Tic Increase

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Hi Ausclare

 

goodluck to your sons. you have come to a right place... What are your son's tics (are they motor and vocal) ? do you have TS in your family? Hope you have done a right thing by not trying to medicate your kids.

Keep in touch and you are sure to see a lot of improvement.

[Chemar]

Hi Ausclare and WELCOME!

 

You sure have stumbled on a good place.

 

The latitudes Forum is not only a great place to get info and shared experiences....it also has some of the nicest cyber-friends you could ever hope to make.

 

As Claire has mentioned, we have all found natural ways to help our kids.

 

My son, now 14, was diagnosed with TS when 10 and also has OCD,ADD and SID

We tried meds for a year with rather disastrous results.

 

Now, after elimination of nasty stuff from his system and diet, as well as some alternative treatments like accupuncture & biofeedback, he is on a specialised supplement program and the difference is remarkable.

 

Even with the tic increase recently, compared with where he was...this is a very mild.

 

Hope you will stay in touch and join the sharing, caring community here at Latitudes.

 

Cheri

[Heather]

Hi Ausclaire and Welcome to the site,

 

I, too, have had much success with natural supplements in helping my son's tics which were very disturbing at one point. As Claire mentioned, it would definitely help to read through the previous threads as there is a lot of valuable information that various people have had success with.

 

My son's tics are definitely dying back down again to mild after taking the anti-viral drop over the last 10 days.

 

Heather

[Marretts]

Hi Ausclare,

 

I received an email through ACN from you, and thank you for your words of help, I am in Newcastle and have loved this site and found many helpful ideas, so far my son has responded very well to alternative medicines, I see a Bio Chemist and have been for 4 months and my son is so much better, I stopped crying about it 2 months ago. So hang in there, if you read my past posts my son had high metals and I believe this was the problem as well as yeast.

 

If you need my email direct marretts@yahoo.com.au - I don't check it all the time maybe once/twice a week.

[Guest ann]

hello,

I just found this site. My son Matthew is 10 yrs and he to has had an increase in tics over the last 2 weeks. I thought it was medication related. My husband and I just took him off Orap. He developed prolonged QTc. I am now looking into alternative or homeopathic options. We live in California. Any recomendations from anyone.

[Chemar]

Hello Ann and a big welcome!

 

You have found the right place to look into alternative treatments

 

Just reading thru the numerous postings here will reveal how many of us have found remarkable results using vitamin/mineral/supplements and some herbal and amino acid remedies.

Also some have found relief with homeopathy or the Feingold Diet.Nearly all of us have found an improvement after dietary changes that eliminate artificial foods, and any allergens.

Most have also discovered that our children needed detoxification from heavy metal buildup, especially mercury and lead, as well as elimination of any parasites, the most common being Candida (yeast) infection.

Some have dealt with PANDAs where the tics are related to strep infection.

We also find that many of our children have sensory issues.

 

Alternative treatments like accupuncture, reflexology and biofeedback have also benefitted my own son, along with detox and supplements.

 

One thing most of us have in common is that we have either had a negative result with conventional treatments by prescription meds, or just dont want to take the risks associated with them.

 

So, as you can see.......there is a wealth of info and experience here.

 

stay in touch!

[Guest Guest_Deb]

I too have seen a increase in my son (13) vocal tics in the past 2-3 weeks. I do believe that the bulk of it was caused from him sneaking coffee - but I also believe that daylight savings time ( a loss of sleep in the a.m.) plus his very severe seasonal allergies have a huge part in this. Why vocal, I'm stumpld, he hasn't had a vocal tic in almost 3 years. Deb

[Guest Nancy]

Hi everyone. My son had not had any tic increase lately, in fact he's been pretty much tic-free for awhile now. However, I have definitely noticed an increase in anxiety-related thinking this past week. The doom and gloom outlook whenever something goes wrong. Overall he's still doing great, but it did strike me that there's more negative reactions going on. He's been busy and is probably tired, so that may have something to do with it. Anyway, I hope things settle down for everyone soon!

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Hi Nancy

 

Nice to see your post.. Long time since you posted! Good to know that your son is doing well. My son too has shown significant improvement overall for the past three months. The ONLY trigger for him is the TV now. I kept him away from TV for three months and he is JUST FINE! Do you still give supplements to your son ?? Are you giving the same dosage or do you intend to gradually wane down the supplements? Does your son watch TV these days and is he TIC FREE EVEN when he watches television?

This forum is just a boon. Encouraging reports really keep the parents motivated!

 

Keep in touch.

 

goodluck

efgh

[Guest Nancy]

efgh,

 

Yes, I've been very busy working lately and I don't have much time to post. I do try to stay up-to-date by reading everyone else's posts, though!

 

He's still taking the supplements. I have no plans to cut back soon. The last time I cut back on the B1 is when he had a relapse. I'm still not sure if it was 100% related, but when he went back to the level he was originally taking he stopped ticcing again, and has been fine since. He doesn't watch much tv, but usually on the weekend they watch a show and from what I've seen he seems ok with it.

 

I'm glad your son has improved too. It sounds like a lot of people are discovering important triggers and ways to help their kids. It is very encouraging and so helpful to read about different success stories. You never know when just the right piece of information will make something click for you.

 

Take care.

