Sudden onset of much more severe SPD??

by stacey
(pa)

Hi, I have SPD, and ADD. I looked at the SPD checklist for my son too.

My question is, why he had barely any noticeable symptoms up until this past April. Both he and I got very sick. He had a very high fever for 5 days, 104+, with it only temporarily ever dropping a degree. The symptoms were ever changing and numerous. Believe it or not I had it even worse, # of symptoms I mean. When the illness started, the same things happened to us. He and I experienced mental disturbances, then got the physical symptoms. Once the physical symptoms hit, the mental things improved.

My son had gotten an antibiotic, it seemed once he was done that, he was fine. There were other physical things that occurred very soon after though,(broken back - hyper extending on playground equipment at school, Arythmia, Tachy, palps) All of that was dealt with.

But then he got sick again in the summer. I could tell that it was coming. He becomes so oversensitive emotionally, and easily overwhelmed. He threw tantrums over the most ridiculous things and became completely unreasonable. Then he was coughing, and I noticed it seemed to be getting worse. In a matter of a week, I came to find out he had pneumonia. He never even got a fever, just the cough, and the mental stuff. Also while he is in the midst of the illness he starts to do some tic like stuff, such as licking his fingers constantly and not even realizing he is doing it. After he was done his antibiotics, he was fine, and the tic type of thing went away within a week.

In September it all happened again, even the pneumonia. He almost now seems to be either 1 extreme or another. My in laws and husband are besides themselves. My husband thinks that my son just needs to be told that the behaviors are not acceptable. My in laws are worried. This isn't the child they once knew. You could joke with him, he was happy go lucky, energetic and agreeable for the most part.

I originally checked out PANDAs which is when a strep antibody that attacks your own organs, and tissues, thinking its destroying strep.

Then I happened upon this site, while looking into my own massive over sensitivities. I have had them my entire life, plus the add. But I have to say that the SPD certainly became magnified 100% after this illness.

My question is this - Is it possible for a child to have a much more severe onset of SPD due to illness? And why? And how do I help him, or anyone else understand him?

When this happens he just isn't himself, and my heart bleeds for him, because I know all too well that he is not choosing to feel or act like this. I go through a lot of it too. I checked out the survey, I met almost every part of the criteria, but my son, he only just started meeting any of it. He does great in school, he doesn't seem to have the learning issues like I did in school. He is very respectful, and kind to others. He is extremely well coordinated for the most part, he plays every sport, and he is very good at them. He could catch fly balls at baseball when he was 5.

He did have speech delay, which I attributed to him injuring his tongue at about 2yrs of age, he had to get stitches in it. And with speech therapy he progressed very fast. The things I have noticed more nowadays, is that he always spills his drinks. He has a hard time making it to the bathroom on time, a lot. He has a very hard time buttoning pants. Up until last year they were snaps. His writing is very bad. He holds the pencil completely wrong.

He is a picky eater, and always has been. Things have to be just so, when it comes to eating and drinking.

He also seems to be a lot more obsessive about thoughts lately. His b-day is in August. Yesterday he was going on and on about what he wants to do on his next one. I mean, I had to finally say, "okay I hear you, I get it, I will remember what you want, but it is very far away."

Its like "Can you stop???"

Why would these type of behaviors start at 7 and a half years old. Physicians tell me it cant be some type of virus that caused this, or much of anything. They couldn't care less that my 7 year old changed into a very challenged and unsatisfied child in a matter of months.

Sorry this is so long. I am getting desperate for him I guess. I too have been so damaged since the illness in April and at this point I appear to be a hypochondriac, because with all of the tests and doctors, they haven't been able to identify anything as the cause of my many physical symptoms. I just thank god that my son isn't having the same amount of physical difficulties as I am.

I couldn't bare knowing that he would be living a life of this physical pain and mental mess. And I don't mean just the SPD. I am being told by my many different doctors that its time for me to see a neurologist. My psych, eye dr, family dr. And on top of that I just started allergy testing and out of 15 foods, I was allergic to 13. And these were major food groups.

I don't want this stuff for him, and I want him to be better. I have not had any success in finding out what could really be going on with him. Thank you for reading this and any helpful replies would be greatly appreciated.