Jump to content
ACN Latitudes Forums

Breathing tic out of control


lovmyboyz

Recommended Posts

My 8 year old son suddenly started this out of control breathing tic last night. It's like he is forcing the air out of his lungs with such force he makes a weird croup like sound. He went to school today and told me he tried really hard to hide it from his friends so that they would not stop playing with him. He said it is so embarressing to him and they will not like him anymore.

He has never had much of an issue with tics, my older 16 year old son is the one that has had them on and off since age 5. My 8 year old just recently started with a little bit of sniffling. Tonight it was so out of control that I had go into the bathroom and turn on the shower just so that my family would not hear me crying my eyes out! I have spent the last 6 months trying to get my 16 year olds tics under control and now this!

I gave my 8 year old son an epson salt bath and some natural calm. He went to bed but I heard him in there doing this crazy breathing tic and then he started crying... He said that he is not feeling it working?? I asked what he meant and he said that when he pushes the air out he is not feeling it. He says the medicine I gave him ( the bath and natural calm) is making it so that he can't feel it when he breaths it out! Okay at this point he is hitting himself in the face and freaking out because he is not getting the same feeling with this tic as he was getting??? WHAT IS GOING ON! I am so scared!

My 16 year old son has been through tics like the facial blinking and throat clearing but nothing like this! I have no idea what to do. I am truly at the end of my rope.

My 8 year old has some OCD and scensory issues. His diet is so boring and consistant due to him only eating a select variety of foods. He seems to be a bit behind socially compared to other kids his age, but we had him checked to see if he was on the spectrum and he is not. I can best describe him and a little quirky. He is very smart and loves to be the center of attention, however he does not adapt well to situations. He gets something in his mind set and it is almost impossible to break him from it. That's were the OCD comes into play. This is killing me because he already has such a hard time making friends and now I this as an added social hurdle for him.

Sorry to go on and on.... I have no support from my husband who lives in the world of "It will all work out!" Meanwhile I am reading ever book and post I can find to get the best idea for suppliments and what triggers may cause the tics.

I was feeling so overwhelmed just trying to figure things out for my 16 year old and now my baby get hit with tics in overdrive!

If anyone has any experiance with this type of breathing tic I would love to hear from you...

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you been to the PANDAS forum? This sounds like a compulsion, given that he is upset when he cannot get feedback from the "tic" happening. Perhaps you are having an OCD exacerbation caused by PANDAS (or Lyme, Lupus, etc)? Might be worth checking this. Also, have you done ERP therapy for his OCD?

 

I'm so sorry this is such a difficult time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 8 year old son suddenly started this out of control breathing tic last night. It's like he is forcing the air out of his lungs with such force he makes a weird croup like sound. He went to school today and told me he tried really hard to hide it from his friends so that they would not stop playing with him. He said it is so embarressing to him and they will not like him anymore.

He has never had much of an issue with tics, my older 16 year old son is the one that has had them on and off since age 5. My 8 year old just recently started with a little bit of sniffling. Tonight it was so out of control that I had go into the bathroom and turn on the shower just so that my family would not hear me crying my eyes out! I have spent the last 6 months trying to get my 16 year olds tics under control and now this!

I gave my 8 year old son an epson salt bath and some natural calm. He went to bed but I heard him in there doing this crazy breathing tic and then he started crying... He said that he is not feeling it working?? I asked what he meant and he said that when he pushes the air out he is not feeling it. He says the medicine I gave him ( the bath and natural calm) is making it so that he can't feel it when he breaths it out! Okay at this point he is hitting himself in the face and freaking out because he is not getting the same feeling with this tic as he was getting??? WHAT IS GOING ON! I am so scared!

My 16 year old son has been through tics like the facial blinking and throat clearing but nothing like this! I have no idea what to do. I am truly at the end of my rope.

My 8 year old has some OCD and scensory issues. His diet is so boring and consistant due to him only eating a select variety of foods. He seems to be a bit behind socially compared to other kids his age, but we had him checked to see if he was on the spectrum and he is not. I can best describe him and a little quirky. He is very smart and loves to be the center of attention, however he does not adapt well to situations. He gets something in his mind set and it is almost impossible to break him from it. That's were the OCD comes into play. This is killing me because he already has such a hard time making friends and now I this as an added social hurdle for him.

