Need advice...what now?

[ilovedogs]

My ds(9) had started with an eye blinking tic a few months ago. He also had a hair shaking thing going for a bit but that's gone away for now. I started him on a supplement from a company called Floradix, it's a liquid cal mag that also has zinc and vitamin D. I've seen his tics decrease but not go away completely. I am also training him on how to take pills so that I can start adding in supplements.

 

My biggest question is this: Are all tics Tourette's? Are most cases of tics/ts mild cases?

I'm just so scared for him. I was reading some of the stories of kids with OCD and TS and my heart goes out to them. I don't have any of those issues but the more I read about OCD, the more I think my dh might have some issues. I know he's ADHD and he works really hard at controlling it now as an adult. But my mother in law told me that she thinks my father in law has OCD. He's 83 and totally undiagnosed which I find weird, quite frankly.

 

Anyway, I don't want to go into the stories too much here. I will say, though, that ds has always been anxious and suffered from social anxiety and separation anxiety at times. I really want to help him but don't know where to start.

 

So, I want to find out what is an environmental doctor? Are they naturopaths, DO's, alternative medicines, or a combination? How do I find one in Phoenix, AZ? I also want to find out which supplements you all give. Do you do one supplement at a time to see how it's working? Or do you start it all at once? I saw Chemar's list but I'm not sure which brands to buy? Any advice will be welcome, thanks!

[JennyC]

Well I cant help you with the doc thing but no not all tics are TS. There are transient tics which go away, chronic tic disorder where they last more than 6 months and wax and wane, usually decreases as they enter adult hood. I think there is another kind too but I dont remember. To have TS you have to have at least 1 motor tic and 1 vocal tic (they dont have to happen at the same time) for at least a year although Ive read some info that has said 6 months.

 

My daughter Isa was diagnosed with Chronic Multi focal Tic Disorder (so several different tics that are a chronic condition) back in Sept. The doc asked us to keep an eye out for vocal tics but said she may just have a tic disorder alone. Right now it looks like she is starting with vocal tics.

 

I know this is an extremely scary time, I remember how scared I was, I feared for her future, being made fun of etc.

 

We had to take Isa off of Dairy for other medical reasons and what we saw was a HUGE decrease in her tics, seems like she has a problem with Casein (the protein found in dairy), I know some of the other moms on the board have seen changes in doing this with their children. So Isa is off of cows milk and onto soy milk (goats milk has the protein), off of cheese (some soy cheese also has the protein), we use smart balance in place of butter. As far as I know eggs are okay.

 

Sorry didnt mean to rant. I know alot of the other parents on the board can be an amazing source of information for you.

[ilovedogs]

I haven't really gotten to the point of wanting to do elimination diets with him, probably b/c he only has minor tics right now and they don't bother him. If they get worse or change into vocal tics I will probably start looking into diet. Right now I'm focusing on getting him off of any foods with artificial colors, flavors, additives, etc. We were already a pretty healthy family ie: we never ate at McDonalds, don't eat cheetos or doritos or twinkies(my son doesn't even know what a Twinkie tastes like ) I had ds on Juice Plus as a supplement for quite a while but have taken him off b/c I'm going to be starting to limit his salicylates and JP is made with fruit, etc. That's why I'm looking for recommendations of supplements. I want to find stuff that's free and clear of fruits like oranges, grapes, and apples, etc.

JennyC: I'm glad that you figured out that casein was a problem for your daughter. I'm slowly finding out that I have to be a good researcher and investigator now. The problem I have is that I'm great at researching a plan, I'm just terrible at implementing it. I could use a little encouragement in that area!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well I cant help you with the doc thing but no not all tics are TS. There are transient tics which go away, chronic tic disorder where they last more than 6 months and wax and wane, usually decreases as they enter adult hood. I think there is another kind too but I dont remember. To have TS you have to have at least 1 motor tic and 1 vocal tic (they dont have to happen at the same time) for at least a year although Ive read some info that has said 6 months.

 

My daughter Isa was diagnosed with Chronic Multi focal Tic Disorder (so several different tics that are a chronic condition) back in Sept. The doc asked us to keep an eye out for vocal tics but said she may just have a tic disorder alone. Right now it looks like she is starting with vocal tics.

 

I know this is an extremely scary time, I remember how scared I was, I feared for her future, being made fun of etc.

 

We had to take Isa off of Dairy for other medical reasons and what we saw was a HUGE decrease in her tics, seems like she has a problem with Casein (the protein found in dairy), I know some of the other moms on the board have seen changes in doing this with their children. So Isa is off of cows milk and onto soy milk (goats milk has the protein), off of cheese (some soy cheese also has the protein), we use smart balance in place of butter. As far as I know eggs are okay.

 

Sorry didnt mean to rant. I know alot of the other parents on the board can be an amazing source of information for you.

