Blood test results back-elevated copper

[Guest Susanna]

We just got back some results and I'm not quite sure what to make of them or if there is any correlation to his tics.

 

As per my previous post we suspect PANDAS in our son, so I was not surprised to find out that his ASO is elevated at 500. His pediatrician did a rapid-Strep test this morning....it was negative. She also sent a culture to the lab...if that comes back positive she will treat with antibiotics....I don't recall which one but it's what she uses for strep carriers, and then have the blood test done again after treatment to check his levels again. If the culture comes back negative she will have another blood test done to see if the ASO levels are coming down. Although she has heard of Pandas she is not that familiar with it and is deferring to his neurologist, from whom I get the feeling doesn't completely buy into the PANDAS theory. Prior to gettiong the bloodwork back I had talked to my son's pediatrician about exploring alternative/natural treatments for his TS. Although she isn't "into it", she sees no harm in it and is willing to provide insurance referrals, so that's one battle I won't have to fight. For those of you whose child has Pandas, based on your experience does the pediatrician's protocol sound reasonable?

 

What I'm confused about is that the blood tests also showed an elevated copper level. The doctor thinks this may be an anomaly as other blood tests related to liver function came back within the normal range. She is having the copper levels and other blood tests related to liver function repeated. Has anyone found any correlation between elevated copper levels and tics? If there is a correlation between copper and tics, what treatments have been successful based on your experience?

 

I have been able to locate a pediatrician who also has a homeopathic practice "on the side". Although she doesn't have any first hand experience treating kids with PANDAS she is familiar with the condition and is willing to meet my son. We have an appointment with her next week. We are going to start with allergy testing in her MD practice and then explore homeoptahic remedies for his tics. Sound reasonable? Not quite sure about the idea of going back and forth about between the MD practice and the homeopathy practice...I thought it would be much more integrative, but I think it's because of what insurance covers that she needs to keep these practices separate, especially since she is part of a group as an MD. For those of you who see an integrative doctor, has your experince been similar?

 

My son had a really bad day on Saturday tic-wise...probably the worst day so far. We attributed the increase to not enough sleep the night before. He also got very agitated at a birthday party early in the day which we feel also stressed him out and caused an increase in his tics. We made sure to get him to bed early that night and thankfully he was much better yesterday. What we have noticed, however, is that he gets agitated much quicker these days. Although he's always had a bit of a temper, now it seems the slightest thing sets him off. My husband and I are at our wits end trying to keep him calm without giving in to him which we refuse to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sorry this is so long, but I know there is much wisdom out there based upon real expereinces. I feel fortunate to have found this site.

 

Susanna

[Claire]

Susanna,

 

My understanding is that any elevation of metals can be an issue for tics. If your doctor is open to running some tests, I would look at the ones on my list for a full metal evaluation, given this anomoly you found.

 

Sorry about your son's bad day. When kids are suffering, I know that sleep and upset are big factors.

 

If your doctor is 'open' but doesn't know the protocols and tests to order, I personally would recommend the following tests to start with--a subset of what our doctor did, and I have seen others take these. Your doctor can order the kits from these labs, for you to take to a lab who is willing to mail them out of state. Also, you have to be off vitamins for them, so it would be a great time to take the pyrollia test that Chemar posted from FJ (please see her link--it is cheap test). Of course, others may recommend some also. But this covers the angles of

 

metal toxicity

food sensitivities

yeast

 

Top tier

-Genova Diagnostics/Great Smokies Elemental Analysis blood test (mercury, copper, lead...) 888-201-8333

-Immunolabs Food sensitivities 800-231-9197

-Great Plains Laboratory for yeast metabolites urine test (seems more sensitive than other yeast tests) 913-341-8949

 

2nd tier--more expensive test and more of secondary information. But if metals are high, this may show why, since low antioxidants. If so, specific supplementation for this is likely required.

 

-Spectracell Laboratories vitamin/antioxidant deficiencies (blood test) 713- 621-3101

 

Also, I think most of us here do avoid the key Feingold forbidden items like preservatives, artificial colors.

 

Claire

[Guest Susanna]

Thank you so much for the recommendations Claire. I now feel as if I have a place to start with the doctor. There is so much good information on this site but it can be quite overwhelming for someone new to all of this.

 

Would you happen to know how RAST testing for allergies, which has been referenced in other threads, is different than the test you recommend for food sensitivities? The doctor mentioned that there are a number of ways to test for allergies (blood, pin prick, muscle) and that she would do a blood test, but I don't know the specifics of what blood test.

 

Susanna

[Claire]

Susanna,

 

RAST test and the test I mentioned are both blood tests. My son preferred ONE prick of a blood test versus MANY pricks for the skin tests.

 

RAST tests only do IgE which is a immediate allergic reaction, while the test I mentioned is an IgG test which also picks up delayed reactions, and thus is more sensitive. For example my son had

 

RAST tests for

wheat POSITIVE

peanuts POSTIVE

milk NEGATIVE

soy NEGATIVE

 

while the IgE test showed

wheat POSITIVE

peanuts POSTIVE

milk POSITIVE **

soy NEGATIVE

 

Plus the IgG test covered 150 foods, for much cheaper than trying to do that with the RAST test.

 

Claire

[Guest Susanna]

I definitely would agree that the one prick blood test is preferable to the many prick test. Luckily my son is a trooper when it comes to testing but I don't want to put him through any more than absolutely necessary.

 

Thanks for the clarification between the RAST test and the blood test you recommended. Hopefully the doctor will comply with my request.