Guest guest Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Jeff - My six year old son just completed preschool this spring and was diagnosed with PANDAS at the same time. He also does " deep breaths " (germ-related fears) and spends a lot of time, happily, in imaginative play (usually, he is Harry Potter, or Ash, from Pokemon). He finally made one great friend in preschool this year, but also preferred to be by himself on the playground...one of the reasons his preschool teachers suggested " holding him back " , to allow better socialization before kindergarten. We did CBT to get through the initial, severe OCD bouts, and now that he's not sick, he is much less fearful. Still has the ideas but doesn't always have to do them. Anyway, your son sounded so much like mine, I wanted to write back...it's not always OCD..but once we knew what it was, so many behaviors fit and suddenly made sense. Hope this helps. -- - In , " Jeff " <shiffra@c...> wrote: > I have been posting periodically about my 8 year old daughter for about > the last month. She has OCD and I believe PANDAS (can you know for > sure?). > > > > Now, I am concerned about my 5 year old son. Because my daughter has > OCD, and my husband and I have OC tendencies, I believe my son is more > likely to also have OCD. I have had it in the back of my mind. Now > that I have been exposed to all these postings, I am (in my mind) > attributing some of his different behaviors to OCD. I am also concerned > about a potential learning disability. I will try to make his story > short.My son has been in a private preschool for the last two years. > Each year, his teacher has taken me aside and shared concern about his > ability to learn, and his social skills. I hoped/believed it was > immaturity, disinterest in school, and too hard of a push from the > teachers (because it was a private school); they believed it was more. > Specifically, they have been concerned about his ability to retain > information (i.e., after telling him the letter " a " is the letter " a " , > 15 seconds later he cannot remember that it is the letter " a " ). My > husband and I have noticed that problem, but also know that after > playing a Playstation game once, he can tell you all the characters > names, how to get from one screen to the other, etc. Point being, he > does retain information; just not the kind of information that his > teachers and I would like him to retain. And as far as his social > skills, he would tend to play by himself on the playground. While that > makes me sad to think of him playing by himself on the playground, if > you ask him, he says he likes to play by himself. He has had > " playdates " , and seems to interact fine in a " one-on-one " situation. > So, moving right along, these issues have been a concern for the last > two years. Could these issues be related to his potential OCD, or just > another additional problem??? Now as far as his OCD symptoms.about 6 > months ago, he started to become very concerned if he did not know where > I was in the house; as long as he knew I was there, he was fine (i.e., > he would call out my name from his room, and I would respond from my > room, and he would say " OK just making sure you are there " ). Within the > last few weeks, he follows me everywhere, he needs to be either in the > room with me, or very close by. This is a child who could play in his > room for hours without knowing where I was, and now he needs constant > reassurance that I am literally here for him. He also periodically has > done the " fake yawns " (tics perhaps?). And again within like the last > couple of weeks, he takes these huge breaths, like he is gasping for > air. Is this a sort of tic, or should I be worried for him physically? > Lastly, most of his play, is imaginative play. He is either Spiderman, > or a Power Ranger, etc. I think this is typical, but I just worry > because he seems to enter a different world when he " becomes " Spiderman, > etc. By the way, he just got tested for strep and he has it. I > reminded the doctor about my daughter and PANDAS, and she acted like the > chances of he having PANDAS too would be extremely slight. > > > > Like I said, I have OC tendencies, so it is frustrating for me, because > I tend to worry about everything, whether it is justified or not. So, > do I have some valid concerns, or am I just looking for something that > is not there? > > > > Any advice, input, or insight would be much appreciated. > > > > LKS > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Actually, Jeff is my husband, but that is OK. Can you explain the " deep breaths " more? I am really concerned about those. It is funny, I am now praying that it is OCD, and not a physical problem. Did your doctor think the social aspect was a problem? I cannot imagine my son going through CBT, he seems way too young. My 8 year old is even having a hard time in participating in the therapy. Does your son have any problems with learning? Thanks for responding! It is absolutely wonderful knowing that someone out there can relate to my situation. Re: Help?! Jeff - My six year old son just completed preschool this spring and was diagnosed with PANDAS at the same time. He also does " deep breaths " (germ-related fears) and spends a lot of time, happily, in imaginative play (usually, he is Harry Potter, or Ash, from Pokemon). He finally made one great friend in preschool this year, but also preferred to be by himself on the playground...one of the reasons his preschool teachers suggested " holding him back " , to allow better socialization before kindergarten. We did CBT to get through the initial, severe OCD bouts, and now that he's not sick, he is much less fearful. Still has the ideas but doesn't always have to do them. Anyway, your son sounded so much like mine, I wanted to write back...it's not always OCD..but once we knew what it was, so many behaviors fit and suddenly made sense. Hope this helps. -- - In , " Jeff " <shiffra@c...