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[Alex58]

Hello. I have a strange story to tell that revolves around my daughter. 6 months ago she came home from school very distressed and vomited. Since then a whole array of weird behaviours have emerged. These range from facial tics, anxiety, stomach aches, disordered eating, defiant behaviour, school refusal, suicidal thoughts and so on. From a girl who had none of these behaviours to literally overnight being a train wreck. We have found this extremely distressing and discovered there was a disorder called PANDAS that seemed to fit the bill. Trouble is none of the professionals will listen to us. They may be right that she has GAD and that antidepressants are the way to go but we are still waiting for an improvement. This has had a toll on the family and has left me feeling broken. From a once strong man to an anxious one is what I am currently in the midst of. I am trying to work my way out of this but there doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. We are unsure of the next steps to take. We are getting help with a team of people which has helped with the re feeding that was a priority. Currently they will not deal with the mind until the weight is restored but we want help in that department now. Does anyone else have a similar story because we would like to exchange ideas on how to head in a positive direction

[em1]

Hello Alex and welcome to the fourm
How old is your daughter ? Do you know why she come home like that? Was it a bug or is there something going on in school ?
My son had this for a while where he was waking up and feeling sick and did not want to go to school (he's only 6) and it was a boy at school pushing him around and it was making him scared,as a parent this is heartbreaking and I sorted it ASAP,it still happens once in a while but when it does I'm sorting it out right away,it's hard when your going through anything like this,sometimes stress can bring it on,I know someone that started to suddenly started getting tics and shouting out and it stemmed from the Parents going through a divorce,had any tablets or therapy been offered ?

[Alex58]

Thanks em. Our daughter is 12 and we thought it may be friendship issues but she is a social girl and assures us it is not. However, we think there is a bit of confusion about friends as she is missing a bit of school. This is understandable but doesn't cut it for all the weird behaviour we have seen. There is certainly anxiety there which she mistakes for being sick. Any tummy ache she gets is definitely gastro....she has had this nearly every day for the last 8 months but not once has she been sick. So frustrating cos we reassure her that it is nerves.

[Alex58]

Thanks em how do I find 13.......I can't seem to find the way

[jessed03]

http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?25707-Probiotics&p=158975#post158975

Right there friend.

And welcome :)

[Alex58]

Hi Alex 13 just posted a thread with some articles that may be of interest you. Thread is called .....Probiotics.

Thanks frankiecfc how do I find the info you are referring to that 13 has discussed

[Alex58]

Thanks, we have thought of probiotics and she does have some yoghurt. Some of the probiotics have strep in them and so if PANDAS is a realistic condition for her we would need to avoid that.......thanks for the line of thought though

[Alex58]

The behaviour has taken a turn for the worse recently. Our daughter thinks that a lot of food she eats is covered in gastro and there are so many things that just seem to go around in circles. We don't know wether to laugh or cry with this cos it is so bizarre. However it is real for her and it is clearly effecting her life. We don't know where to turn because the team we are aligned with are dealing with her past but we need CBT. Will this work?

[needtogetwell]

Hi Alex: sorry to hear of your troubles. It certainly is a helpless feeling that we get when we can't easily fix what ails our children.

After reading your story and the replies I am inclined to agree with the mental health intervention direction.

Something is obviously wrong in your daughters world and as teens or pre-teens they tend to shut us parents out. Even when we want nothing more desperately than to help them.

Seek, demand professional help! Don't let up until you get it!

She is at an age where hormones are starting to kick in and that is another mess all it's own. The world is different for kids now than when we were that age.

I am hoping you and she get the answers you need.

Please let us know how you are doing.
Cheers!
Pam

[Alex58]

Thanks.....we are with a mental health team and have been for over 6 months. They have helped her gain 10 kg in weight but they seem unsure what to do next. I think they are used to dealing with eating disorders but this is not typical because it revolves around a fear of getting sick. We have been saying for ages to help with the fear but they have not yet gone in that direction. With no improvement we are starting to think we need to get others involved.........this could confuse things

[Alex58]

Thanks......she needed to put on weight cos she was dangerously unhealthy last year but is now back on track. The team wanted to deal with the weight gain first because that was the initial presentation (hospitalization and a refeeding program) but now the weight is back on we think the CBT is needed but the team seem unsure of how to go about it

[Alex58]

She seems oblivious sometimes to her issues........but says stuff like 'I would be normal if I never vomited again'. I would love for her to want to face her fears but she may be too young, too immature or too reliant on use as carers. The list of symptoms are as long as your arm and the team know all of these. My wife is convinced it is OCD caused by strep but the team seem to want to delve into the past to find answers. We have been asking for ages for CBT but there doesn't seem to be any push in that direction. She has missed a lot of school this year and all we want is our little girl back

[Alex58]

History.....about a year ago got gastro which seemed to be the start of it.........intense fear, scratching, fearful thoughts of dying. This left of a bit but after a tooth extraction a few weeks later this all came back more aggressively. We battled away at school but this was getting harder. Eventually went to the paediatrician who immediately admitted her to hospital as she was under the 5th percentile for BMI. This was traumatic for all of us. It has been a long slow process since then with many ups and downs. However the phobias around food poisoning still persist. There is so much more to tell but this gives a bit of a snshot

[Alex58]

Thanks for the advice. The issue is a bit deeper than that. Our daughter has had a few episodes in the past....one was a water obsession that lasted for a week or so and another followed a throat infection....this also only lasted for a week or so. The water obsession was diagnosed as behavioural and the psych was trying to pin it on a sexual event in her past.......we don't believe this is the casae. Anyway this dissipated blue each event seemed to get more upsetting and now we are in there thick of this. This follows the line of PANDAS sufferers but the treatment regardless is the CBT not digging into the past