New To The Board

[mar]

Hello-I am new to this board. Let me explain my situation. I beleive his father has torrette after reading up on it. My son is 7 1/2. I first noticed facial tics (eye blinking) around the age of 4 1/2 in the months of Oct- Nov. They would then go away. The following Oct-Nov they came back and more tics were added (mouth opening and throat clearing). They seem to go away in the summer. Since September of this year he started having allergies which are still going on some. He has bags under the eyes, always looks and says he feels tired. Stuffynose, sneezing. I went to an allergist in September, they only tested for 15 things (no food) and it came out with oak tree, grass and coachroaches. The weekend of Oct 17 he got this bad flemy cough and hoarseness in voice. By monday it was affecting his breathing. Went in for a nebulizer, tested negative for strep and Influenza. Once again got antibiotics for supposedly having a sinus infection. Just to let you know he has been getting strep through every year. During these allergy month and for the first time this extreme. I have noticed that he has become very irritated, mad, mood swings and very stressed. I have never seem him so stressed. I actually did the spitting test in the water this morning and I beleive I seen the lines in both his and my daughters.

 

I just relized Torrette and all these other things in the last month and am very overwhelmed. I do not want him to be on any drugs and my husband is against it too. The tics do not seem bad at all right now just some neck jerking which I think coincides with the stress. and he did have lip licking last month which makes them so dry and hurt bad. But he is over that for now.

 

But the yeast test I did this morning with the spit and water is making me wonder. Note: he is currently on amoxicillian (don't know if that would have any significance but I did notice it in my daughter which she is not on anything.

 

Please Help!!

[san70]

Welcome. As I am sure that many people will echo, you may want to visit the PANDAS board. If you son has had strep this may be PANDAS. Was the strep test a rapid test? Many have had the 72 hour (I think) test.

 

San

[mar]

Welcome. As I am sure that many people will echo, you may want to visit the PANDAS board. If you son has had strep this may be PANDAS. Was the strep test a rapid test? Many have had the 72 hour (I think) test.

 

San

 

 

 

Thank You for your reply. Yes the strepo test was a rapid 10 min results. he has had strep many times and it usually does appear on that test. Since his dad has ticks I didn't think that it would be Pandas but torrette. But I will take a look at it.

Thank!!

[Megs_Mom]

Welcome. As I am sure that many people will echo, you may want to visit the PANDAS board. If you son has had strep this may be PANDAS. Was the strep test a rapid test? Many have had the 72 hour (I think) test.

 

San

 

 

 

Thank You for your reply. Yes the strepo test was a rapid 10 min results. he has had strep many times and it usually does appear on that test. Since his dad has ticks I didn't think that it would be Pandas but torrette. But I will take a look at it.

Thank!!

 

Many children with PANDAS have a "genetic vulnerability" to TS or OCD. My dd has PANDAS with severe onset OCD. We have a lot of OCD in our family, but hers is clearly PANDAS based, and is treated with anti-biotics and steroids. It could be either, but it is worth looking into it, especially with your strep connection.

[CSP]

Welcome,

 

Have you tried epsom salt baths? How about vit. have you tried any? If yes did you notice any help? My husband had tics as a boy also and I see how you would be thinking TS, but I do as some here think there is a connection between TS and Pandas. It is hard to understand because we don't see the tics going away with antibiotics so it make the connection harder to believe.

 

 

CP

[mar]

Welcome. As I am sure that many people will echo, you may want to visit the PANDAS board. If you son has had strep this may be PANDAS. Was the strep test a rapid test? Many have had the 72 hour (I think) test.

 

San

 

 

 

Thank You for your reply. Yes the strepo test was a rapid 10 min results. he has had strep many times and it usually does appear on that test. Since his dad has ticks I didn't think that it would be Pandas but torrette. But I will take a look at it.

Thank!!

 

Many children with PANDAS have a "genetic vulnerability" to TS or OCD. My dd has PANDAS with severe onset OCD. We have a lot of OCD in our family, but hers is clearly PANDAS based, and is treated with anti-biotics and steroids. It could be either, but it is worth looking into it, especially with your strep connection.

 

What are some of her severe OCD signs. When he had strep back in Feb he went back for a retest with the swab of the throat which takes 10 min for results and it came back negative. Could it still be Pandas? I read other posts where their child will not go outside or not sit still during dinner. This is not how my son is. There was a major family change for us with me losing my job and that is exaclty when he started acting very anxious and was a completly different child until I spoke with him and he told me he was worried we would have no money. I reassured him and he seemed alot better. Though he is very anxious about things still but nothing like he was that week. I though that because of the axiety he went through it will take him a little bit to shake it off. He is very sensitive and tends to worry alot. He is shy with strangers. I was thinking because of his allergies he might have some sensitivities and was thinking about getting the IgG test. I am really confused now. What are the major signs of Pandas? Sorry for blabing on and on. Thank You for the replies!!!