> wrote: > I have been posting periodically about my 8 year old daughter for about > the last month. She has OCD and I believe PANDAS (can you know for > sure?). > > > > Now, I am concerned about my 5 year old son. Because my daughter has > OCD, and my husband and I have OC tendencies, I believe my son is more > likely to also have OCD. I have had it in the back of my mind. Now > that I have been exposed to all these postings, I am (in my mind) > attributing some of his different behaviors to OCD. I am also concerned > about a potential learning disability. I will try to make his story > short.My son has been in a private preschool for the last two years. > Each year, his teacher has taken me aside and shared concern about his > ability to learn, and his social skills. I hoped/believed it was > immaturity, disinterest in school, and too hard of a push from the > teachers (because it was a private school); they believed it was more. > Specifically, they have been concerned about his ability to retain > information (i.e., after telling him the letter " a " is the letter " a " , > 15 seconds later he cannot remember that it is the letter " a " ). My > husband and I have noticed that problem, but also know that after > playing a Playstation game once, he can tell you all the characters > names, how to get from one screen to the other, etc. Point being, he > does retain information; just not the kind of information that his > teachers and I would like him to retain. And as far as his social > skills, he would tend to play by himself on the playground. While that > makes me sad to think of him playing by himself on the playground, if > you ask him, he says he likes to play by himself. He has had > " playdates " , and seems to interact fine in a " one-on-one " situation. > So, moving right along, these issues have been a concern for the last > two years. Could these issues be related to his potential OCD, or just > another additional problem??? Now as far as his OCD symptoms.about 6 > months ago, he started to become very concerned if he did not know where > I was in the house; as long as he knew I was there, he was fine (i.e., > he would call out my name from his room, and I would respond from my > room, and he would say " OK just making sure you are there " ). Within the > last few weeks, he follows me everywhere, he needs to be either in the > room with me, or very close by. This is a child who could play in his > room for hours without knowing where I was, and now he needs constant > reassurance that I am literally here for him. He also periodically has > done the " fake yawns " (tics perhaps?). And again within like the last > couple of weeks, he takes these huge breaths, like he is gasping for > air. Is this a sort of tic, or should I be worried for him physically? > Lastly, most of his play, is imaginative play. He is either Spiderman, > or a Power Ranger, etc. I think this is typical, but I just worry > because he seems to enter a different world when he " becomes " Spiderman, > etc. By the way, he just got tested for strep and he has it. I > reminded the doctor about my daughter and PANDAS, and she acted like the > chances of he having PANDAS too would be extremely slight. > > > > Like I said, I have OC tendencies, so it is frustrating for me, because > I tend to worry about everything, whether it is justified or not. So, > do I have some valid concerns, or am I just looking for something that > is not there? > > > > Any advice, input, or insight would be much appreciated. > > > > LKS > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 Hi, I could relate to what you are saying in the fact that I do have OCD. It's not easy as a parent with OCD to not worry about our kids all the time. All 3 of my kids have issues. I imagine that they all have OCD but I don't know if it's my OCD causing those beliefs or not. My youngest son has a global developmental delay with other issues and goes to special preschool. I believe some of his problems are due to OCD and he's only 3. My duaghter is 10 and definitly has OCD thoughts very often......my 7 year old son is being evaluated because he's immature and also worry's that I'm going to leave him somewhere. Just wanted to send a quick answer to your post. By the way, Where did someone see the name Jeff anyway....I didn't see that name in any of your posts. In a message dated 7/8/2004 11:30:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time, shiffra@... writes: Actually, Jeff is my husband, but that is OK. Can you explain the " deep breaths " more? I am really concerned about