Chlorine in Pools

[emma1]

OK, in the last year, my daughter has experienced strep induced tics and ocd. For the first year ever, we have our own pool this summer, and I am just getting ready to open it.

 

After reading the chlorine thread, I now don't know what to do!! Is chlorine a major trigger for most, or just for some? I did quite a bit of research, and chlorine is the best for keeping bacteria at bay, and with a lot of kids in the pool, I almost feel it is a necessity.

 

Anyone out there able to swim in chlorine without problems?

[faith]

I'm pretty sure I have never noticed this as a trigger for my son, in fact, he actually is better tic-wise in the summer months. We don't own a pool, but do go to a community pool somedays and friends' pools. We also spend a week in the summer at a carribbean resort and he is in the pool all day, and I did not notice any increase. Again, if fact, noted he was doing very well at last year's vacation.

 

Just try not to "overly" look at it, if you know what I mean. If it becomes obvious, then you'll know. Just keep up with your other regimen and salt baths and see what happens.

 

Faith

[Chemar]

Hi Emma

 

as you probably have noted from the other threads, my son is extremely sensitive to chlorine, with it triggering major tic waxing as well as hives. This may also be why he reacts negatively to sucralose/Splenda as it is chemically altered to add chlorine

 

if you scroll down the article Sheila has for tic triggers, you will see that chlorine fell into the second group...so IS a trigger, but was reported on less than others. that wasnt a scientific study, rather a gathering of anecdotal evidence, tho from my years on this board it seems to have correlation....for some chlorine is a big trigger whereas is may not be for others. Probably has to do with biochemical makeup of the individual IMO

 

here is the Finding Triggers for Tics article

http://www.latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm

[myrose]

Unfortunately I have to say that we finally figured out the SEVERE increase in my daughters tics.....THE POOL.

We even have a salt chlorinator but the salt is converted into chlorine so the chlorine is still there but at a rather large decrease.

My daughter started swimming daily about 3 weeks ago and she went crazy with tics. I came to the point where I found it hard to look at her for very long. She complained badly about it and it literally broke my heart to see her like this. I also feel the heat played a bit of a part in the increase as well. Not as much as the chlorine but I think it did aggravate what was started in her.

The blinking that came on was the worse. There were so many new ones as well and they were all going at the same time. I did the epsom salts but it just didn't seem to touch it.

 

I got so tired of not being able to help her yet once again so i tried a few things. There was NO WAY I was going to take the pool away from her on top of everything else. I may as well just put the girl in a dam bubble at this point.

Sorry to vent there...I was just so MAD!!!!!!!!!!! and angry and hurt.

 

I still continue to give her the epsom salt baths but not right after the pool....this turned impossible with the way she goes in and out of the pool to begin with.

 

I had an idea with the Calm we had laying around......I gave her 1 teaspoon before she went in on Sunday. I was under the impression that this stuff usually is only given at night before bed because I also thought it caused drowsiness. I was wrong here.

Then the next day on Monday I gave her 2 teaspoons before going into the pool. Tuesday after the pool she was CALM. All the new tics seemed to give way a bit. I was really encouraged by this reaction and now give her 2 heaping teapoons before she enters the pool. She tolerates this amount very well and has not been tired or drowsy at all. No change in her bowels either yet so far.

It it continues to work for us like this I will then have to look at the calcium thing linked to the mag......

We are awaiting Dr. Murphy now so for the time being I will continue this. I take it with her as well and you know I have to say I really do feel better.

From what I understand about 90% of american people are lacking in this important and vital nutrient!

Again we have a salt chlorinator which uses much less chlorine than the average chlorine pool so I am not sure how to factor that in and if it would change the positive reaction we have had.... Good luck and GOD BLESS! Hopefully this will help others as much as it seems to be helping us.

I will you posted as we continue to see the positive results.....If all of a sudden it stops working, I will let you know that as well.

Right now I am thanking GOD ABOVE for every second of this!

[emma1]

Cheri, Just wanted to thank you for your prompt and fabulous replies. You are awesome -- you have helped me (oh, and my child too!) sooooo much!!!!! I had seen that trigger list before and had totally forgotten about it. It gives me hope to at least give the pool a try!

[bmom]

Could someone tell me how long the wax period went on with the chlorine exposure? My son went swimming then was in a wax mode for about 2 weeks after. Would that be chlorine related? He has gone swimming before with no problem, but this time he was in the middle of a tic episode so perhaps it added insult to injury where before he was not ticcing when he went swimming. Would this make a difference in a possible PANDAS kid?

[friend323]

Is chlorine a trigger for OCD/Pandas....or is that something that more common with tourette's? My friend's son has Pandas/OCD and is preparing to leave for summer camp, is chlorine something that my be a problematic for him?

[Chemar]

Hi

I dont know for sure re the link between chlorine and triggering PANDAS linked OCD, but it did trigger tics and also hives for my son at a time when he also had very high OCD. he does not have PANDAS but has genetic Tourette tics/OCD

 

Bmom, chlorine has an effect that lasted days for my son. it really became intensified too the more he was exposed....a cumulative intensification of symptoms that eventually led to the hive outbreaks

 

that was when he made the decision to stop swimming in any chlorinated water.

[peglem]

Not chlorine related, but the sunlight sparkling off the water can cause some real problems for my daughter who is a bit photophobic. She does better with the pool in the evening.

[Andy]

Chlorine seemed to be a major trigger for my son. We had to put in a pool in our backyard even if our development had one and a major water park is not far away. We have a salt pool. It still has a by product of chlorine but much less then chlorine pools. Even with this, he takes an epsom salt bath afterwards. We also have a water system.

[kim]

Interesting articles

 

http://www.energywellnessproducts.com/NSPN...tters/Liver.pdf

 

MILK THISTLE

 

He was using it to protect a swim team against chlorine and chemicals in the pool