Tics

November 9, 2003

<<<<<< wow! This is unbelievable. So if you tell him how his nails are

getting this way, do you think he will stop picking at them?>

no, but if the new meds work on tics it should decrease his urge to do so!

F

November 10, 2003

<<<<<<<<> I was wondering if your boy has a history of refusing to wear

certain kinds of socks. These being the disgusting feeling kind that

have the seam ON the toenail line and not 1 in. or more above it? >>>>>>>

he never had problems with socks. he insisted, though on tucking his shirt

in! lol

December 19, 2003

Hi everyone,

I've read a few posts on here from parents of children who experience tics. I'd

really like to discuss this with any of you who have experience with this and

are willing to email me. I have some concerns regarding my son. Please email me

at Tammy_S68@...<mailto:Tammy_S68@...> if you are willing to help me

help my son.

Thanks,

Tammy in Oregon

December 19, 2003

Tammy,

My son has had tics for awhile. We just recently got the diagnosis of Tourette's

Syndrome. We thought some of the stuff he did when he was younger was due to

sensory issues. But come to find out, they were a form of tics. He tics are

mostly upper body -- shoulder shrugging, neck movement, facial movements. He

also has vocal tics -- coughing. We were just seen by a neurologist that put him

on clonidine for the tics. It has helped the motor tics but not the vocal tics.

We have started an zyrtec for the coughing. The dr thought perhaps the coughing

has more to do with allergies than the Tourettes due to the fact we have seen

alot of improvement in the motor tics area & little in the vocal area. The dr

wouldn't have normally put my son on medicine but thought it would be the best

thing because my son was getting self conscious about the tics in addition to

the speech problem.

I would be glad to share more

A child is like a butterfly in the wind, some fly faster, some fly harder but

they all fly the best they can. Each one is different, each one is beautiful

and each one is special.

December 19, 2003

There's a difference between " tic disorder " and Tourette's Syndrome...not all

children with motor tics have Tourette's. If anyone wants more info, you can

email me off list

KissmeKaate@...

~K

Re: [ ] tics

Tammy,

My son has had tics for awhile. We just recently got the diagnosis of

Tourette's Syndrome. We thought some of the stuff he did when he was younger was

due to sensory issues. But come to find out, they were a form of tics. He tics

are mostly upper body -- shoulder shrugging, neck movement, facial movements. He

also has vocal tics -- coughing. We were just seen by a neurologist that put him

on clonidine for the tics. It has helped the motor tics but not the vocal tics.

We have started an zyrtec for the coughing. The dr thought perhaps the coughing

has more to do with allergies than the Tourettes due to the fact we have seen

alot of improvement in the motor tics area & little in the vocal area. The dr

wouldn't have normally put my son on medicine but thought it would be the best

thing because my son was getting self conscious about the tics in addition to

the speech problem.

I would be glad to share more

A child is like a butterfly in the wind, some fly faster, some fly harder but

they all fly the best they can. Each one is different, each one is beautiful

and each one is special.

December 19, 2003

Your e-mail doesn't show up for some reason, but you can e-mail me

at luckygmstwife@...

My son has a tic disorder. It's not bad. He just shakes his head.

It was scary at first because we didn't know what was going on. He

doesn't take medication, and he really doesn't have any associated

things with it. He does have to be seen by a neurologist.

Some kids grow out of them, and some do not. They are more common

in boys than girls, and they usually peek at about 10 years of age.

Suzi

December 20, 2003

Hi Suzi and all interested in this topic,

I was looking for another message in the archives for someone and

came up with the following you may be interested in. Tics can be

caused from a wide variety of reasons -including stress, treated a

variety of ways, as you will read below:

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:28 pm

Subject: Re: tics

Hi ! Now Carol has even more to explore

to try to help her son -sensory tics -lyme and tics - strep and

tics -that should be at least 6 cents worth at 2 cents a pop.

Some of the links I found below that may help I never would have

known to

search for in regards to tics (MD-parents like you are good to have

around!):

Strep and tics

Treatments Reduce Strep-Triggered Symptoms of OCD and Tics in Some

Children

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) researchers report that

some children whose symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

and tic disorders were worsened by a common strep infection have

been successfully treated with plasma exchange (PEX) and intravenous

immunoglobulin (IVIG). Dr. Swedo and colleagues at the

National Institutes of Health reported their findings in the October

2 issue of Lancet. "

http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/sept99/nimh-30.htm

Lyme and tics

" Psychiatric.Two studies from different institutions found that

children with Lyme Disease may develop late problems with visual and

auditory attention. These children may be mistakenly diagnosed as

having primary attention deficit disorder as opposed to attentional

deficits secondary to a systemic infection. Other findings in

children include new onset phobias (e.g., fear of the dark,

separation anxiety), depression, listlessness and irritability,

oppositional behavior, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and/or