Sorry to go on and on.... I have no support from my husband who lives in the world of "It will all work out!" Meanwhile I am reading ever book and post I can find to get the best idea for suppliments and what triggers may cause the tics.

I was feeling so overwhelmed just trying to figure things out for my 16 year old and now my baby get hit with tics in overdrive!

If anyone has any experiance with this type of breathing tic I would love to hear from you...

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 8 year old son suddenly started this out of control breathing tic last night. It's like he is forcing the air out of his lungs with such force he makes a weird croup like sound. He went to school today and told me he tried really hard to hide it from his friends so that they would not stop playing with him. He said it is so embarressing to him and they will not like him anymore.

He has never had much of an issue with tics, my older 16 year old son is the one that has had them on and off since age 5. My 8 year old just recently started with a little bit of sniffling. Tonight it was so out of control that I had go into the bathroom and turn on the shower just so that my family would not hear me crying my eyes out! I have spent the last 6 months trying to get my 16 year olds tics under control and now this!

I gave my 8 year old son an epson salt bath and some natural calm. He went to bed but I heard him in there doing this crazy breathing tic and then he started crying... He said that he is not feeling it working?? I asked what he meant and he said that when he pushes the air out he is not feeling it. He says the medicine I gave him ( the bath and natural calm) is making it so that he can't feel it when he breaths it out! Okay at this point he is hitting himself in the face and freaking out because he is not getting the same feeling with this tic as he was getting??? WHAT IS GOING ON! I am so scared!

My 16 year old son has been through tics like the facial blinking and throat clearing but nothing like this! I have no idea what to do. I am truly at the end of my rope.

My 8 year old has some OCD and scensory issues. His diet is so boring and consistant due to him only eating a select variety of foods. He seems to be a bit behind socially compared to other kids his age, but we had him checked to see if he was on the spectrum and he is not. I can best describe him and a little quirky. He is very smart and loves to be the center of attention, however he does not adapt well to situations. He gets something in his mind set and it is almost impossible to break him from it. That's were the OCD comes into play. This is killing me because he already has such a hard time making friends and now I this as an added social hurdle for him.

Sorry to go on and on.... I have no support from my husband who lives in the world of "It will all work out!" Meanwhile I am reading ever book and post I can find to get the best idea for suppliments and what triggers may cause the tics.

I was feeling so overwhelmed just trying to figure things out for my 16 year old and now my baby get hit with tics in overdrive!

If anyone has any experiance with this type of breathing tic I would love to hear from you...

Thanks

 

 

Hi -

 

So sorry to hear, that your son (and you) are having such a hard time !

 

My 9year old (PANDAS)son has this breathing tic/compulsion from time to time.

 

My son has had very good results with "replacing" this tics/compulsion with another tic/compulsion, that is easier to hide and/or not so interfering with every day life. For example : Clenching the fist, moving the toes ...

 

As far as his friends concerns, my son has had good results with explaing the friends, that a tic is exactly like a hickup only in another part of the body. You cannot control it, and you find it very anoying. They can all relate to that, and my son has never had problems with his friend due to tics.

 

Best wishes to you both -

 

PANDAS_Denmark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't been on in a while because my son who is 12 has been mostly stable. but I saw your post. My son had that tic at one point and it was antibiotics that took it away. This is when I really discovered that my son who has had mild ticcing on and off since age 6 due to allergies only now has pandas. It was not through a throat swab either. He had gotten strep in his gut. You may what to look at the possibility of PANDAS. We never had anything as bad untill that. Now my son is on antibiotics everyday. Along with a very strict diet due to the damage of his gut. Kathy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

luvmyboyz,

I feel like the breathing tic will be something transient, I have a recollection of doing it the opposite way when I was a child, like I couldn't get enough breath into my lungs, so would take long deep breaths and try to hold it. I don't think it lasted too long, but I think I had a couple of transient tics as a child. my son is the one with TS, he is 10. I don't think he's ever did that one tho.

