Last week my eleven year old son had a cold that started with a scratchy throat. He had a lot of sinus drainage which caused him to frequently clear his throat.. The cold never seemed to affect his mood or appetite. My son still has a bit of a cough in the morning and I can hear some gunk in his throat, but I would say he is pretty much on the backside of this virus. However, he seems to have developed a vocal tic that is related to throat clearing, except that instead of clearing his throat he is loudly saying, "ah, ah, ah, oh, oh.". People were staring at us in church Christmas Eve, and yesterday when I was downstairs cleaning I could hear him making noises upstairs. For a minute I thought he was speaking and I went to the playroom and asked if he had been on the phone. He pointed to his throat and said, "no I'm just ....well I .....I can't stop making that noise and I don't know why. I just have to do it.". I will take him to the doctor on Monday to see if he has a sinus infection, but he doesn't look or act really sick at this point. He did spit out some greenish mucus when clearing his throat after waking up this morning, but I have heard green doesn't always mean infection. I have read that adults should not draw attention to the tic and it will probably resolve itself. Anyone else had experience with this? Should I mention it to the teachers when school begins next week?
He needs a strep test. I would take him to urgent care today. This should not wait until Monday. Compulsions that come on suddenly like is could be from untreated strep. Google "strep Pandas"
Get a strep test. There is a condition called PANDAS that can cause vocal tics. PANDAS is caused by an untreated strep infection.
Strep . . . PANDAS (or PANS) . . . tics - I would read up on the topic.
My nephew was discovered to suffer from PANDAS when he developed extreme OCD suddenly, so even though it is still somewhat questioned as a diagnosis, it is definitely real. Good luck.
ETA: and I would give the teachers a heads up, and let the school counselor know. My son developed a vocal tic this year (after years of motor tics - possibly may have Tourette's), and the teachers were very supportive. Plus they will be aware that he is not just disrupting class. The tic truly cannot be helped - I can hear my poor son making his grunt/laugh right now as he is trying to fall asleep :(
Could be many things, and yes it could just be a vocal tic, but I would get him checked for strep as well. My son has PANDAS. He gets tics and OCD behaviors with viral infections, usually after they are getting better. PANDAS is not only due to strep. I think they are just discovering a lot about it. My son didn't get diagnosed with PANDAS until it had happened numerous times after viruses. So this may be a one time thing or it may be the start of something new. Can't hurt to get him checked out, and yep green does not always mean infection, often it means the infection is ending.
