Episode 59: PANDAS, PANS and Lyme with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-6jf49-fe8b9a

In this week’s episode I have the pleasure of speaking to Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, an Integrative and Pediatric Mental Health Expert. We talk about her experience with and approach to treating Lyme Disease, PANDAS/PANS, biofeedback, neurofeedback, nutrition to heal, the need for calm the nervous system and more! Dr. Roseann provides valuable tips for parents on changes that can be made at home and information on her upcoming The Get Unstuck Parenting Summit (April 23-25, 2021) and her new book It’s Gonna Be OK™: Proven Ways to Reverse Your Child’s Mental Health Issues which comes out May 11, 2021.

You can find out more about Dr. Roseann at www.drroseann.com and

www.childrensmentalhealth.com

As always, this podcast is based on experiences and should not be construed as medical or professional advice. Please speak with a medical professional.

My new middle-grade fiction novel Pendulum by S.E. German is available on FriesenPress, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Worldwide (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca) and more! The novel follows a young boy as he changes overnight from happy and silly to angry and anxious. We learn that he has developed a neuroimmune disorder called PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection). We hear the boy’s unique perspective through his diagnosis, treatment and middle-grade experiences while experiencing tics, OCD, anxiety and more.

Check out the Real Life Project Co. webpage to sign up for the email list and receive a free Self-Care Calendar!

Please subscribe, review & share the Podcast!

Follow me on IG: @saraladygluten and visit the Learning to Slay the Beasts

Page: Real Life Project Co.

Blog: www.theallergybeast.wordpress.com

Episode 50: PANDAS/PANS Fundamentals with Dr. Scott and Dr. Ellen Antoine

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-s343p-f7d7f6

In this episode, I speak with American Board Certified Physicians Dr. Scott and Dr. Ellen Antoine (@thepandasdocs) of Fully Functional At Vine Healthcare. They are both experts in PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections) and PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and bring both professional and personal perspectives on these disorders.

As always, this podcast is based on experiences and should not be construed as medical or professional advice. Please speak with a medical professional.

As a parent, it can be a challenge when you don’t feel well. But when your child is struggling, it turns your whole world upside-down. If your child has multiple symptoms that are seemingly unrelated or easily mistaken for other issues, it can be hard to find answers. If you’ve noticed sudden and worrying behavior changes (like anxiety, OCD, tics, regression), this quiz designed by Drs. Ellen and Scott Antoine, which I interviewed on Episode 50 of the Learning to Slay the Beasts Podcast, may have some answers for you.

Take the quiz here: https://bit.ly/2QmpFac Feel free to send this link to anyone that you know that may benefit from the quiz. It is absolutely free.

My new middle-grade fiction novel Pendulum by S.E. German is available on FriesenPress, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Worldwide (Amazon.com,  Amazon.ca) and more!

The novel follows a young boy whose personality and behaviour changes overnight from happy, funny, energetic and silly to anxious, obsessive, emotional, angry and depressed. After visiting over 20 doctors, getting seven misdiagnoses and his mental health declining further, the boy is finally diagnosed with a little-known and understood disorder without a cure called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). The heartwarming story follows the boy as he becomes a middle-schooler with regular school and peer challenges and continues to cope with mental health issues like anxiety, OCD and depression.

Follow me on IG: @saraladygluten and visit the Learning to Slay the Beasts Blog: www.theallergybeast.wordpress.com

PANDAS and PANS

There is a relatively little known disorder that has effectively become the bane of my existence.

As I have outlined on the blog, my daughter has food allergies and more recently, she has developed asthma, which I understand tend to coexist. I hate this for her. I am terrified of potential reactions. I feel her frustration in having to take epipens everywhere, and now inhalers, and truthfully, it’s tough for mom to remember them as well!

But, there is a clear path for managing allergies. There are tests that can prove that they exist. There is medication available for doctors to prescribe. There are resources on how to best avoid the foods and handling difficult situations and reactions. There are support groups for those that have food allergies. There are teal pumpkins at Halloween and nut-free schools. There are laws that require foods to be properly labelled.

Yes, much more can be done, including a cure, and there is no doubt in my mind that all of this infrastructure took tons of effort by those families affected by food allergies.

But then there’s my son. He has a disorder called PANDAS. And there is nothing. There is virtually no help available for him, his family, his teachers, even his doctors. There are bits of information becoming available but it has been so slow while he continues to struggle with the disorder. Don’t get me wrong, every bit of progress is something, but the struggle to help him is real. The fact that a disorder has to be normalized and publicized in order for help to be provided is frustrating. Do I need a celebrity to promote PANDAS in order for it to be taken seriously?

PANDAS is a neuroimmune disorder, Pediatric Automimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus. The brain becomes inflamed as the body produces antibodies that it believes are needed to fight a nonexistent Strep virus. It manifests itself through tics, OCD, anxiety and other symptoms. The response is essentially a mix of behavioural and autoimmune issues.

This disorder is virtually unknown beyond those of us that have children with it. That leads to quizzical looks from teachers and doctors alike. It means no funding, no resources and no clear path forward to a cure, or even treatment.

It leads to second guessing your parenting constantly as the rollercoaster ride continues for your child. It leads to frustration with the medical system as the uncertainty of the health profile of your child continues. It leads to a waste of time, effort and money as one constantly tries to find treatment that all seem to be dead ends or snake oil. It leads to ongoing heartache, stress and pain.

PANDAS is real, as are the feelings that the child and family experience, and they need to be taken seriously. I want to be part of the solution but that is challenging while also being weighed down by the disorder.

#PANDAS #PANS #neuroimmune