Not sure TS diagnosis is correct.

[lawsmith]

My 9 year old son has both motor and vocal tics. He started with a throat clearing tic that lasted 3 months last year, after he had a sinus infection. He would clear his throat 4 or 5 times a minute. Then about 4 months after that he started a facial grimace where he would raise his upper lip above the gum line. This, however, coincided with his adult teeth growing in on top in a very crooked way which he could feel on his upper lip any time he closed his mouth. I have noticed very occasional strange movements by him sparadically over the past winter. He just seemed to get really excited sometimes and shrug his shoulders or bend at the knees up and down.

About 7 weeks ago, he had a virus where he lost his voice and had a fever for about 3 days. He started this hm, hm sound in his throat during this time. It was barely noticable, but I could hear it. This went on for 3 weeks straight, hm,hm, 8 or 10 times a minute. I finally brought him to the doctor, who said he was very congested and put him on Extendryx Jr, decongestant. Well, he just went beserk. He had abdominal spasms, strange breathing patterns, extreme shoulder shrugging, arm jerking and a feeling a few times a day that he had "electricity" in his chest that traveled through his body and out through his arms and legs. These symptoms were still barely noticable at school, but at home we were extremely alarmed. I took him off of the decongestant and within 3 days the symptoms had lessened noticably. He still had a little shoulder shrugging, but the vocal sound had changed to include na, na , as well as hm, hm in his throat. I started him on a Magnesium, calcium zinc supplement as well a mega dose b12 as well as b complex and evening primrose. We went to the a neurologist. Of course my son did not tic the whole drs visit. The neurologist did a quick 5 minute exam, diagnosed Tourettes and that was that. My concern is that my son doesn't seem to have any of the things that are supposed to go along with Tourettes. He is an A+ student. He is extremely bright. He has never had any ADHD, OCD, sleep problems, social problems. He is allergic to pollen, trees, mold, dust mites, grass, dog, but his allergy symptoms are minimal. Could his tics be caused by allergies? I have been in constant contact with his teachers and they only notice a soft humming at school. His peers and friends have said nothing, which leads me to believe they are not noticing anything. What else can I do to try and keep his tics to a minimum.

[Phyl]

Have you seen the books written by Dr. Doris Rapp? Allergies and Your Family and also Is This Your Child? may be of help. My son has had abdominal spasms and has complained of an "electrical feeling" in his limbs a few years ago. He is doing much better now, since he has been treated for a yeast and clostridia overgrowth. However, our family has many allergies too and yes, allergies can definately cause tics. You have come to a good place here and will undoubtedly get more help from others soon.

[Heather]

lawsuit,

 

Welcome to the forum!!!!

 

First of all, I find it very odd that your doctor would diagnose Tourettes after a 5 min. exam. To be a true diagnosis, the tics must be present for at least a year (both motor and vocal).

 

When you mention the stomach reactions, I would guess that your son perhaps has a problem with intestinal yeast which can wreak havoc on the immune system. I am in no way an expert but over the past several months I have spent hours and hours reading and learning about the yeast syndrome and heavy metals in the body that can trigger all kinds of disorders depending on your genetic makeup.

 

When you talk about these tics worsening with viruses it seems even more plausible that there is a yeast issue there. My naturopath says that when the immune system is supressed, viruses that are in the body become active and can cause tics to occur. If your son is taking antibiotics this can cause further overgrowth of yeast resulting in a worsening of the symptoms. You should always follow the antibiotic with a probiotic.

 

As Phyl said, the allergies can be causing the tics as well. You might read back on previous threads referring to food allergies, tv and tics, etc.

 

Since we first elimintated milk products, tomato and corn from my son's diet his tics improved substantially. We also used a natural supplement to kill the yeast and we are now using a natural supplement to help him excrete aluminum and mercury which he tested high for.

 

Over the last 2 weeks we have almost cut TV out of his day and the tics are barely noticeable at this point. You will read about others who found great improvement eliminating TV. Claire's son stops ticcing completely with no screens (TV/video/computer).

 

 

Anyway, as I said, it would probably be most helpful for you to take the time to read over every thread that you can on this forum as there is an abundance of helpful information regarding supplements that all of us have had success with.

 

Keep us posted.

 

Heather

[Chemar]

Hi Lawsmith and welcome

 

have you had a PANDAs test for your son?

Whenever tics start after a viral infection that is a very good idea.

 

Sounds like he had a severe allergic reaction to that decongestant! That could also have exacerbated the tics.

 

I too would feel somwhat sceptical of the diagnosis of Ts that you received based on the info you have posted......do you have a genetic TS link? It is really very unusual to find TS without a family history, whereas transient tics have many testable and treatable causes

If you keep working thru the threads here you will pick up a ton of useful info that may point you in the right direction in finding answers for your son.

 

keep us posted

[The7roses]

Hi Lawsmith,

 

I found this site the other night and am grateful for all the info everyone has already shared with me. My son is also 9 and having tics. My original post is under "The7roses". I won't write it all over again but please read everyone's comments to me. I just went and bought the Mag/Cal/Zinc supplements. May I please ask how many milligrams you are giving your son? Also, how much for the B12, B-complex and evening primrose. I am too new to all of this and am struggling with all I need to do. I decided to start with the supplements and multivitamins and pray that is what his body is lacking. Does your son have any food allergies? Devyn complained of stomach pain for 3-4 years and everyone blamed it on his nerves (he has an anxiety disorder). I took him off of all dairy 3 months ago and his tummy troubles are about 95% gone. He still complains once in a while so I figure there must be something else that is bothering him, too, so I guess I will also have to start the food elimination process. This group of Moms in the forum will educate you and be by your side every step of the way! They took me from being a sobbing zombie to a Mom with some hope for a decent future. I, like you, must start reading every one of the posts here. I think you and I will do just fine!

 

Marcia