The Good and The Bad Parts

Samuel's appointment with the Pediatric Neurologist went well. The doctor was very nice but she asked Samuel dozens of questions, which made him nervous. Eventually, he got overwhelmed, shut down, and stopped answering her. She did a physical exam and analysis of him that involved lots of eye contact and touching, which made him even more nervous. They also did an EKG which made him EVEN MORE nervous (it was at this point, when they started putting all the sticky pads all over his body, that he started to cry). That was the bad part.

So, here's the good part. The doctor said that at this point she feels it is too early to give a firm diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome. Considering that I was expecting her to take one look at Samuel and say, "Yep, he's got it!" I would say that this is the REALLY good part in all of this! Her main reason for saying it's too early to tell is because Samuel's had periods throughout the past year and a half where the ticks he was having at the time lessened or disappeared due to changes in his environment and/or diet and other conditions. She thinks that the ticks that Samuel has been exhibiting are just nervous ticks, and not necessarily Tourettes. And so for now, we will continue to hope and pray that these nervous ticks will eventually go away all together with a little help. If they don't, that's when the doctor will order more tests to be done.

And so, the doctor has recommended therapy (probably some form of play therapy) to help Samuel find positive outlets and ways of dealing with his stress and anxiety. She has also recommended medication to help alleviate his anxiety and ticks, and the discomfort that comes with them. We plan on researching this medication further, before we make a decision as to whether or not we will give it to Samuel.

With today's appointment, we feel that we have gained some sense of direction in all of this and that we are on a good path to helping Samuel work through this. And we feel really good about this doctor and her willingness to listen to us and work with us. We take Samuel back in a month to reassess. Thank you for your continued prayers.