those. It is funny, I am now praying that it is OCD, and not a physical problem. Did your doctor think the social aspect was a problem? I cannot imagine my son going through CBT, he seems way too young. My 8 year old is even having a hard time in participating in the therapy. Does your son have any problems with learning? Thanks for responding! It is absolutely wonderful knowing that someone out there can relate to my situation. Re: Help?! Jeff - My six year old son just completed preschool this spring and was diagnosed with PANDAS at the same time. He also does " deep breaths " (germ-related fears) and spends a lot of time, happily, in imaginative play (usually, he is Harry Potter, or Ash, from Pokemon). He finally made one great friend in preschool this year, but also preferred to be by himself on the playground...one of the reasons his preschool teachers suggested " holding him back " , to allow better socialization before kindergarten. We did CBT to get through the initial, severe OCD bouts, and now that he's not sick, he is much less fearful. Still has the ideas but doesn't always have to do them. Anyway, your son sounded so much like mine, I wanted to write back...it's not always OCD..but once we knew what it was, so many behaviors fit and suddenly made sense. Hope this helps. -- - In , " Jeff " <shiffra@c...> wrote: > I have been posting periodically about my 8 year old daughter for about > the last month. She has OCD and I believe PANDAS (can you know for > sure?). > > > > Now, I am concerned about my 5 year old son. Because my daughter has > OCD, and my husband and I have OC tendencies, I believe my son is more > likely to also have OCD. I have had it in the back of my mind. Now > that I have been exposed to all these postings, I am (in my mind) > attributing some of his different behaviors to OCD. I am also concerned > about a potential learning disability. I will try to make his story > short.My son has been in a private preschool for the last two years. > Each year, his teacher has taken me aside and shared concern about his > ability to learn, and his social skills. I hoped/believed it was > immaturity, disinterest in school, and too hard of a push from the > teachers (because it was a private school); they believed it was more. > Specifically, they have been concerned about his ability to retain > information (i.e., after telling him the letter " a " is the letter " a " , > 15 seconds later he cannot remember that it is the letter " a " ). My > husband and I have noticed that problem, but also know that after > playing a Playstation game once, he can tell you all the characters > names, how to get from one screen to the other, etc. Point being, he > does retain information; just not the kind of information that his > teachers and I would like him to retain. And as far as his social > skills, he would tend to play by himself on the playground. While that > makes me sad to think of him playing by himself on the playground, if > you ask him, he says he likes to play by himself. He has had > " playdates " , and seems to interact fine in a " one-on-one " situation. > So, moving right along, these issues have been a concern for the last > two years. Could these issues be related to his potential OCD, or just > another additional problem??? Now as far as his OCD symptoms.about 6 > months ago, he started to become very concerned if he did not know where > I was in the house; as long as he knew I was there, he was fine (i.e., > he would call out my name from his room, and I would respond from my > room, and he would say " OK just making sure you are there " ). Within the > last few weeks, he follows me everywhere, he needs to be either in the > room with me, or very close by. This is a child who could play in his > room for hours without knowing where I was, and now he needs constant > reassurance that I am literally here for him. He also periodically has > done the " fake yawns " (tics perhaps?). And again within like the last > couple of weeks, he takes these huge breaths, like he is gasping for > air. Is this a sort of tic, or should I be worried for him physically? > Lastly, most of his play, is imaginative play. He is either Spiderman, > or a Power Ranger, etc. I think this is typical, but I just worry > because he seems to enter a different world when he " becomes " Spiderman, > etc. By the way, he just got tested for strep and he has it. I > reminded the doctor about my daughter and PANDAS, and she acted like the > chances of he having PANDAS too would be extremely slight. > > > > Like I said, I have OC tendencies, so it is frustrating for me, because > I tend to worry about everything, whether it is justified or not. So, > do I have some valid concerns, or am I just looking for something that > is not there? > > > > Any advice, input, or insight would be much appreciated. > > > > LKS > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 To Jeff's wife(sorry!), I'm not sure I understand the " deep breaths " completely, but he's told me that he does it for different reasons (it's so interesting to hear what is going on in his young head, very " adult " worrying)...reason 1 to " blow away the germs around him in the bad air " ), reasons 2 to " cool him off inside " , and when he was really sick with