Today is PANS/PANDAS awareness day! What better way to celebrate this day than by doing a post about a very important disease that does not get enough attention. Unfortunately, in the medical community, PANS and PANDAS is not accepted by a lot of physicians. However, it is a diagnosis that is very real and many kids who are diagnosed with Autism, actually have PANS or PANDAS. Looking back on my youth, I was absolutely a PANDAS kid and to this day I still suffer from the side effects of it.
Both PANS and PANDAS are a misdirected immune response that causes changes in a persons brain and body. In other words, the body sees something as a threat that is not a threat and starts to attack it. This is known as an autoimmune response and in PANS or PANDAS, it causes brain inflammation. PANS is from a viral infection and PANDAS is from a strep infection. They both have the same signs and symptoms, it's just the causative agent is different. Usually parents will see a change in their child right after to a few weeks after they have been sick. Changes they may see include:
an onset of obsessive compulsive behavior
food restrictions - won't eat certain foods they used to love, food has to be made or given in a certain way or new texture issues
anxiety and depression and sometimes paranoia
irritability and agressive behaviors
oppositional behaviors such as not wanting to go to school or participate in other activities
regressions in behavior
motor or sensory abnormalities - tics or stimming
sleep issues
urinary incontinence, bed wetting or urinary frequency
Once the causative agent or microbe is identified, true healing can begin. Healing is not linear for these children. They willl have what's known as "flares". Their behaviors start to seem to get better and then BOOM! They come in contact will an illness or toxin of some sort and their behaviors come back. It can make parents feel hopeless and defeated. But healing IS possible.
My son was just diagnosed with PANS and it has changed our world so much. I finally have an answer to all his symptoms and not only an answer but a SOLUTION! We have a treatment plan and for the first time in five years we are seeing changes. Unfortunately, because he has been sick for so long, it will take longer to heal and we quite possibly may not recover everything lost. BUT I will not give up hope.
If you think your child may have PANS or PANDAS, talk to your pediatrician about it. Again, don't be surprised if your doctor shuts you down and says there is not such thing. Unfortunately there are plenty of doctors out there who do not believe in this diagnosis nor know how to screen or treat it. You can also use the link below to help you locate a provider who specializes in PANS and PANDAS. If you hit a roadblock, we at Warriors of Care can help you. You can schedule a consultation with us where we can help you figure out how to go about getting your child tested and possibly put on a treatment plan for healing!
PANS/PANDAS Provider Directory:
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal health care professional. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their own qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither Warriors of Care or the publisher of this content takes responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All viewers of this content, should consult their medical providers before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.
