Any one know anything about PANDAS?

July 17, 2010

I read a book about a kid who had a strep infection that caused OCD like

behaviors. At the same time Tony was experiencing OCD like behaviors. I

didn't want to act like a nursing or doctoral student who thinks they (or

someone they know) has every new disease they read about but Isaac had just

had strep throat so after about 6 weeks of calling the doctor and saying,

" This isn't our Tony! " she agreed to a strep test. The rapid strep test

came back negative but the cultured test (or whatever it is called) came

back positive for strep. Tony just finished the amoxicillin and now his

teeth are chattering - not like he is cold but as if he were a Halloween

skeleton. He has also been pooping in his pants even though he was toilet

trained at 4. He is now 11.

Is this PANDAS? I haven't mentioned this to the doctor because I think that

she will think .. I don't know. It just seems this is another one of those

things some doctors don't believe in - even though she believes in the

gluten free, casein free diet for some kids.

I don't need or want Tony to have PANDAS, I just want the weird behavior to

stop. Prior to amoxicillin he was pulling out his hair and becoming fixated

on smoke alarms. He would stand under a smoke alarm and scream, " Mom, mom

come quick " - something he had NEVER done before. He isn't really that

verbal. When I would get to him he would chant in a weird way, " push the

button, push the button " or he would say, " help me push the button. " It was

weird. He hasn't done either of these other two behaviors since the

amoxicillin. Actually I had a list of 5 behaviors but this is all I can

remember right now.

Now he chatters his teeth like a skeleton and I'm pretty sure he isn't aware

he is doing this.

Any ideas? Does this sound like PANDAS?

Lori

Mom to Isaac 13, and Tony 11

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