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Needy for opinions for My son


Guest Lizzy

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Can an emotional trauma trigger a first time onset of Tourettes? Has anyone had this experiance? How young? My son is 10. He has had symptoms of tics such as blinking or lip licking earlier on but recently, after some family deaths, he has developed many forms of tics. Twitching, grunting, grimacing, huffing. Has Tourettes always been a silent part of him or has it just developed? He has been stressed over this plus the family deaths, so I am not wanting to change his whole world right now by putting him on a strict diet or taking his computer & TV away. Medication is being suggested by our Doctor. I'm not liking that either. Maybe the tics just aren't that awful. Maybe they'll just go away. He wants them to go away. A helpful word would be appreciated. Thanks. Lizzy

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Hi Lizzy

yes, an emotional trauma can trigger a lot of things!

 

Do you have a history of Tourette or tics etc in the family?

 

You are wise to wait before resorting to medication as this can often bring more problems than help!

 

For now, although I am not a doctor, I would recommend just trying to keep your son as happy and stress free as possible and try to have him eat a very healthy diet, without artificial stuff, and also give him a good pure (no color etc) multivitamin / mineral supplement and some immune boosters like grapeseed extract as well as maybe the essential fatty acids and if possible a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement too

Starting with that is a good way to build his system and then you can go from there

 

Maybe also look at the thread at the very top of this forum on Finding Medical help to see if maybe there is a natural practitioner in your area.

 

I do understand about the screens issue as for my son, he would rather tic continuously than be without his computer and TV, yet he is very willing to avoid junkfood, artificial colors and many other known tic triggers.

Thankfully he doesnt have a very big reaction to the "screens" like some kids do, and spends most time on the computer playing cames and so has the no CRT screen benefit.

 

All the best to you and I am so sorry to hear of the family sadness in the passing of loved ones.

Please do stay in touch with us

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Hi Lizzy,

 

You stated that your son had previously shown signs of tics. It's possible that with the stress of the bereavments, it has decreased his body's coping skills.

 

I agree with Chemar and would try to remove as many stress factors as possible to start with. Eg homework and backing off from making him go to social things until he works out where he is in himself. If these tics are new and severe, he will need time to readjust to his situation.

I am not suggesting that you keep him a recluse, but I have known some people to push their kids into situations that they are not ready for (as in getting back on the horse senario).

This exacerbates the symptoms and makes everyone miserable.

 

I found when my son was ticcing really severely, that he didn't like me making a big deal out of it. I would usually wait for him to bring it up and let him talk about it, eventually if I just let him talk without interfering, he would expose what was really worrying him.

I also tried to calm down our environment by not having to much going on at once.

Eg changed from having TV on all day, to playing relaxing music and sitting down doing more activities with him.. I found drawing allowed him to release some of his pent up stuff and I could see by the way he drew, the subject and the colors whether he was relaxing. Sometimes the tics would get better, then they would come back with a vengence. It is very frustrating for people who love them to stand around and not worry or want to take it on themselves.

 

Please read through as much as you can on this site. The first time I found it I was in tears after years of feeling that it was my fault my children were like this. There is so much information here that will improve your quality of life.

 

Goodluck

LOL

Ausclare

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My son is also 10 years old and I saw no verbal tics before March of this year and only a few strange behaviors that didn't last long like always putting the colar of his shirt in his mouth before that. His verbal tic is mumbling, started for a few months like he was thinking out loud moving his lips, then the sound became a whisper and sometimes loud like yelling at himself.

 

This all started when his father (we are divorced) moved his room to the other side of the house, he wanted to sleep with his father that night to be closer and the father shut the door and left him crying on the floor. In the morning he was mumbling and it didn't stop. The father loves him very much and just thought he was doing the right thing at the time as he is too old to be coming into his room to sleep. In my home he can see me in my bed from his room.

 

I went to 3 doctors. His pediatrician said he was just stressed about something and it would go away, the others were neurophyscologist that couldn't answer why he did it after 11 hours of testing and applications galore & $$$$. His hand writing in school went from one of the best in class to unable to read and the teacher reported licking himself and at one point his desk. A tic specialist said that something I put on my application was he likes to bounce a ball constantly, so I purchased him a soft one which he throws in the air and this and the licking is a motor tic of tourettes as well as the mumbling.

 

Tourettes comes in all forms and I fought putting my son on medication but he got so bad that my all A student could not do his work in school, the ADD was so bad he could not concentrate to read or write the thoughts in his head. I caved a month ago to abilify, a medication that has helped tremendously. I would check if you can go without meds to a product made by Buried Treasure for a liquid multi vitiman without preservatives and if he also has OCD and ADD, they make a formula that I give my son that is another vitiman mix that does help. I use only 2.5mg of the abilify and try more natural alternatives in lieu of putting him on any anti-depressants or other meds, but you must check with your doctor if you decide on mediation what natural you can give him with it.