[Ausclare]

Hi guys,

 

thanks for your support and inspiration, I didn't realise there was more then one page for answers, so I haven't been ignoring you! Just a little slow on the uptake!

 

My oldest son has vocal, full body tics and sniffing. Occasionally he is loud, but he's mostly able to keep the tone down.

 

My middle son has the dreaded fullon" lets yell as loud as poss and add the swear words too".

My husband and I are at odds at this stage on how to handle it. He keeps telling Gage to control himself and stop it. Which he mostly does. I let him go for it if he has too and only ask him to keep it down if I'm on the phone or take it to another room. Which he does. After school is a nightmare because as soon as he gets in the car, we are all deafened by 6hrs of him holding it in ( not good in a confined space!). This lasts for about an hour when he gets home. His teacher said today that he doesn't do it in class, except the occassional noise in the pm. He says he does it at playtime when its noisy and the other kids won't notice. It breaks my heart.

My worry is, if he does it mostly with me a lot, is he allergic to me! or is it just that he feels safe that he can be himself? I would really like some feedback on that one!

 

His behaviour is also erratic, fighting with his brothers and very teary. I think this is the stress of trying to hold it in all day. This has only started in the last few weeks, before it was only shoulder shrugging and neck movements. He has also shown OCD in the last few weeks, my other son has a mild form of it.

 

I am in the process of booking in for an allergy test but this will take at least five - six weeks. I'm not sure if they do the heavy metals here, so if anyone knows how it would be helpful.

 

Did anyone catch up on my Gall bladder question under my Alternative Therapies thread?

I've got some info also on Macrobiotic diets and theory, but I'll save that till I get more info.

 

I just want to thank you guys for all your input, I have been searching for this type of thing for 4yrs and all I could find was the revolting drug bits, but no real help, so thank you all.

 

Sorry this was a long one

 

Ausclare.

[Chemar]

Ausclare.....I am on my way out but quickly wanted to respond to 2 things you mentioned.....

 

Firstly......the fact that your son "lets it all out withyou" is a blessing! It shows that he feels absolutely ok to be able to trust you and just be himself and not try to suppress etc......that is a tremendous compliment to you as a mom and a credit that you have been able to build such closeness with him

 

 

Now, as to the "holding it in" at school......although everyone with TS does suppress in ceetain social environments....still, your son needs more of an outlet at school than just at playtime.....!!

 

Suppression for any length of time actually INTENSIFIES tics, and can also TRIGGER OCD, rage, anxiety and other stress related behaviours.

 

I often liken it to shaking a bottle of soda with a cork in it.....eventually the cork is going to burst out!

Well, that is what it feels like for a person who NEEDS to tic but holds it in for too long....the pressure builds and builds until eventually it bursts out as intensive ticcing, or worse!

 

I dont know if you have told the school yet about his situation, but I personally would recommend that you do, and also that you provide them with as much info as possible about it. Once the teachers, and also the other kids, are aware that this is something that your son does not have absolute control over, it will make life a lot better for him, and will also foster more understanding and acceptance by his peers. That in turn will help him to relax more at school and you wont have the "megaburst" afterward!! Believe me, i speak from experience on this one

 

Hve you visited Dr Dunc's site yet? Life's a twitch at http://www.lifesatwitch.com

He is a psychologist who also has TS and he does a lot of seminars etc talking about what I have mentioned above...where suppression of tics for any length of time is not good...especially because of the rise in OCD that seems to follow.

 

I have to dash now, but hope this gives you some info to work with.

bye for now

Cheri

[Guest Guest]

My husband and I are at odds at this stage on how to handle it.  He keeps telling Gage to control himself and stop it.  Which he mostly does. 

Hi Ausclare,

 

Chemar is so right about it. When I read your post, it reminded me what we did to our son in the beginning (although he’s not diagnosed as TS). We didn’t understand tics then, we constantly asked him stopping it every time we saw him doing it. That made his tics worse. It’s a heart breaking memory. When I talked with his teacher, she didn’t even notice he had it at school. Kids are relaxed at home, so they feel free to let it go. I'm sure you'll find a lot of information on how to help your kids from this forum. My son is under naturopath care, he gets improved daily.

 

Jean

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Jean, glad to know that your son is doing well. Has the frequency of his tics come down now, how frequent are they?

Your post really reminded me of those sad old days when I did not anything about TS and was asking my son to stop shaking his head. He said "I cannot" and I used to say "you have to try". Luckily I realised that it was a tic within a couple of months and so not much regret..

 

I hope and pray that all our kids get better soon. One frustrating thing about this illness is that "one never knows"........I seem to have this persistent fear that he may get it tomorrow even if he is doing well today..Jean, does your son watch TV now. How is his nose congestion these days? Have you stopped goat milk? How are his allergies?

 

Keep us posted.

[Guest Guest_efgh]

As far as I know our situation is not hereditary, and I haven't done as much research as I would like, but inside I really feel that you are on the right track somehow

 

Hi Ausclare

 

Since both your sons have TS, I am a bit curious to know if any of your family members have TS signs. I just read your post stating that TS is not herditary in your situation and was wondering... More inputs on this would interest me.. are your kids having any asthma symptoms? What according to you are the worst triggers for their tics?

 

Goodluck!