taken me so long to reply, i replied back the day after you sent me a message, but as i went to send it, my internet went down. Since then i've been having problems getting into this website. Finally i got in today.

Anyway to answer you question. I have been giving my son fish oil for about a year and a half. I was thinking that maybe that is the reason he was ticcing in the first place. I basically took him off all junk foods, fresh milk and other Dairy products. I noticed a difference straight away. He was much more calm and his ticcing reduced. Milk really affects him in a big way. If i give him just one glass of milk, he can tic for 2 days straight. The best way for me to test and see what was making him tic was by giving him one thing at a time. With my son, if i give him something his body can't handle, he will tic almost straight away. It's amazing because it's like a switch for him. I know how you feel when you say you are scared of the flare ups. I felt the same way too, but i just really wanted to see what triggered his tic's. My son has been on Evening Primrose Oil for a month now with positive results. It has really helped him to calm down. He hasen't had a nightmare since, nor sleepwalked. its really helped him to sleep at night. I think the combination of vitamins he is taking along with eliminating the foods that make him tic, has made a huge improvement with not just his tics but also his behaviour in general.

You mentioned that when you give your son fish oil it seems to make him tic. I think your son is like mine, he probably can't tolerate it. Have you tried Flaxseed oil?, thats suppose to be rich in omega, 3,6 and 9 oils and is plant derived. Why don't you try that. Or you can just give him EPO. It only contains Omega 6. Though it still has a good affect on my son.

See how you go and let me know. Hope things get better for you too.

 

Thanks a heap again

Marianne