 

I wish you luck with doctors, depending on the city you are in, surprisingly so many are uneducated about tourettes. God Bless Susan

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Lizzy/Susan,

 

Lizzy,

 

I think Ausclare hit on something important--sitting and building something or digging or whatever with your child will allow the conversations to flow. If he is upset enough to be ticcing from it, then there are likely buried issues that he is carrying. Fear of losing you, or whatever. Professional counseling to me is less ideal than the comfort of telling a non-judgemental and comforting/reassuring parent.

 

I remember a time 3 years ago when my child was upset and I didn't even know that he was carrying it around, and I sat and played for an entire weekend (coincidentally) and a lot came out. I felt both wonderment that he let me know and great sadness and regret that I had not devoted enough downtime just hanging with him prior to this for him to have the opportunity to let it out. We worked through it. This set the stage for him trusting that we could always work things out. We took trips to the beach (sand and waves are so relaxing), dug in the garden for hours on end. I changed my lifestyle back to one that would accommodate this kind of interaction.

 

The other thought is that the stress triggered an immune upset, and that a focus on vitamin supplementation--without removal of screens or diet changes during this difficult time might help. I think inositol might help if he is overwhelmed by the deaths. Plus a B-complex and a good multivite.

 

20% of kids get transient tics. 30% of boys get them. It is way too early to medicate in my opinion.

 

 

Susan,

 

What a heartbreaking story. I understand exactly how that could happen, even with the best of intentions. I did the Ferber method with my son when he was a few months old and it backfired and gave him night terrors for a long time. It breaks my heart because I would cry not going into him while he was crying so hard until he threw up--all because I read it was for the 'best'. For many children the same steps work out just fine, our children just have different temperaments.

 

By the way Susan, have you tried the $40 pyroluria test? I read studies that 30% of kids with add have it. It is easily treatable with B6 and Zinc.

 

Claire

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Guest Guest_Susan

I am not familiar with pyroluria, who would admisister the test, his pediatrician? What does it intail? He is already taking vitiman B and zinc in the formula I mentioned above by Buried Treasure. I am also giving him Omega 3 oils

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Susan

the "expert" on pyroluria is FJ* on the BrainTalk Forum

 

Here is a link to a thread there in which she explains it

http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showth...ead.php?t=10944

 

You do not require a doctor to het the test done.

I believe Claire has info on the best lab to have this sent to etc. It is many years since we did our testing so I am not so up to date on this

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Susan

 

Whoops I forgot to add:

 

Normal amounts of B6 and zinc won't do it if he has pyroluria--it leaches the B6 and zinc from the body, causing potentially add and other issues.

 

The starting dose is more like 200 mg B6 and 50 mg P5P and 50 mg zinc. I cut my son back to 125 mg B6 and 25 mg zinc after a few weeks and his recent reading was normal--yes! Also, it is a urine test done at home and mailed in--no appointments or lab visits.

 

I should note that my son didn't have ADD. However he has actually commented that his concentration is better this year--we treated him over the summer. He is incredibly self-observant--and he never knew I was treating him for anything to do with concentration, so no placebo effect here.

 

Honestly, I can't see harm in running the test if you know he has ADD. I don't like trying supplements for something unless the test is positive.

 

Finally, other conditions of pyroluria can be high anxiety/inability to handle stress and depression. They often do poorly in school for this reason. The remarkable thing is that it is almost always completely treatable with just supplements. I HIGHLY recommend he take it.

 

Claire

 

ps: another good diagnostic: Does he remember a dream almost every night? One of the indicators of pyroluria, but if he does remember them, it doesn't mean he doesn't have it. One B6 guideline is to give enough until they remember nightly dreams.

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Okie Dokie, visited the site, looks like they can send you a urine test for determination of pyroluria and a blood test has to be taken for Histamine which I assume you give to your doctor and he does for you. I'm reading your other post now on the histamine and will check with my son's doctor. Thanks

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  • 4 weeks later...

Lizzy,

Well, my son is 9 now, but he was diagnosed with TS when he was only about 6. We didn't realize what all the tics were until we got him to a Neurologist. When he stopped having the tics we realized that the meds were helping- we are still trying new things and will be his whole life. I will say though that when he was 3 years old his babysitter told me that he has a really hard time with transitioning. As he has gotten older, that has been his most difficult thing to handle. He gets overemotional with transitions.. or big changes in his life. His dad and I recently split up and also we weened him off a medicine and the combination has been almost unbearable for him. We are getting ready to start a new med, but have learned that when there is trauma Yes, he has a harder time with tics and his behavior. so in answer to your question, yes yes yes trauma and life changes are very much related to the increase in your sons tics symptoms. Just try to remain calmer than ever before and talk him through each episode. He will soon learn to calm himself and work through things better.

Good luck to you.

my email is kelseg@lycos if you want to talk more about this. I don't usually look in these sites, so I wouldn't find you in here again.

Good luck.

K

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