Page 46 - 15-49 March 27 2019

THE RAINDROP METHOD

When my then-nine-year-old Shloimy came improvement, we were back at the doctor’s office.
home from school one day feeling ill, I wasn’t This time, he ordered bloodwork to be done. To
perturbed. Our second child, he was a relatively his surprise, the results confirmed his suspicions:
healthy kid who got the regular cold here and the elevated levels of DNase and ASO, both
there. This time, he was vomiting. Nothing antibodies that linger inthe body after a strep,
alarming there. We cleaned up the mess and pointed toward PANDAS. Since my son did not
were ready to move on. But this time, it didn’t test positive for strep and he was only exhibiting
end with the vomiting. Our usually calm child the neuropsychiatric symptoms that are
was uncharacteristically restless, from one characteristic of PANDAS, the doctor diagnosed
moment to the next. And together with this him with this condition. “Your son is the second
restlessness came a host of fears, every day of patient I’m diagnosing with PANDAS in my 30
something else. Until our Shloimy was stricken years of practice,” he told me. And I consider
by his condition, I’d never met a nine-year-old myself lucky, not because the disease is fun—it
boy who was so anxious. He would come to the really is not—but because over time, I’m learning
table to eat his dinner, and then ask, “Okay, so how many children are walking around with the
what now? Can I go to sleep already?” He disease without having a clear diagnosis. With a
constantly wanted to move on to the next thing, diagnosis in hand, it was time to move on to the
but then when he’d go to bed, he had a hard time treatment phase. The pediatrician prescribed a
falling asleep. And when I asked him what was 30-day antibiotic regimen. Soon after Shloimy
going on, he himself didn’t know what to tell me started taking his medication, his old self
about his own feeling. To him, too, this was one reemerged. There was hope. There was light. But
confusing saga. He had no idea how or why he then, when the 30 days were over, his symptoms
fell into this and how he would emerge. It was as returned with a vengeance. Out came the
if he was looking inthe mirror and an unfamiliar restlessness, the frustration, the fears. We were
face was staring back at him. Of course, our first starting to doubt who the real Shloimy was. Back
Bulletin
address was the pediatrician. Soon after Shloimy to the doctor we went. He prescribed another 30-
started exhibiting the bizarre symptoms, we day antibiotic regimen, which Shloimy dutifully
were in his office. When the doctor asked me a completed once again. Hope reappeared, but this
whole list of questions about my son, I said to time, it was tempered by the fear inthe back of our
him, “Look at my child. He’s right here. I don’t minds. How long would this oasis of peace last
know what’s wrong with him, but he’s not before the storm would hit again? The answer?
himself.” First, we ruled out emotional factors Thirty days. After Shloimy’s symptoms returned a
that may bring about restlessness in children, second time, we decided to see another doctor in
such as abuse. When the doctor ascertained that the same clinic. Perhaps she would have a solution
my son’s physical health was in top shape, his that would prove to be the one. She too prescribed
suggestion was for me to give him vitamins to antibiotics, thought a different type, hoping that it
help him calm down. To his credit, already at would help. But much to our dismay, the same
our first visit, the doctor gave us a clue that pattern repeated itself. With three failed attempts,
turned out to be the culprit. As we were on our it was time to declare the antibiotic route
way out, he said to me, “Your son might have ineffective. What now? I was never one to take the
PANDAS, but I’m not sure.”I stopped and asked, alternative route. Where would I begin to find a
“What’s that?” I’d never heard of the term before. cure for my son? The first solution I could think of
PANDAS, I soon learned, is the acronym for was to walk into the local health food store and ask
pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric the salesperson for his help. He suggested a
disordersassociated with streptococcal probiotic regimen, along with a garlic supplement,
infections, which is often misdiagnosed as which I dutifully purchased. I left the health food
Tourette’s syndrome or OCD. While not every store with a spring in my step and a prayer in my
strep infection turns into PANDAS, every heart. This, I kept telling myself, was probably
PANDAS case is linked with a strep infection. what we’d been waiting for all along. But very
Since it doesn’t always show up in blood work, soon, we realized it wasn’t. Not this, and not the
however, it’s often hard todiagnose. After one fermented foods we tried next. Though his
week of sticking to the vitamin regimen with no symptoms were stable at the time that I made him
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