Parenting a child with PANS/PANDAS can be the most devastating experience a parent has ever known. One moment you’re parenting as normal- the next, you are playing a game of whack-a-mole trying to find the right provider, the right meds titrated at the right rate, learning more about lyme biofilms or how strep migrates to the brain more than you ever wanted to know, trying to act normal and be accepted as normal at your PCP’s office. Don’t forget the part of parenting that looks like handling non-stop tics, OCD, restrictive eating or rage that brings bruises to your body on a daily basis. Meanwhile, you’ve had to “take it” because you know it’s not really your child’s fault but it’s been brutal on your mental health. Sound familiar? If it sounds familiar, it’s because as a Mama of two PANS/PANDAS kids myself, I get it.
My child before PANS/PANDAS- “How can I help you, Mom?”
After- “Do it yourself, you idiot! I’m not doing anything you say.”
Before- “This child would never hurt a fly.”
After- “We might have to move part of the family out to protect the other kids.”
Nighttime before- “Honey, the kids are in bed; what should we watch tonight?”
After- “I can’t watch TV, I have to prep meds for tomorrow and check the Facebook groups for other parent tips. I can’t keep going on like this- we have to keep trying until we find the right herb, the right level of antibiotics, the right provider.”
If you’ve been looking for a place to be understood, to be heard and to heal- you’re in the right place.
Sign up here for the *virtual* support group here, start date August 6, 2024. We will likely meet during the day because goodness knows it takes two adults for dinner, meds, and bed. The group will include a time for sharing and commiserating, and a time for learning how to put our fried nervous systems back in check through somatic and EMDR techniques. I look forward to being a part of your journey.
Cigna and Carefirst/BCBS accepted for Maryland participants.
Have questions? Email Sara Rodriguez, LCSW-C and PANS/PANDAS mama with questions at creativecounselingconnections@yahoo.com.
Sign up link: https://forms.gle/DBRRBMMBaz3MBJNB7
