Haven't been on here in a long while. Wanted to see if anyone could give any thoughts on the apperance of tics with lyme.
Posted by AlanaSuzanne (Member # 25882) on :
Yes, absolutely tics can be caused by Lyme.
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
My daughter was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome 10 years ago. She SHOULD have been diagnosed with lyme.
She got a tick bite in the summer and a few weeks later the motor ticks started. We never put all of the symptoms together with the bite because we thought that you had a have a rash to get lyme.
Looking back over all of these years, I can't help but be a little ticked off. She was treated for a disease that she didn't have and not treated for one that she did have. It's crazy.
Posted by tick battler (Member # 21113) on :
YES. My three young children are all infected and in treatment. One has motor tics which developed after becoming infected. He was getting much better during treatment and then I noticed last month his oppositional behavior and motor tics suddenly increased. We saw our practitioner and found out he was reinfected with ehrlichia and bartonella.
I think my son's tics could either be from bartonella, or a virus that becomes worse when bartonella is there. Just my hunch, but at least I know it is from the infections.
tickbattler
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
Alicat, The Lyme bacteria uses up the magnesium in the cells, causing all kinds of problems, including tics.
This site has interesting information about providing magnesium in a child's diet to reduce the tic symptoms:
How to Increase Magnesium in Your Child's Diet Naturally May be Helpful for Tics, Muscle Twitches, Asthma, Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder, Insomnia, Hyperactivity, Headaches, Sensitive Hearing and More http://www.ctds.info/mgchild.html
Click on "site map" to find lots more information.
Carol
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
My son(11) got facial tics and shoulder shrugs after four days on Amoxicillan- had them consistently--some days worse than others-- until 5 days after adding Magnesium (plus a lot of other supplements) ... I just upped his Magnesium intake because the ticks came back (slightly)
I am still a newbie. Learned all I know through this forum! Thanks to all who contribute!
Posted by 'Kete-tracker (Member # 17189) on :
Not sure what you're asking here, 'alicat'. And the post didn't seem to help out.
A child's Lyme can be "caused" by a tick. But how is a tick "caused" by Lyme?
As far as the "appearance" of ticks which harbor Lyme... I'm afraid there IS no visual difference between ones that are infected & ones that aren't.
Posted by momintexas (Member # 23391) on :
Kete-tracker, Alicat is talking about facial or body tics, like twitches.
Alicat - YES! Lyme can cause tics and magnesium does help. Strep has also been known to cause tics and so can mycoplasma pneumonia. I'd check for all of the above to cover all bases.
Posted by 'Kete-tracker (Member # 17189) on :
Ahhhh... localized muscle twitches. OK Yes, alicat.... Many disseminated "parasitic" bacterial infections can cause small, random twitches... anywhere in the body. The face, the back, the elbows, legs & hands are all common locations for "involuntary spasms".
Unfortunately, chemical body imbalances, such as severe inter-cellular magnesium deficiency (not measurable via blood serum tests) can also be to blame. These "depletions" can, in turn, be a result of presence of Lyme borrelia.
However, others issues- such as extended phsycological stress- can Also cause facial twitches. I know this first-hand from a situation I went thru in the '70s here in NH... well before there was Lyme around (of any significance).
It can be Very difficult to seperate one cause from the other.
You have to address each possibility until you obtain improvement. Which you should address first is best guided by an M.D. or N.D. who's well versed in Lyme & co-infection treatment.
Posted by tick battler (Member # 21113) on :
Kete - these aren't really involuntary muscle twitches...they are more like OCD repetitive tics, like repeatedly clapping or shrugging a shoulder. My son's tics are changed over the past year from blinking to clicking his tongue to clapping to shrugging his shoulder to turning his head to one side.
tickbattler
[ 01-02-2011, 08:05 AM: Message edited by: tick battler ]
Posted by JT's Mom (Member # 24553) on :
Yes - there is a medical abstract titled "Lyme Disease Presenting As Tourette's" that you can google.
