My heart goes out to you and the struggles your family is going through. We are very very thankful that our son has not been excluded or made fun of at school. There have been a few times when he’s been teased during sports; however, we’ve had so many talks about how he can advocate for himself as well as his brother advocating for him as well. It’s definitely difficult as a parent to watch your child struggle through something that you can’t control, but it’s incredible how strong they become when they are faced with something like this. I hope and pray that your son will find the same strength and realize this disability won’t hold him back as long as he keeps pushing forward.
]]>Erica,
Thank you so very much for your generous and kind offer! I, too, am interested to hear how it works for your friend’s son. Essential oils are not something we have tried yet, but I have done extensive research on them. Even now, his tics wax and wane in severity so trying anything is so hard because of the sudden onset and then the sudden decrease in severity. He always has them, but at times (like now), they are mild and not bothering him. I will do some more research and definitely reach out, should/when the need arises. You are too kind and I really truly appreciate you wanting to help others. Your friend is incredibly lucky to have someone like you in their corner!
]]>Hi Denise. Thank you so much for sharing your son’s story. What a great comfort to know that your son’s principal will be an advocate for him. Having the leadership in the school on your side is always helpful. I’m glad to hear that the acupuncture is working for your son. I will have to discuss this with my husband as well as my own son. He absolutely HATES needles, but maybe he would be willing to give it a try if he knew it would help him. I hope that your son continues to benefit from this and that his upcoming school year is a great success!
]]>Thank you for sharing your sons story. It was inspiring and filled me with hope. My son (12 yrs old now) was formally diagnosed with TS last year and unfortunately his “previous” pediatric doctor kept brushing off his symptoms as just “boy stuff” and saying he will outgrow it. But when it started affecting his schooling and kids started teasing him, his then principal asked us in to a meeting to discuss what was happening and she suggested that he be diagnosed by a neurologist because he may have TS. His tics were very familiar to her because her son has TS. That was a huge eye opener for my husband and I. I remember feeling nervous and scared of the unknown, but quickly educated myself and made an appointment with a neurologist who confirmed that it was TS. Now he is on a very mild medication, because his anxiety about trying to control all of his tics and OCD’s was stressing him out to the point he couldn’t concentrate in school and his grades were slipping. Once we started him on medication, he had more control of his tics and his grades went back up. However, I don’t like the idea of having him medicated long term, so we are now trying acupuncture, which has been a HUGE success. After two consecutive sessions all within 4-5 days of each other, 90% of his tics are no longer visible. The doctor says that with continued sessions all of his tics could eventually go away. That being said, if he stops attending the sessions his tics will eventually return. For now, this is an organic means of helping him, which I’m all for. Something else to note is, most insurances won’t cover the cost of acupuncture sessions, which can be costly, so you may want to call your insurance ahead of time to check. This is an option to consider if your son is willing to sit through a session of being poked with a hair thin needle in multiple areas (my son gets six: one in each shin of his leg, one in each side of his elbows and one in each area between his thumb and forefinger) and then electric pulses run through them for approx. 20 mins. My son says it doesn’t hurt and the pulsing tickles a little. I just wanted to share this information since it’s been such a blessing to see my son be a “normal” kid for the first time in a long time.
God bless you all!
Denise Fong
Brooklyn, NY
Thank you, Alicia. I will definitely give it a read!
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