Sniffing Tic for 14 months not sure what to do

[kipster]

Hi Everyone

 

I am from Australia and have found this forum informative and a comfort. I do not seem to be able to find where to turn to next with my 5 1/2 year old son.

 

He started constantly sniffing in November 06, not knowing what it was I took him to the GP who said it was a tic and to ignore it, saying it will eventually go away. Well 14 months later he is still sniffing and he is also wiping his mouth regularly. He has a social anxiety disorder which we have worked on and improved and I notice his tic worsens when he is tired or excited. Another thing I notice is that every time he yawns he has to sniff. Is this a compulsion?

 

I have not taken him to a neurologist as I do not know what else they will tell me other than what I already know and I really want to treat this naturally. I guess I just wanted to see if someone could point me in the direction of where to start and if anyone has any referrals to therapists/doctors from Brisbane Australia who they know can guide me in the right way.

 

I do watch his diet and he has no preservatives or colours. I have him on Omega 3 and a magnesium supplement with taurine and Vitamin B in it that our Chiropractor recommended. It is called Endura Max and he has half the required adult dose. The Chriopractor did do a kinesiology allergy test on him and said he was intolerant to cows milk and a little wheat. I am not sure on the validity of this and wondered if I should get a proper diagnosis?

 

Thanks so much for reading. I guess I am daunted by all of this and because he starts school soon I just wanted to help him as much as I can.

 

Kylie

[Chemar]

Hi Kylie

 

just wanted to welcome you and encourage you to keep doing the good stuff you have already implemented. Its the steady perseverance that brings the most consistently good results.

 

I have a friend on another board, Lara, who is from OZ and will ask her if she knows of any docs in your area.

 

 

 

I know that with TS, tics and obsessions/compulsions can freqently overlap and so yes, the yawn/sniff tic may well be a compulsion triggered tic , or a tic triggered compulsion....something I have frequently observed in my son and that a doctor once showed me a lot of research on.

 

Honestly, as is being discussed on another thread here, a formal diagnosis is often hard to come by, and even when given one, it can sometimes be flat wrong, as many docs tend to give a TS dx when often other factors are triggering the tics.

 

as you have likely read here, many have found that their kids tic due to an autoimmune condition brought about by strep bacteria (PANDAS) and others have found food allergies to be the culprit, etc etc.

Some have many different issues working together to cause the tics.

 

It can be very overwhelming to implement the many things we discuss here at first, but taking it a day at a time and step by step really is the best way.

 

I am sure you will get a lot of input from the other members who truly have a wealth of knowledge and experience.

 

dont hesitate to keep asking questions

 

I will let you know if Lara has any info re docs in your area

[kipster]

Thank you so much Chemar for the welcome and your words of encouragement. We do not have TS or OCD in our family history which is why I am baffled by how the tics are triggered. Maybe it is PANDAS? What would I see in him if this were the case and can you test for this?

 

I find it hard to believe that my son would have TS because from what I understand it is an inherited disorder?

 

I also saw in our local directory that Neurofeedback could help with tics. What is Neuroffedback and should I consider it?

 

Thanks again

Kylie

[Tattoomom]

Thank you so much Chemar for the welcome and your words of encouragement. We do not have TS or OCD in our family history which is why I am baffled by how the tics are triggered. Maybe it is PANDAS? What would I see in him if this were the case and can you test for this?

 

I find it hard to believe that my son would have TS because from what I understand it is an inherited disorder?

 

I also saw in our local directory that Neurofeedback could help with tics. What is Neuroffedback and should I consider it?

 

Thanks again

Kylie

 

Hi Kylie,

 

I understand where your coming from. Our ds has had bouts with tics but TS doesn't run in our family. We have noticed a complete connection between his tics and food allergies. He's on a gf/cf diet now.

 

He was checked for PANDAS when his tics started. Basically, the doctor runs a strep antibody titer check to see if the child has had strep throat recently. Those with PANDAS will have a very high number of antibodies. (My child had none! He's never even had strep throat!) But the kids who have are treated with antibiotics to see if the tics subside.

 

Someone dealing with PANDAS will be able to give you a lot more info! I'm not familiar with Neurofeedback?

 

Tricia