Friday, January 13, 2012

Habit?

The snow is falling.  Isaac is playing at the kitchen table:  Race cars, monster trucks, and "Pop the Pig" are having a convo of sorts...

Then, he does it.  Two times in a row.

He, unconsciously pushes a forced breath of air through his lungs...it sounds like wheezing...or a bit like struggling for air...and then he clears his throat.  Sometimes the combination of these sounds changes.  But, no matter the combo, it starts to bother me.  Not just because it is annoying, but because Isaac is completely and fully unaware that he's making these sounds.

He's been doing this for a week or so now, and I thought it was something serious.  But...there have been no symptoms of anything to hint at illness...and there is no rhyme or reason to the sounds.  When I ask him if he's okay or if he needs a drink, he looks at me like he has no clue what compelled me to question him. I needed a second opinion.

"So...am I just a nervous mom?"  I half jokingly asked the pediatrician at yesterday's appointment.  "Well,"  the doc said, "this is common in kids this age...they develop habits that stick around for a little while...sometimes they're gone in days...other times months."  I asked about allergies, about how this may relate to his delays...I nodded in approval, a rote action, (maybe my OWN habit) but I was thinking far beyond the examination room.  I was thinking of how to help Isaac deal with this.  And how I can stand hearing him make this concerning sound over and over again.

I started researching...tic:  "a sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups."  I know Isaac enjoys repetition.  But I haven't seen him do much of this for a long time...


I start a log:  When he makes this sound, how often...in what situations...


So far, after this calculating...I have no answers.  


And with kids, that's the only thing you're guaranteed--lots of questions, and often, no specific answers.  


I'm hoping this little habit will dissipate like the doctor told me.  Til then...I'm trying my best not to let it get to me.  




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