Has anyone seen this?

[MomWithOCDSon]

After 2 months on abx, we took our son off exactly 10 days ago. We had initially wanted to try a lower, prophylactic dose, but he'd had enough of the tummy troubles that accompany the abx (despite probiotics), so we relented and agreed to take him off and see what would happen.

 

Yesterday (Day 9 post-abx) he had two major meltdowns of the like we haven't seen in a while. It was also only his second day back in school after a nice two-week-long holiday break, and school is a major trigger for his anxiety, so it may be too early to deduce that the lack of abx was a sole or even major contributing factor. The jury is out . . . sort of.

 

But then this morning, when I was trying to help him through some math homework, he had another one of the old school, avoidance-related, full-scale meltdowns from the pre-treatment days. Crying, heavy pant-like breathing, screaming, and that fast, run-on chatter that's like he's on speed.

 

That's when I see it: his right hand is gripping his pencil, hovering over his notebook, but his left is repeating a movement over and over again, seemingly without any awareness on his part. He's splaying out the fingers of the left hand, and then rolling them up toward his palm -- sort of a semi-fist -- and then splaying them again and rolling them up again. The fist never gets tight, and the movement goes on and on. It reminds me of the "piano playing" hand movements I hear about associated with SC, except that I've never seen this before in my son.

 

Has anyone else seen anything similar in their non-SC kid?

[wornoutmom]

After 2 months on abx, we took our son off exactly 10 days ago. We had initially wanted to try a lower, prophylactic dose, but he'd had enough of the tummy troubles that accompany the abx (despite probiotics), so we relented and agreed to take him off and see what would happen.

 

Yesterday (Day 9 post-abx) he had two major meltdowns of the like we haven't seen in a while. It was also only his second day back in school after a nice two-week-long holiday break, and school is a major trigger for his anxiety, so it may be too early to deduce that the lack of abx was a sole or even major contributing factor. The jury is out . . . sort of.

 

But then this morning, when I was trying to help him through some math homework, he had another one of the old school, avoidance-related, full-scale meltdowns from the pre-treatment days. Crying, heavy pant-like breathing, screaming, and that fast, run-on chatter that's like he's on speed.

 

That's when I see it: his right hand is gripping his pencil, hovering over his notebook, but his left is repeating a movement over and over again, seemingly without any awareness on his part. He's splaying out the fingers of the left hand, and then rolling them up toward his palm -- sort of a semi-fist -- and then splaying them again and rolling them up again. The fist never gets tight, and the movement goes on and on. It reminds me of the "piano playing" hand movements I hear about associated with SC, except that I've never seen this before in my son.

 

Has anyone else seen anything similar in their non-SC kid?

 

I definitely see this in both hands during meltdowns with my son. The fingers are not moving independently like a piano, but as you described - like on the way to a fist. Often times he has them up by his head - like he's wanting to scratch the "ick" out of his brain (all the while screaming "help me! my brain!" )

[harmony]

After 2 months on abx, we took our son off exactly 10 days ago. We had initially wanted to try a lower, prophylactic dose, but he'd had enough of the tummy troubles that accompany the abx (despite probiotics), so we relented and agreed to take him off and see what would happen.

 

Yesterday (Day 9 post-abx) he had two major meltdowns of the like we haven't seen in a while. It was also only his second day back in school after a nice two-week-long holiday break, and school is a major trigger for his anxiety, so it may be too early to deduce that the lack of abx was a sole or even major contributing factor. The jury is out . . . sort of.

 

But then this morning, when I was trying to help him through some math homework, he had another one of the old school, avoidance-related, full-scale meltdowns from the pre-treatment days. Crying, heavy pant-like breathing, screaming, and that fast, run-on chatter that's like he's on speed.

 

That's when I see it: his right hand is gripping his pencil, hovering over his notebook, but his left is repeating a movement over and over again, seemingly without any awareness on his part. He's splaying out the fingers of the left hand, and then rolling them up toward his palm -- sort of a semi-fist -- and then splaying them again and rolling them up again. The fist never gets tight, and the movement goes on and on. It reminds me of the "piano playing" hand movements I hear about associated with SC, except that I've never seen this before in my son.

 

Has anyone else seen anything similar in their non-SC kid?

Years ago, my son showed the choreiform movements all throughout the day (it resembled a "pee pee dance") and at night during the night rages.

Now, he only shows them during a fit/rage. I wonder if sometimes the movements actually cause the fits - but other times I am convinced that the fits/rages cause the movements. ??????

I don't know if they are tics or choreiform movements. The neurologist calls them complex motor tics, but the sleep neurologist was the the one who witnessed it in the office and described them as "chorea like movements".

I was very relieved when he did them during the strobe light section of an EEG. At least we know it is not a seizure. You can tell that the technician was expecting something to show on the computer, when it didn't he scratched his head and mumbled "whoa". No further explanation was given.

[faith]

After 2 months on abx, we took our son off exactly 10 days ago. We had initially wanted to try a lower, prophylactic dose, but he'd had enough of the tummy troubles that accompany the abx (despite probiotics), so we relented and agreed to take him off and see what would happen.

 

Yesterday (Day 9 post-abx) he had two major meltdowns of the like we haven't seen in a while. It was also only his second day back in school after a nice two-week-long holiday break, and school is a major trigger for his anxiety, so it may be too early to deduce that the lack of abx was a sole or even major contributing factor. The jury is out . . . sort of.

 

But then this morning, when I was trying to help him through some math homework, he had another one of the old school, avoidance-related, full-scale meltdowns from the pre-treatment days. Crying, heavy pant-like breathing, screaming, and that fast, run-on chatter that's like he's on speed.

 

That's when I see it: his right hand is gripping his pencil, hovering over his notebook, but his left is repeating a movement over and over again, seemingly without any awareness on his part. He's splaying out the fingers of the left hand, and then rolling them up toward his palm -- sort of a semi-fist -- and then splaying them again and rolling them up again. The fist never gets tight, and the movement goes on and on. It reminds me of the "piano playing" hand movements I hear about associated with SC, except that I've never seen this before in my son.

 

Has anyone else seen anything similar in their non-SC kid?

 

 

this is wierd in that I just came across this post of you describing this hand movement. Recently I've been all over the net looking for a connection of this type movement and if it is a chorea movement.

 

now my son doesn't do this now, but I was thinking about it recently because he used to d this when he was about 4, very shortly after his first tics were noticed. this seemed to be one of them. hard to describe, but it is as you said, he would do this now and again, and it seemed when he was in an upset mode. I have one memory of him crying and getting upset over something and his hand was clenched into this clawlike fist, like you say, not quite a fist, but not open like claw, sort of inbetween. my mother asked me why he did this. I knew at the time we were starting to see tics, so I tried to brush it off, I didn't like talking about this to her back then.

 

so I'm wondering too if anyone else has seen this type of hand movement and if it is considered a chorea movement?

 

thanks

Faith