Tourettes Disorder. "

http://www.columbia-lyme.org/flatp/lymeoverview.html

" The impact academically is most significant. These children have

fall-off in academic performance, difficulty learning new material,

problems with short-term memory, problems with word finding, and a

number of them have lost reading skills. Frequently, these children

may present with a picture of ADD or may have an underlying ADD or

ADHD that is made worse by the Lyme. Incidentally, Dr. Pietrucha

noted that children with Tourette's may also have a worsening of

their tics when they have been ill with Lyme disease symptoms. A

case report published in Lancet indicated that a child with

Tourette's who was found to have concurrent CNS Lyme disease

experienced a remission of the Tourette's after the Lyme disease was

treated. "

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/412987?WebLogicSession=Pm1eQ2bGDEokShuTCSaWg\

h0C0bPEtvooYaTduWlBav6eqZGNOBn9|1142142660663020111/184161393/6/7001/7001/7002/7\

002/7001/-1

Sensory tics

" Like many other aspects of this site, this page is put together

from anecdotes and personal experiences. "

http://au.geocities.com/jones_kacm/tictypes.htm

http://au.geocities.com/jones_kacm/5_senses.htm

(I added the school / stress ones too since I believe that is a

possiblity as well)

Stress and tics

" Management of a tic disorder should explore possible stresses in

the child's life at home and school. Stress can exacerbate tics

which in turn, often impacts on the child's self-esteem. Helping the

child and parents to devise strategies to deal with stress, and

providing reassurance and monitoring are the mainstays of

management. "

http://www.sch.edu.au/articles.asp?type=3 & doc=30

" Dr. Preston Herrington, Pediatrician

Margie noticed that since her five-year-old son, , had started

school, he developed a new habit of frequently pulling at his own

ears. Everything from an ear infection to developing a " tic " crossed

her mind. After consulting with her physician – she learned it was

neither – it was simply a way was calming himself as he

adjusted to the changes from being at home with mom to starting

school.

Childhood habits like twisting or chewing hair, grinding teeth,

tugging on ears, and nail biting sometimes are confused with tic

behaviors. Nervous habits like these are controllable behaviors that

develop in times of stress. They are common in school-aged children

as they adjust to new routines, new schools, and new friendships.

Nervous habits are often outlets for pent-up energy. Do not worry

about them unless they are done compulsively. Sometimes a change of

scenery, a gentle awareness discussion, or relaxation exercises will

help break the habit. Childhood nervous habits usually stop when the

child learns more effective ways of comforting himself while coping

with stress.

Tics, on the other hand, are involuntary muscle movements that are

physical problems, not psychological ones. Motor tics include eye

blinking or squinting, shrugging the shoulders, grimacing,

repetitive coughing or shaking the head. Vocal tics include tongue

clicking, clearing the throat, sniffing, coughing, or saying words

out of context. In rare cases, children may curse or say unpleasant

things that they do not mean.

Those behaviors are not used to calm a child as with a nervous

habit, because they are not in the child's control. While their

presence may seem as if the child is experiencing stress, they

generally are not direct responses to stress or anxiety. They can

happen randomly.... "

http://www.lifecoursehealth.com/LifeCourse/Columns/ColumnsDetail.asp?ColumnID=37

" The most common tic disorder is called " transient tic disorder, "

which may affect up to 10 percent of children during the early

school years. Teachers or others may notice the tics and wonder if

the child is under stress or " nervous. " Transient tics go away by

themselves.

Some tics do not go away. Tics which last one year or more are

called " chronic tics. " Chronic tics affect less than one percent of

children and may be related to a special, more unusual tic disorder

called Tourette's Disorder. "

http://www.puberty101.com/aacap_tics.shtml

=====

December 22, 2003

Hi everyone,

I've been reading a lot of information from those of you who have sent links

regarding PANDAS. I am highly suspect of this as a cause of my son's tics. I

think I read someone post that this can be ruled out by a blood test, is that

true? I'm going to be busy printing out all of these articles for my son's

doctors.

Is there anyone with medical background that can tell me if there would ever,

even if it was rare, be an occasion that a child could develop a facial rash

that varies from hives to a rash of little red pin-headed sized spots with a

connection to strep or due to this PANDAS thing? My son has had an unexplained

rash on his face for the last 5 or 6 months now. The doctor cannot diagnose it

and we have tried bactroban, lotrizone both unsucessfully and then we tried

elidel which keeps it under control to an extent but does not make it go away.

We were forced to skip school pictures this year and it is a source of ongoing

stress for my son which is NOT helping the tic symptoms at all.

Any help out there is greatly appreciated. My son is turning 10 on Monday and

here goes another set of wonderful pictures, not to mention Christmas is

Thursday.

Thanks,

Tammy in Oregon who is not Tammy I. Some people are getting us confused.

----- Original Message -----

From: kiddietalk<mailto:kiddietalk@...>

December 22, 2003

Hi again,

One major detail I left off, my son has had strep throat since at least the

beginning of November. I didn't know because he wasn't complaining of a sore

throat so I figured it out after I and one of my daughters came down with it.

The first round of keflex he took and two days off of it had strep again. He

just finished the second round of keflex last Thursday so I do not know his

status for sure at this time. He isn't complaining so who knows.

Re: [ ] Re: tics