[JennyC]

If you are getting him off of foods with artificial colors, flavors and additives then it sounds like you are already starting to do an elimination diet Take him off of one thing at a time, if you take him off of a few different things at once and see a change in him you wont know exactly which of things was the problem in the first place. Also keep a diary of your childs behaviors, I didnt do this and find myself not remembering exactly how much she was tic ing or how her behavior was a month ago as compared to now, your mind kind of plays tricks on you. A lot of these ladies have far more experience than I do. Im actually a little suprised that no one else responded to your post yet. When they do, prepare for a TON of great info, it can be overwhelming though.

 

 

quote name='ilovedogs' date='Jan 22 2008, 09:54 AM' post='19945']

I haven't really gotten to the point of wanting to do elimination diets with him, probably b/c he only has minor tics right now and they don't bother him. If they get worse or change into vocal tics I will probably start looking into diet. Right now I'm focusing on getting him off of any foods with artificial colors, flavors, additives, etc. We were already a pretty healthy family ie: we never ate at McDonalds, don't eat cheetos or doritos or twinkies(my son doesn't even know what a Twinkie tastes like ) I had ds on Juice Plus as a supplement for quite a while but have taken him off b/c I'm going to be starting to limit his salicylates and JP is made with fruit, etc. That's why I'm looking for recommendations of supplements. I want to find stuff that's free and clear of fruits like oranges, grapes, and apples, etc.

JennyC: I'm glad that you figured out that casein was a problem for your daughter. I'm slowly finding out that I have to be a good researcher and investigator now. The problem I have is that I'm great at researching a plan, I'm just terrible at implementing it. I could use a little encouragement in that area!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well I cant help you with the doc thing but no not all tics are TS. There are transient tics which go away, chronic tic disorder where they last more than 6 months and wax and wane, usually decreases as they enter adult hood. I think there is another kind too but I dont remember. To have TS you have to have at least 1 motor tic and 1 vocal tic (they dont have to happen at the same time) for at least a year although Ive read some info that has said 6 months.

 

My daughter Isa was diagnosed with Chronic Multi focal Tic Disorder (so several different tics that are a chronic condition) back in Sept. The doc asked us to keep an eye out for vocal tics but said she may just have a tic disorder alone. Right now it looks like she is starting with vocal tics.

 

I know this is an extremely scary time, I remember how scared I was, I feared for her future, being made fun of etc.

 

We had to take Isa off of Dairy for other medical reasons and what we saw was a HUGE decrease in her tics, seems like she has a problem with Casein (the protein found in dairy), I know some of the other moms on the board have seen changes in doing this with their children. So Isa is off of cows milk and onto soy milk (goats milk has the protein), off of cheese (some soy cheese also has the protein), we use smart balance in place of butter. As far as I know eggs are okay.

 

Sorry didnt mean to rant. I know alot of the other parents on the board can be an amazing source of information for you.

[mom2three]

I remember how scary it was when all this started for us.

My advice would be to start him on some of the vitamins. Not sure if boys are the same as girls but we had good luck for quite a while with 300 mg of magnesium (the kind recommended on here) a B-complex 50, and an extra B6 50mg.. Also I gave her calcium a few times a week (or just upped the milk drinking)

and a good multivitiman. I also tried to cut out anything with blue and red dyes in it and really junky sugary foods.

Plus I put a lot more healthier things in her diet.

This seemed to make quite a difference.

 

Tics don't always mean tourettes.

I had a friend who's son tic'ed terrible during the age of 10-11 and then as he aged it went away and now he is grown and has not ever had a problem with tics again.

So you never know.

Just take it one day at a time. That is all we can do since it is all so overwhelming.

 

Good luck

My ds(9) had started with an eye blinking tic a few months ago. He also had a hair shaking thing going for a bit but that's gone away for now. I started him on a supplement from a company called Floradix, it's a liquid cal mag that also has zinc and vitamin D. I've seen his tics decrease but not go away completely. I am also training him on how to take pills so that I can start adding in supplements.

 

My biggest question is this: Are all tics Tourette's? Are most cases of tics/ts mild cases?

I'm just so scared for him. I was reading some of the stories of kids with OCD and TS and my heart goes out to them. I don't have any of those issues but the more I read about OCD, the more I think my dh might have some issues. I know he's ADHD and he works really hard at controlling it now as an adult. But my mother in law told me that she thinks my father in law has OCD. He's 83 and totally undiagnosed which I find weird, quite frankly.

 

Anyway, I don't want to go into the stories too much here. I will say, though, that ds has always been anxious and suffered from social anxiety and separation anxiety at times. I really want to help him but don't know where to start.

 

So, I want to find out what is an environmental doctor? Are they naturopaths, DO's, alternative medicines, or a combination? How do I find one in Phoenix, AZ? I also want to find out which supplements you all give. Do you do one supplement at a time to see how it's working? Or do you start it all at once? I saw Chemar's list but I'm not sure which brands to buy? Any advice will be welcome, thanks!

[bmom]

Mom2three, I was just wondering if things have calmed down for your daughter? Did the antibiotic help?

[bmom]

Mom2three, I was just wondering if things have calmed down for your daughter? Did the antibiotic help?

 

 

Nevermind, I just read below. Sorry to hear it hasn't helped.