holding/covering ears

[laura s]

So we hear about strep hiding in tonsils, gut and other places.

 

Could strep be hiding in ears, thus causing hypersensitive hearing? I think I remember in Saving Sammy, Beth said Sammy covered his ears.

 

There has to be something with fear, anxiety, hypersensitivity and the EARS! My son covers his ears all the time - seems mostly out of fear.

 

Has anyone tried ear ointments/oils/antibiotic drops or anything for ears?

 

Thanks

Laura

[dcmom]

Laura- I have two daughters with pandas. Between both of them, I have seen that pandas can make anything hypersensitive: feelings, hearing (loud noises), seeing (brightness), stomach, head (hair), tastebuds, touch (being wet). You name it- if it can become oversensitized, pandas can do it

 

I think it may be less of a physical ear issue, and more of a sensory issue that you can work on with him.

 

That being said, I think strep can cause ear infections- so make sure if you suspect that you have a doc look in his ears.

[smartyjones]

I think it may be less of a physical ear issue, and more of a sensory issue that you can work on with him.

/quote]

 

 

first, i think it's important to check out any thoughts - only one person suggested pandas to me and i thought it was not plausible - of course, most likely b/c i'd never heard of it. ASO 898 and positive throat culture later, i'm certain glad we investigated! i do have a friend who's son was treated for months for an ear infection with abx and then cultured with a yeast infection in his ear, and only got better when they treated the yeast.

 

now, my opinion - i'd agree with dcmom that it's not in the physical ear. my son had extreme sound sensitivity. once, he couldn't participate in a neighborhood carnival b/c a balloon popped and threw him for the night. he'd freak at the blender or coffee grinder. a few months ago, we were at a birthday party and a few balloons popped and he just startled like all the rest of us. he's 5 but i don't think it's that he outgrew it, i think it's deeper that it really doesn't affect him the same.

[Worried_Dad]

I think "sensory defensiveness" is a classic PANDAS symptom. After 1st exacerbation, our son was hyper-sensitive to pretty much everything: sound, light, smell, taste, touch. Any loud noise would provoke a startle reaction: major "fight or flight" response, as you said, probably due to anxiety levels cranked up to max.

 

In the midst of exacerbation, we didn't find anything that helped other than avoiding the stimuli. Tried OT (sensory integration therapy) for a while, but not much help.

[Lotafaith]

THAT IS OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM! My ds15 is so sensitive to noises that we are pretty much confined to our house now. People talking can be the worse, people coughing and throat clearing. He has autism and PANDAS. I am working on gathering the right information to approach our ped. I have noticed him mouth breathing for several weeks now, his sinuses are somewhat congested but it seems as if maybe things are swollen possibly in his nose and ears? the dr. called us in amox and I called back and asked specifically for augmentin and the nurse said he wouldn't do it. taking him into the dr. office is a nightmare because of noise and he won't stay in the office. strep cultures are almost impossible to get done, especially blood work does anyone have any experience with mouth breathing and being swollen up in there nose? what did you do?

 

Thank you,

Lotafaith

[simplygina]

My son seems to have out grown this. From the time he was about 3 he couldn't take loud noises. Fireworks would literally shut him down. He would bury his head in my shoulder and go perfectly still. I would think he had fallen asleep, but when they were over he would snap his head up and get right back too life. Around 6 he seemed to get over it. Now it's smells that he is extra sensitive about. I don't think it is the PANDAS that causes it. I think it is part of the phenotype of PANDAS susceptible kids. Totally my opinion though.

[dut]

In our experience with our dd6 it is the PANDAS that causes her sensory processing issues. She had no issues prior to PANDAS and has awful touch and some noise issues in episodes that go when out of episode for long enough, although they do tend to hang on for longer than her other symptoms. The only issue that never seems to go fully is comfortableness of clothing. However, even her lingering clothes issues disappeared completely with a steroid burst.

 

We have a ds2 who is a possible PANDAS (camk 151%). We knew nothing of PANDAS until our dd was 4, nearly 5. Being aware of it way earlier with our ds and seeing his development and possible PANDAS symptoms develop, I feel certain that PANDAS can develop so early in these kids and not always in that "OMG onset" way, that it gets explained away as normal for age. Early PANDAS symptoms get accepted as either the child's personality or pre-existing conditions.

 

I'm not saying this is always the case but suspect it happens a lot....

[dcmom]

Dut- I am in total agreement with you. Unfortunately, with 2 kids with pandas, maybe it gives a clearer picture.

 

The sensory issues started with pandas for my daughter. I can look back in photos of her in jeans and itchy sweaters- never would happen today. This also has been the toughest issue for her. We basically stick with soft cotton leggings and dresses (no panties!). I am hoping as she gets older, and has a desire to wear other types of things, she will want to work on it more. We are starting to work on the panties this month, as overall she is doing great.

 

I think it is possible that both of my kids had a very mild (but overnight) onset of pandas- which then within a year exploded with another immune challenge.

[dut]

Yeh- I'm not sure I buy the phenotype bit... maybe.. but to me it feels more like "which came first the phenotype or the PANDAS".

 

For our family this started way young for both children. I now believe that an overnight onset of seperation anxiety for our ds2 when he was 7 months old exactly coincided with our dd6's 1st recognised episode.

 

At the time I put it down to age and maybe stress in the household and maybe that's true but he repeated the same pattern with an ear infection a year later and although all kids get clingy when ill, his outlasted the illness by 6 + weeks or so. All subsequent illnesses have shown additional symptoms for him, again seeming to outlast physical recovery by 6ish weeks.

 

There seems to be a bit of a discussion ongoing re chronic or sudden onset - perhaps all onsets are sudden but not major. Or they get put down to other factors and so it takes an all **** hitting the fan for it to be recognised. Unless your primed and looking for it.

 

dcmom - clothing is one of a few barometers in our house. I type this as my dd6 is stripping off (despite it not being too warm) as she comes in from outside. When she is totally symptom free she keeps her shoes and clothes on indoors at all times but at other times, like now during a fairly bad head cold and cough, she strips down to knickers only... at least she still wears those :-)

[simplygina]

i do wonder sometimes if the PANDAS started earlier than I know. i'm assuming it started just before his 7th birthday when the OCD became very pronounced but he started to show signs of aggression, sensory integration issues and sleep problems (among other things) at about 2 1/2. He's one of those kids that pretty much had an ear infection brewing constantly until we had tubes put in at 20 months. It seems like he always had a cold from about 9 months on. So maybe the PANDAS does create the sensitivity. Like I mentioned in another post, he's been pretty intense for so long I almost don't know what is him and what is OCD/TS/anxiety/PANDAS///.