A bit concerned about emotional wellbeing of dc. Advice?

amother

Sat, Nov 13 2021, 3:42 pm

Dear imamothers,

I am looking for advice with my dc, who is almost 8.

From the time he was a baby he was extremely sensitive to loud noise, lights etc.
He could only sleep by my side (until he was 4 or so) and also I nursed him for 2 years.
It looked like he needed a lot of assistance when processing things but I could not put my finger on it.
He is my first, so I did not have that thing yet with boundaries and rules, so I was not strict with him, would not say no to him too often, I think he needed it, but I can´t change that now (though we do have proper boundaries now).

He also has always been taller than the average, and when he was 3 years old he went through a very strange phase and put on quite a bit of weight within a very small period of time.

It was the time when he started stuttering, and we just did not recognize him, it seemed like he would look through us, then stutter…just not being himself. Could have been trauma by the nanny (there was something, we suspected), or me expecting another baby (I was in my 8th month already).

From then on we had different situations with him, major ones being discipline issues. He is very distractable and influencable (if someone acts out and does shtussim he is happy to join). At the moment is he overweight but is losing slowly. He is just very big for his age. Also he had an ongoing issue that he sometimes does not go to toilet for number 2 but waits it out, then a bit goes into his underwear, it´s very embarrasing for him and annoying for us, also it seems to get better but I´m still concerned.

Ages 4-6 he got occupational therapy and made a progress. There was no real diagnosis, just processing issues. Boruch Hashem I am not looking for more! Also he was doing quite well in school, now with a new teacher it´s hard for him and he starts to behave like in the years before (restless, unconcentrated etc.). He has a younger brother who is more balanced and around him his behavior can be difficult. But frm what I understand he is like that in the class too. The teacher is new and very young and seems frustrated.

I am glad to give exmaples if you have questions, this already got quite long.

I would like to check with the doctor, maybe to run a blood test. What else can I ask for?
It´s probably, again just a phase and it shall pass smoothly iyH but does anyone can relate and/or has advice for me?

Thank you so much in advance,
Shavua tov

amother

Lily

Sat, Nov 13 2021, 6:23 pm

Your description brings back so many memories of my child at that age. They began stuttering, and had spells that looked like absence seizures. She started being afraid to poop on the toilet, and would have small accidents like that. The sensory symptoms were similar too, she was startled by loud sounds and couldn’t handle certain textures. Behavior became very challenging, she was oppositional and defiant with lots of meltdowns and aggression. She was also always very tall for her age, and at one point out on about 30 pounds over 2 years due to compulsive eating (and in hindsight, cortisol and pituitary issues).. Neuropsych found nothing . At some point a neighbor mentioned pandas and when I began researching everything started to make sense. Even the weight gain. We are now 5 years later and bh starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It hasn’t been an easy road at all, we’ve had to make a lot changes, spend a lot of money on treatment, do a ton of research, but it’s been so worth it watching the behaviors fade as the brain inflammation went down. I urge you to look into this with a dr who is familiar with neuroinflammatory disorders.

amother

Sat, Nov 13 2021, 7:23 pm

amother [ Lily ] wrote:

Thank you so much for your reply.
I came across pandas and even mentioned it to my husband. How is it discovered? Just any pediatric dr can do it?

amother

Lily

Sat, Nov 13 2021, 9:06 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you so much for your reply.
I came across pandas and even mentioned it to my husband. How is it discovered? Just any pediatric dr can do it?

So it’s a mixed bag as far as pediatricians. Some are great at treating it, some are mediocre, and some don’t believe in it at all. It makes sense to bring it up with your dr. Some are really accommodating and will run the tests for you, and agree to a 30 day trial of antibiotics. It’s important to remember though that pandas isn’t based on any blood test, it’s really a clinical diagnosis. Also, because your child seems to be dealing with this for a while it’s probably even better to see a pandas specialist. If you post your location I can try to help you find one.

amother

Sun, Nov 14 2021, 12:49 pm

amother [ Lily ] wrote:

Thank you, were are in Europe (Antwerp), I think I need to ask locally