 

I wish I could help in some way, ... maybe you could try and work with him with some calm breathing before he goes to bed? don't really know, I know my son is not very cooperative when I try to help him to change or calm down with a tic. do the best you can, I have a feeling it won't last too long.

 

I also am inclined to tell you to look into the PANDAS issue. has your son been sick recently? have you had the kind of testing for strep with your other boy as well? only because of some of the symtoms you describe, altho I am not at all well versed in PANDAS yet, and am still exploring that path as well........blessings.

--------

 

lismom,

could I ask what abx you are doing that has helped? is that what you feel is keeping your child stable? how did you find that he had strep in the gut? does he take any other meds?

 

thanks,

Faith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.

Sorry to go on and on.... I have no support from my husband who lives in the world of "It will all work out!" Meanwhile I am reading ever book and post I can find to get the best idea for suppliments and what triggers may cause the tics.

I was feeling so overwhelmed just trying to figure things out for my 16 year old and now my baby get hit with tics in overdrive!

If anyone has any experiance with this type of breathing tic I would love to hear from you...

Thanks

 

The hard part is the lack of control over your own body!!! That's the scary part that i try to empathise with and scared me! It is terrible!.....BUT, as your husband says, and maybe he is the sound of reason that i need to listen to also (and its hard when you are in the depths of it) "it will all work out"...maybe he can call me ,and beat that into my head too, because he is probably right(right?). But it would be better if you could work as a team and make this part of your boys life as easy as possible. Maybe its something in that limited diet that he has developed an allergy too......one of the theories is we over bombard our bodies with the same foods 1-6 times a day and something you weren't allergic to before your body can no longer tolerate....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so much for all the helpful posts. I have went back and forth with the Pandas but I am so overwhelmed that I feel as if I am just starting to get an understanding on the TS. My 16 year old had what the Dr.s called transient tics. They came and went off and on. It has only been recently the last 6 months that I would describe them as constant. He blinks and clears his throat, a little bit. We have started him on suppliments 6 months ago and continue to experiment with things. The Neuro we went to said it it TS( but honestly he only spent 5 min. with us). He has been breaking out alot and I am hoping that it is due to hormones that we have seen a spike in tics suddenly.

My 8 year old did have strep throat when he was 1. It's hard to say if this is Pandas because at about age 2 we started testing for Autism. He had been diagnosed with Apraxia of the speech. He went to speech therapy and now the speech is fine. We did not do any type of therapy for the OCD mainly because it is minor and only seems to be an issue of and on. Some weeks he is stressed if his routine is broken other times he could care less. Also, insurance will not cover any of the services and we had to pay $1000 per month for speech... 3 years of it! When he was tested to see if he was on the spectrum it was concluded that he was not. So the best I can say is he is a bit off socially and seems immature for his age. He is very smart and no issues with motor skills or anything. Reading on Pandas I saw that most parents can describe the exact date of the onset. I can't say that really. It has always been an uphill battle with him and he has gotten better and better with age. Also, he has never had any tics till recently.

He is truly my little medical mystery. No real diagnosis. Does not fall into any real catagory. He is a true character, everyone that meets him is overhelmed by his larger than life personality!!!

With that said I have ordered the Saving Sammy book to go thru and I guess I need to figure out how to start testing for Pandas. From what I understant it is all about finding the right DR. I live in Vacaville, Ca. Near Sacramento and San Fran. But honestly traveling to any other state is not out of the question either. If you know of any great Dr. dealing with disagnosing Pandas I would love to know.

I have to say that last night when he started hitting himself I was so overwhelmed with fear I can't seem to see a happy ending to this. I ask GOD each day to give me direction and answers on how to help the boys. I mean he gave me these beautiful kids. I just hope to find some answers soon because this is truly taking a toll on my marriage and realtionship with my older son. I feel like I have been having mini breakdowns every day. I do the best to hide it but they know. I know that all of you know exactly what I am taking about..... Nice to know that i'm not crazy and other parents understand. Thanks again for the support!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Faith, last winter when my son got sick I thought he just had the flu. Then he kept getting worse, they swabed his throat, it was negative and they sent us on our way. His ticcing was the worst it had ever been. Finally we got blood work done had other strep testing and found in fact his titers were very high. I was scared at first to use antibiotic because the whole time I thought he had candida and we were on a strict diet. But sure enough, after a very long 2 or 3 months of zithromax he improved. I tried to go off the antibiotics after a while because of bowel problems and that is when he got the worsening of tics, one which the breathing tic was horrible. Put him back on zithromax and it did take time again but things improved. I will also mention that I include 50mg of topamax everyday too which helped with his eye grimicing. Kathy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovemyboyz,

 

So sorry that you are dealing w/this.

