Introduction & Background

[coolshop]

Hello

 

My son will be 10 years old in January and has been diagnosed with TS since around age 4. He's waxed and waned over the years and quite honestly, we've tried hard really never to make a 'big deal' out of TS in his life. Luckily, his tics (mostly vocal) were mild enough and/or he hid them well enough that it has not been an issue for him or our family.

 

He's an extremely happy and bright child who does extremely well in school.

 

This school year his tics have become more obvious to him and for the first time I've told him 'what' he has. He is incredibly adept at hiding the tics. In fact for a few months he had a couple of vocal tics that I didn't even know, because he masked them so well. I'm concerned for him, though, because I can tell it is getting harder for him to 'hide' them and I worry about the effort and mental stress that he puts on himself in attempting to do so.

 

For example, his main current tic is a tiny, soft whistle. He told me in school, he tries to move his chair on the floor to make a sound and cover the whistle. It breaks my heart. Earlier in the year he had a tiny squeak sound in his throat.

 

So, although he's been diagnosed for quite some time, this is the first I've really started 'thinking' about his TS seriously.

 

He's the poster child for all the wrong stuff -- he is overweight, has a very narrow range of foods he will eat (no veggies, lots of carbs, mainly macaroni, etc), plays tons of video games and watches tons of TV, and I am embarassed to admit but his room is pretty dusty because he has a lot of tiny things on his shelves that are hard to move and dust (argh, I feel like such a bad mom!). I've never considered having him tested for allergies as his neurologist's approach has been not to do anything preventative or medicate since he has been so mildly affected to date.

 

A few other of his characteristics -- very stubborn, prefers to be a homebody/couch potato - hates going out, also gets extremely grumpy when he is hungry.

 

And, possibly important, last winter and now again this winter, he has basically had continual ear infections -- we'd get rid of one and then another would crop up -- from about October through April.

 

I plan to study the info presented here in a lot more detail, but thought I'd post my son's story for now to see if any obvious suggestions come up.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Oh, I should also mention that I really prefer not to medicate him, but to explore other approaches.

 

Also, my brother has a 2 1/2 year old who was diagnosed this year as autistic. Is this relevant?

[Claire]

Coolshop,

 

Chronic ear infections (like recurring strep or any recurring infection) can be associated with yeast overgrowth or zinc deficiency.

 

I have bumped a few threads for you. But more than anything, I recommend interviewing and selecting an alternative doctor from the list above.

 

ESPECIALLY if you have a child with autism. The DAN doctors on the list (Defeat Autism Now) are at the forefront of testing protocols to detect immune system issues that can lead to autism, and many here have found that our kids have the same issues. Your description of your son is so common. Though the weight thing to me strikes me more as the sedentary life than any TS condition.

 

The vast majority of us avoid drugs, or had a bad experience and don't do drugs anymore. The purpose of this board is alternative approaches.

 

Please scan some of the survey thread and success stories, like those of Chemar and others. These methods WORK. However, it takes time and a methodical approach to ID what is best for your child.

 

As you read, just post your questions, many here are happy to help out.

 

I wouldn't be myself if I didn't point out that removing screens eliminated our son's tics 100%. For Jeff it was eliminating artificial ingredients. That's what I mean, our kids are different.

 

Good luck,

Claire

[coolshop]

Hello Claire

 

Thank you so much for your response. I will surely be studying all of the messages on the board more closely and formulating a plan.

 

Please note, we do not have another child with autism. My brother and his wife have the autistic child.

 

Thanks again, and I welcome any other thoughts.

[Claire]

Whoops, it was late when I read your post, sorry for the error that is was your brother's child.

 

My brother has a 15 year old child with OCD, though like Chemar's child, he is much improved. Oddly, my brother reallydid nothing for him but flax seed oil, so he was one of the fortunate ones that basically improved with puberty (many with tics do also, but I sure wouldn't want to go through middle school with just crossed fingers...

 

As for the behavioral aspects you mention, they tend to improve with the other health measures. If you limit TV/computer, he may be more interested in going out, hard to say.

 

Claire