[sf_mom]

Please spend some time reading up on PANDAS but to put it simply.

 

Comments from both Swedo and Cunningham:

 

How Does Strep Lead to Psychiatric Symptoms?

 

The discovery of PANDAS came through observing the reactions of patients. Initially, Swedo's team noticed a group of patients who were ill with infections and then suddenly developed dramatic psychiatric symptoms. At first, they were not sure streptococcus was the culprit but research soon isolated the strep antibodies as an important focus of interest.

 

PANDAS is controversial in medical circles with some physicians questioning whether such extreme psychiatric symptoms can be triggered by strep antibodies. However, according to Dr. Swedo, there is little doubt that the body's efforts to fight the strep bacteria set off a chain of events leading to PANDAS symptoms. "The science is clear now," Swedo asserts. "We not only have a direct relationship between the anti-strep antibodies and the anti-neuronal antibodies, but also have demonstrated that the antibodies interact with receptors in the brain that could produce the symptoms observed."

 

Normally when the strep bacteria enter the body, they defend themselves by mimicking healthy cells and elude detection by the immune system. Using the stealth strategy, the strep bacteria create an infection. In response, the body naturally creates antibodies - cellular components designed to find the bacteria, bind with them and direct the immune system to destroy the bacteria. When this happens as designed, the antibodies find the strep bacteria and the immune system wins the battle.

 

However, antibodies are not terribly discriminating and sometimes cannot tell a streptococcus bacterium apart from a healthy cell. In some children, these antibodies pass into the brain and look for something to connect with. In PANDAS, the strep antibodies are unable to discriminate between strep and healthy brain cells. However, the union of strep antibody and neural tissue is not a match made in heaven. Recent research, reported last fall by University of Oklahoma researcher, Madeleine Cunningham, suggests that the antibodies connect with parts of the brain which regulate repetitive behaviors and movement, such as compulsions and tics. According to Dr. Swedo, such autoimmune actions may have the direct result of producing obsessions, compulsions and tics; and in addition, they might indirectly offset the critical balance of brain chemistry which regulates mood and emotion.

 

Compounding the problem is the durability of strep antibodies. They can remain on the prowl for a hook up weeks after the strep is gone. Subsequent infections or even colds can stimulate the immune system to produce more of the same kind of antibodies which the triggered the original symptoms. PANDAS children can then abruptly re-experience the same symptoms after a symptom-free span of time. Dr. Swedo explained, "We see a saw-toothed pattern of symptoms, extreme outbursts of behaviors for a brief period in response to the infections and then the child may be relatively symptom-free for a period of time."

 

Welcome. As I am sure that many people will echo, you may want to visit the PANDAS board. If you son has had strep this may be PANDAS. Was the strep test a rapid test? Many have had the 72 hour (I think) test.

 

San

 

 

 

Thank You for your reply. Yes the strepo test was a rapid 10 min results. he has had strep many times and it usually does appear on that test. Since his dad has ticks I didn't think that it would be Pandas but torrette. But I will take a look at it.

Thank!!

 

Many children with PANDAS have a "genetic vulnerability" to TS or OCD. My dd has PANDAS with severe onset OCD. We have a lot of OCD in our family, but hers is clearly PANDAS based, and is treated with anti-biotics and steroids. It could be either, but it is worth looking into it, especially with your strep connection.

 

What are some of her severe OCD signs. When he had strep back in Feb he went back for a retest with the swab of the throat which takes 10 min for results and it came back negative. Could it still be Pandas? I read other posts where their child will not go outside or not sit still during dinner. This is not how my son is. There was a major family change for us with me losing my job and that is exaclty when he started acting very anxious and was a completly different child until I spoke with him and he told me he was worried we would have no money. I reassured him and he seemed alot better. Though he is very anxious about things still but nothing like he was that week. I though that because of the axiety he went through it will take him a little bit to shake it off. He is very sensitive and tends to worry alot. He is shy with strangers. I was thinking because of his allergies he might have some sensitivities and was thinking about getting the IgG test. I am really confused now. What are the major signs of Pandas? Sorry for blabing on and on. Thank You for the replies!!!