It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, so I checked out what you all are interested in most. Turns out I get the most clicks for:
- Supplements
- Acupuncture — does it work?
- Dr. Sims and Dr. Stacks — dentists who claim to fix TS with mouthpieces
Clearly, the “how to cure tics” theme is huge for many of you. It was a big theme for me in the beginning, too.
Cut to almost eight years later, it’s not that big of a thing anymore. I don’t say this to sound cold, heartless or un-empathetic to those of you still in the pit of “This sucks” despair. But I say it because of one big reason:
I couldn’t fix it.
Nope. All the acupuncture, all the supplements, all the homeopathic visits that caused fighting with my hubby over finances. All the money spent on the best food out there… it didn’t stop the tics.
For us, it went like this: Mild to medium, back to mild and now kind of mediumish.
What’s he on supplement wise now? Nothing.
What’s he eating? Gluten free, no exceptions (except for one week of camp this summer. Wish us luck.)
Did we ever try the dentist? Um, we can’t even afford braces right now, let alone a trip across the country to get a mouthpiece for tics.
Here’s what works for us: Lots of laughter, lots of good sleep, lots of good food, minimal video games, maximum acceptance.
Should you try other things? YES! Many of my friends have really helped their kids through all the items I mentioned above, but TS is not a one size fits all program. For us, we found just keeping the stress down was best. If his tics go back up, we’ll look into supplements again, along with medication if needed.
I just wanted to say that if you’re out there and fearing for your kid, please know that while you might not be able to stop those tics right away, you can do a HELL of a lot by encouraging him or her to be the best human being they can be, tics be damned.
That’s all I have for tonight.