Dr. Fallon also states this in the article "Neuropsychiatric Effects of Lyme Disease on Children and Adolescents" in the LDA brochure 'The ABC's of Lyme Disease'.
My son developed motor tics 6 months after being diagnosed with Lyme Disease but improperly treated (wrong abx).
Posted by 'Kete-tracker (Member # 17189) on :
well, when 'momintexas' said, "facial or body tics, like twitches", I just assumed muscle twitches like many of us here have.
What you're describing sounds like more of a motor/behavioral issue. I'm afraid that's over my head. sorry Good luck figgerin' that 1 out though !
Posted by momintexas (Member # 23391) on :
Tick Battler explained it better.
It can be muscle twitches in the face or body that are repetitive or it can be vocal or motor.
It is not a behavioral issue. It in an involuntary motion some kids suffer with. They are aware of them and they are self conscious about them.
Like JT's Mom said - it can present like Tourette's.
Kete-Tracker said "Not sure what you're asking here, 'alicat'. And the post didn't seem to help out.
A child's Lyme can be "caused" by a tick. But how is a tick "caused" by Lyme?
As far as the "appearance" of ticks which harbor Lyme... I'm afraid there IS no visual difference between ones that are infected & ones that aren't. "
You misunderstood Alicats original question and I was explaining to you the version of "tic" that he/she meant.
Posted by Remember to Smile (Member # 25481) on :
tickbattler & kidsgotlyme are on target here.
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is caused by the Lyme disease complex (a tick-borne illness or some combo of several). People with TS often exhibit OCD and/or ADHD behaviors and may suffer from social stigmas due to being misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and improperly treated for the infections impacting them.
It's vital for children with symptoms like TS to be evaluated by an experienced pediatric ILADS-active LLMD, asap!
The Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) offers links to intriguing research articles on neurology, dopamine, genetics, etc. But note, the national TSA doesn't seem to understand that TS is a tick-borne illness (which can also be spread by fleas and biting flies!).
Like tickbattler, I suspect TS symptoms emerge from bartonellosis.
Vow to contact your Congressmen this year to urge funding for Multiple Chronic Infectious Diseases aka LD.
Wishing all children (of any age!) a peaceful year with vibrant health and warm friendships... Smile
Posted by IckyTicky (Member # 21466) on :
All three of my children have Lyme... but what me test my middle child (then age 9) was that she developed tics. She has one where her head and upper torso quicky twist to one side. And another where she is constantly...involuntarily, having one arm fly up and hit her in the head. So yes... tics can be caused by lyme. I have tics too..to the point that some wondered if I had tourettes.
Posted by IckyTicky (Member # 21466) on :
Oh, and we recently found out that our middle daughter also tested positive for Ehrlichia as well as Lyme. But we all think we have Bart.
Posted by AlanaSuzanne (Member # 25882) on :
Check into PANDAS too. High strep titers can cause tics as well.
Posted by sfcharm (Member # 9392) on :
I was diagnosed after a year of Dr.'s about (17). I was at both ALS clinics in San Francisco and seen by the top neurologists at both. They said something neurological was going on but it wasn't ALS.
It was only after an Oncologist did a PET scan on me that I found the help I needed. He suggested I see an Infectious disease Dr., for my tics.
His best friends wife had lyme and he thought my arm flapping and shoulder shrugging resembled her case. Sure enough I was positive by CDC standards.
No one thought to even suggest lyme since I lived part time in San Francisco and San Francisco doesn't have lyme???
If you talk to the Oakland Park Rangers, they will tell you about 10 of their guys have tested positive for lyme in the last five years.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
sfcharm, I think we're up to 7 reported infections in SF now - also East Bay MUD - municipal utility district has a lot of ill workers -
Dr K in WA said he studied with a doctor in Germany who could tell which valley they got their Lyme from by where and how they were twitching.