 

My child has had success using craniosacral for the breathing tic. Also, NAET has been helpful w/my child's tics & OCD. Our NP dr. are in Palo Alto, Ca and Burlingame, Ca. If you are interested, pls privately email me and i will forward their names & numbers.

 

Pls take care of yourself in the meantime. I totally understand your concern & stress.

 

Pat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So the breathing tic stopped but now a new hands to the chest tic has started! Seriously, this is some kind of crazy... He has never had any real issues and not 2 major tics in a weeks span? I have racked my brain trying to figure out what could have brought this on and nothing comes to mind. Oh even stranger, my 16 year old had this hand to chest tic about 3 weeks ago. It was a new tic that he had never had before, and now my 8 year old gets the same tic only much more severe??? Any ideas??? Nothing has changed in diet for either one of them...

I have always had sensory issues with my 8 year old and they too seem to be more severe with the onset of these tics. I am looking into the pandas but he really does not have many of the symptoms I have read about. The OCD is mild and the main problem has always been sensory. I am going to move forward with starting Bonnies Suppliments and getting testing done with GREAT PLAINS Labs. They seem to cover all the tests and best of all I think my insurance will cover it....

Does anyone thing that the STEVIA that is in the Natural Calm could cause this new hand to chest tick??? I would not explain my older son since he has been taking it for months, but my younger just stared it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have often heard that kids that see other kids ticcing pick up their tics. Like at Tourettes Camps one will tic and then they will all start doing it. They may be happening with your boys.

My son has had his "breathing" tic or stomach tic before too. He will like hold his stomach in and out. He will do it until he makes himself sick and throws up.

He also has what we call the "tooth tic". where he will like grind on his tooth or teeth to the point of chipping or creating ulcers. This is all in addition to having urges to hit himself, shout out curse and vulgar words.. I just had my breakdown last weekend. I know how you feel. Helpless at times. We have tried all kidns of natural supplements, diets.

Is either of your boys on any medications?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No my boys are not on meds. I am trying to go the natural route. What suppliments have you tried? Have you had any success?

It is confusing and alot to read thru and educate yourself on.. I think most of the parents on this site are better informed than some of the Dr.s. Sorry to hear about your recent Break Down. I swear you have to be a parent going thru this to understand those moments! Well we have to fight to help our kids and we get back up for another day! Hopefully better than the last.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi luvmyboyz,

 

I am a 47 year old man with Tourette's, and I have had this same tic for about 15 years now. Basically I contract my diaphram very suddenly, expelling air from my lungs. That feeling your son is talking about "not getting it" is the satisfying "scratching an itch" feeling you get from doing a tic. For some reason the tic isn't giving him that satisfying feeling, but that will probably come and go.

 

When I first started doing it when I was 29, it was pretty tiring, and I would feel drained after some time. But I have been pursuing various healing modalities since I was about 18, and my situation improves steadily year after year. At this point my tics are fairly mild, and have stabalized to about six or eight tics that I have been doing for about ten years now. The forceful exhalation tic is one of them, but I don't do it enough for it to make me tired.

 

I've never been a parent, but from what you are describing it sounds like it must be so very difficult what you are going through. I hope you find ways to take care of yourself, as well as your sons. That will ultimately help you help them too.

 

It sounds like you have good information channels here in these forums, so I won't get into suggesting too many things - I could go on and on about the things I've done over the years. But one thing that really helped me in my early years of my struggles was getting massage/bodywork. It helped me learn to relax, and to just settle down into my body. This wasn't a miracle cure, but over time I learned to actually feel good in my body, which was a tremendous help in the long run bigger picture. If your son is open to that kind of thing it might help...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...