OCD in the spring,he would hold his breath around girls (they were somehow germy). I still see him fighting his urges sometimes, especially when tired, but if I ask if " mr. stupid " (his name for the OCD man in his head) is back, he gets upset. I don't know if he has any learning problems, although he resists learning how to read (loves being read TO). He did great with the child psychologist's CBT(used a rubber band snap on his wrist as a substitute for handwiping, and " boxed " his compulsions in his mind, put them in an imaginary balloon and used his fingertip to " pop " them and make them go away. He doesn't need these " tricks " presently, but they sure did work in our crisis. Is your 8 year old with a pediatric psychologist? The doctors and psychologist weren't concerned with the social aspect right now. He is small for his age, and has a birthday in May, so holding him back just made sense. Now that he has extra challenges to deal with in his brain, I'm so glad he'll be the oldest or the whole experience would overwhelm him. If anyone else has read my long post, and has a PANDAS child, would you let me know if they have had a tonsillectomy? I would do anything to prevent another bout of suffering, and I saw the article posted a few days ago. How common is PANDAS as an indication for tonsillectomy? It is interesting because I am OCD free and had my tonsills removed at age 3, but my younger sister who has OCD still has her tonsils. > > I have been posting periodically about my 8 year old daughter for > about > > the last month. She has OCD and I believe PANDAS (can you know for > > sure?). > > > > > > > > Now, I am concerned about my 5 year old son. Because my daughter > has > > OCD, and my husband and I have OC tendencies, I believe my son is > more > > likely to also have OCD. I have had it in the back of my mind. > Now > > that I have been exposed to all these postings, I am (in my mind) > > attributing some of his different behaviors to OCD. I am also > concerned > > about a potential learning disability. I will try to make his > story > > short.My son has been in a private preschool for the last two > years. > > Each year, his teacher has taken me aside and shared concern about > his > > ability to learn, and his social skills. I hoped/believed it was > > immaturity, disinterest in school, and too hard of a push from the > > teachers (because it was a private school); they believed it was > more. > > Specifically, they have been concerned about his ability to retain > > information (i.e., after telling him the letter " a " is the > letter " a " , > > 15 seconds later he cannot remember that it is the letter " a " ). My > > husband and I have noticed that problem, but also know that after > > playing a Playstation game once, he can tell you all the characters > > names, how to get from one screen to the other, etc. Point being, > he > > does retain information; just not the kind of information that his > > teachers and I would like him to retain. And as far as his social > > skills, he would tend to play by himself on the playground. While > that > > makes me sad to think of him playing by himself on the playground, > if > > you ask him, he says he likes to play by himself. He has had > > " playdates " , and seems to interact fine in a " one-on-one " > situation. > > So, moving right along, these issues have been a concern for the > last > > two years. Could these issues be related to his potential OCD, or > just > > another additional problem??? Now as far as his OCD > symptoms.about 6 > > months ago, he started to become very concerned if he did not know > where > > I was in the house; as long as he knew I was there, he was fine > (i.e., > > he would call out my name from his room, and I would respond from > my > > room, and he would say " OK just making sure you are there " ). > Within the > > last few weeks, he follows me everywhere, he needs to be either in > the > > room with me, or very close by. This is a child who could play in > his > > room for hours without knowing where I was, and now he needs > constant > > reassurance that I am literally here for him. He also > periodically has > > done the " fake yawns " (tics perhaps?). And again within like the > last > > couple of weeks, he takes these huge breaths, like he is gasping > for > > air. Is this a sort of tic, or should I be worried for him > physically? > > Lastly, most of his play, is imaginative play. He is either > Spiderman, > > or a Power Ranger, etc. I think this is typical, but I just worry > > because he seems to enter a different world when he " becomes " > Spiderman, > > etc. By the way, he just got tested for strep and he has it. I > > reminded the doctor about my daughter and PANDAS, and she acted > like the > > chances of he having PANDAS too would be extremely slight. > > > > > > > > Like I said, I have OC tendencies, so it is frustrating for me, > because > > I tend to worry about everything, whether it is justified or not. > So, > > do I have some valid concerns, or am I just looking for something > that > > is not there? > > > > > > > > Any advice, input, or insight would be much appreciated. > > > > > > > > LKS > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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