Teen with pandas

[SHollins]

Hello,

 

I have a daughter who is 16 years who started having "Seizure" about a month ago. After being in the hospital for one week, we were told it was "conversion disorder" and that her seizures were all mental and she was sent to a psychologist and place on Zoloft for anxiety. As a therapist and a person who know her kids I was not happy with this diagnosis and the symptoms grew worst. I went for a second opinion and the doctor stated “he did not see a need to continue testing if this is what the hospital diagnosed.” So I went for a third opinion in another city about 50 miles away. This doctor determined that she had strep, yeast and placed her on penicillin, antifungal, probiotic and changed her diet. He also took her off the Zoloft and placed her on another medication for her anxiety. He diagnosed her with pandas. Although there has been big improvements in her symptoms, she continues to have tics (up to three a day), has anxiety and get tired very fast when we are away from the house with the tics increasing, and has a hard time sleeping at night. My daughter has been on home schooling. I have not been able to find anything on teens with this diagnosis. I would like any information on this with teens or websites to help.

 

Thanks

[MomWithOCDSon]

Hello,

 

I have a daughter who is 16 years who started having "Seizure" about a month ago. After being in the hospital for one week, we were told it was "conversion disorder" and that her seizures were all mental and she was sent to a psychologist and place on Zoloft for anxiety. As a therapist and a person who know her kids I was not happy with this diagnosis and the symptoms grew worst. I went for a second opinion and the doctor stated “he did not see a need to continue testing if this is what the hospital diagnosed.” So I went for a third opinion in another city about 50 miles away. This doctor determined that she had strep, yeast and placed her on penicillin, antifungal, probiotic and changed her diet. He also took her off the Zoloft and placed her on another medication for her anxiety. He diagnosed her with pandas. Although there has been big improvements in her symptoms, she continues to have tics (up to three a day), has anxiety and get tired very fast when we are away from the house with the tics increasing, and has a hard time sleeping at night. My daughter has been on home schooling. I have not been able to find anything on teens with this diagnosis. I would like any information on this with teens or websites to help.

 

Thanks

 

Welcome!

 

There are many parents of teens here on the forum; mine is almost there (12), and because I was originally under the impression that PANDAS was a condition relegated soley to pre-pubescence, I wasn't sure what applied to the younger kids would apply to mine, but it DOES! And I think you'll find it does to yours, as well. There are even a couple of adults here who are pursuing PANDAS treatment. The entire idea is that, though it may have gone "under the radar" or entirely unremarkable by you or your daughter for some years previous to the seizure, there was likely a childhood onset of a reaction to the strep or other bacteria that set the stage for what would typically be called this current "exacerbation." My son, for one, was always entirely asymptomatic for strep so we didn't even know he'd had it until we had blood tests run!

 

So much information here! It can be time-consuming, but once you dive in, you'll find a lot of ideas and assistance. You're very fortunate to have a doctor who's identified it so readily.

[sf_mom]

Taken from Dr. K's website webpediatrics.com

 

Possible Adolescent-Adult Variation of PANDAS is under review!

 

We have indentified a small group of patients with what appears to be an adolescent-adult "variant" of PANDAS. Hallmark symptoms in these patients include an unrelenting, debilitating anxiety, chronic fatigue, and an eating disorder. All patients in this group have exhibited a chronic non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms and have elevated AntiDnase B titer.

Symptoms usually start in high school (freshman or sophomore year).

 

Initial symptom (present at one time in almost every patient): chronic, not fully explained and/or diagnosed GI ("stomach") complaint (common diagnosis attached to the complaint: GE reflux). Non-specific epigastric or abdominal pains, "heart burn", "fullness" following a meal, occasional morning nausea and/or vomiting are common. Few patients report loose stools but no clinical picture of diarrhea has been elicited. GI symptoms may disappear at the onset of psychiatric symptoms, or they may continue but with decreased intensity or remain unchanged.

 

Insidious development of an overwhelming anxiety. Anxiety usually developes over relatively short period of time (matters of days or weeks). Patients report waking up in the morning with a feeling of an overwhelming (unexplainable) anxiety that may persist throughout the day and can wane slowly towards the evening. An appropriate literary description of these symptoms can be found in Goethe's "Sorrows of (young) Werter". There has been no discernable connection established between a documented (or distinctly recalled) infectious event and the actual onset of anxiety episodes. There is no "wax-and-wane" pattern of symptoms, however patients appear to be much more comfortable (and thus feels better) in socially non-challenging situations and at home. There is a tendency toward avoidance of going out (of the house), avoiding friends and skipping previously favored activities. Patients are unable to establish appropriate peer and/or boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. Eventually they may stop going to school (or to classes, if college students), curtail or seize completely their social activities and become home bound.

 

Intrusive thoughts are present in most patients.

Severe and persistent sleep disturbances.

Behavioral regression(s).

Insecurity and separation anxiety (adolescent type).

Chronic fatigue commonly present.

[melanie]

Hi

 

There is some of us on this site with teenage kids .welcome and ask questions your in a safe place.

 

Melanie