2002 - July: I contracted Strep Throat while 7 months pregnant.
September: My daughter Dora Grace was born.
2003 - Dora was 6 months old when I contracted Strep while still nursing her.
2004 - At 18 months Dora started showing signs of OCD. I noticed it personally, but was also approached by her caregiver with concerns who felt it was something to watch.
2005 - I had a Tonsillectomy at age 25 after consecutive cases of Strep Throat and Tonsillitis (every 3 to 6 months).
2006 - I shared concerns with her pediatrician regarding increased OCD behaviors during her 4 year check up. Her doctor advised me to go along with it and give Dora control over the 'reasonable' things that she was obsessing over...most of which were routines and rituals, nothing that was interfering with her everyday life.
2006-2011 - I noticed ups and downs in her behaviors over the years. Specifically with her tantrums, crying spells, and OCD routines. As time passed my husband and I even linked it to the times when she was sick but passed it off as: she wasn't feeling well, that's what makes her feel comfortable and safe, and even to her inhaler that she only needed during those come and go illnesses...convinced she was simply reacting to the steroids. The good thing was, she would always get better and back to normal soon afterward.
2011 - Midsummer - Sudden and drastic change in behavior, new worries, new obsessions...new Dora. Everything was magnified. I started by reaching out to a psychologist hoping Dora would feel comfortable telling her the root of the daily crying spells and outbursts...since the only answer I received was, "Nothing!!" or "I don't know!" After a long hour of silence and Dora leaving the counselling office angrier at me than ever before I decided to go to future appointments alone. I spent the time explaining Dora's behaviors and learning the best way to help her deal with them. Even though things were becoming manageable with the new tools I had gained, my concern continued to grow because she still was not feeling better and a new school year was approaching.
Our psychologist recommended I take Dora to her pediatrician to be evaluated for anti anxiety medication. Immediately her doctor suspected PANDAS and did a blood test for Strep. As expected the results came back positive with high levels of Strep Antibody and Dora began her first round of antibiotics for PANDAS. This is when I first heard of and started to research and understand this complex disorder. The more I learned the more I could see PANDAS had been our struggle all along.
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