Fever then better speech?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-19-2005
Fever then better speech?
5
Mon, 12-26-2005 - 10:47am

I am just wondering if anyone has experienced this phenomena with their child. This is the third time it has happened with Eric so I am really beginning to wonder the reason behind it.

Eric was "scary sick" this week with a flu-like illness. High fever 101-2, vomiting, diarrhea. Nearly dehydrated but we managed to get enough pedialyte in him to keep out of ER for an IV drip. He ate nothing for several days. Just pedialyte and a little water. I stopped all supplements etc. He had no medication except a suppository to stop the vomitting and only one of those. (This was tons of fun for Christmas! Fa, la, la, la, la!)

After the fever broke and he was out of the woods, his speech was perfect. Eye contact absolutely great. Extremely attentive and focused. Happy, euphoric, almost a totally different child. I love it when he is like this and it is rare. Better than even a "good" day. This lasted about 24 hours and now we are back to ASD normal.

This has happened two other times after he has been sick. It really makes me wonder what about the illness seems to "clear the fog." Kind of makes me sad when I see what a charmer he can really be, it is almost like a magic spell that just lasts for a day.

Just curious and wondered if anyone had any ideas or similar experiences?

Katherine

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 12-26-2005 - 12:30pm

i heard of this at the conference i attended in november. many parents say the same thing, although i have not observed it.

it is theoretized that it has something to do with the immune system. maybe the fever kills off the bacterial overgrowth that AS kids often have. the growth seen after the fever is usually short lived, unless you can find a way to keep bacterial growth down--like finding a high potency probiotic.

i have seen this type of growth after my sons were on antibiotics 2 months ago. this was the 2nd time either of them had been on it.

i believe you! another thought if i remember correctly is that the fever helped to decrease inflammation somewhere in the body and the doctor discussing it thought someday maybe using NSAID's would help kids on the spectrum.

valerie

~Valerie
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-09-2004
Mon, 12-26-2005 - 1:14pm
Ya know my son does MUCH better after being sick as well. I often thought it was the diet, or lack of for that matter. It almost seems to me food bothers them much more than we think. If my son hasn't had anything for a few days he is a different kid. Once he starts eating again, his behaviors start etc.
Avatar for littleroses
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Mon, 12-26-2005 - 2:02pm

I have observed this with my daughter. I have my own ideas, don't know if they are right, but then again if we did know...
*******************************************
(this is series of reposts from me and it's very long, but there is information in there for you to pick and choose from)

The specific autoimmunity I'm pretty
sure is an issue for my kids is an autoantibody against the GAD
enzyme...that is glutamic acid decarboxylase. This enzyme helps
convert glutamate to GABA. The GAD enzyme apparently is produced in
two places, the pancreas and the brain. My children's uncle was
diagnosed at age 5 with type I diabetes. People with this type of
diabetes have person large amounts of autoantibodies against the GAD
enzyme. The fact that my daughter is glutamate toxic and needs
seizure medication to convert glutamate to GABA doesn't seem to be a
huge coincidence. Instead of attacking the GAD enzyme in her
pancreas like what happened to her uncle, it must be attacking the
GAD enzyme in the brain??? Also, there is a 2nd cousin who also had
to take the same meds for seizures years ago who is not ASD,
however, and is now grown up and med free.

I did read of a vaccine study(for anyone interested) that showed
much improvement and promising results in those with type I diabetes
by addressing this GAD enzyme. Somehow it helps the immune system
tolerate GAD. It seemed to be in an experimental stage at the time
of the article.
http://tinyurl.com/7cz62

If her body wasn't so busy fighting itself, maybe she could
naturally inhibit viral symptoms, including inflammation, right?

That's what got me to thinking if I did give immunity boosters like
astralagus, C, etc...would that cause her body to attack the GAD
enzyme even more? Or would that mean it would help her fight GAD and
viruses more? OR just help fight the bad guys? So confusing!

She seems to get better when she is sick with a stronger virus (like
the flu). Doesn't happen with an ordinary cold. But when she is
really sick, she has noticeable and remarkable moments of clarity.
I'm not exactly sure what this means although I did read on a
children's diabetes website that warned parents to watch the
medication or whatever more carefully because when diabetic children
are sick with a virus...they produce more glucagon.(A-HA!) So, I am
assuming that she is getting more glucagon is a big reason why she
has those moments of clarity when she is viral. Does this mean that
she does better when the immune system is overall suppressed and
overwhelmed?

Fever is definitely a player in all this. When she first started
having seizures at age 15mos. She would seem fine and then go into
a seizure. Afterwards, she would be have a fever and start with
cold symptoms, stuffy nose, etc. I actually felt pretty bad about
my mothering in the beginning because the docs kept asking me if she
had a fever or a cold before her seizures. After repeated
occurences, I noticed that I wasn't crazy, that these things
occurred full on right AFTER her seizure. She had none of this
before the seizure at all. So, it was in this order: seizure, fever,
cold symptoms. There seemed to be no apparent gradual progression
of a cold like I would get. All full on right after the seizure.
She wouldn't even have a sniffle.

Her uncle, the one I mentioned in my other post who was dx'd type I
diabetes at age 5 also was precipitated by a fever. His mother said
he had the flu, she gave him some aspirin and the docs at the time
told her this combo caused his diabetes. But, fever seemed to be a
player there as well. I read that type I diabetes actually can take
time to develop and isn't actually noticed until the pancreas is
incapacitated. I think, if my daughter had the autoantibodies for
the GAD enzyme produced in the brain...that hers just became more
apparent sooner than an attack of the pancreas. So, if her uncle
kept getting an your average cold bug, he may have also a similiar
response as her, only not as obvious until it was too late for his
pancreas. But, I'm only guessing, not a doc, of course and could be
thinking of it wrong.

I just had a lightbulb moment though. She doesn't tolerate heat. I
am certain she has serotonin dysregulation (like many ASD kids do).
Serotonin has functions for body temp. regulation as well as helping
control anxiety. hmmm.

Maybe it all comes back to the leaky gut. Maybe her leaky gut is
leaking not only large protein molecules in the blood, but serotonin
and glutamine as well causing an abundance to float around, but not
being used through normal gut machinations. I was confused why so
many of her symptoms point to glutamine and serotonin
deficiencies...yet I KNOW she is glutamate toxic. Glutamine helps
with immunity and body awareness among other things. Maybe at first
the GAD enzyme was so overwhelmed by all the excess glutamate the
leaky gut is floating around and not being able to make enough
GABA. Perhaps there was so glutamine floating around, but not
available through normal gut pathways and that is where immunity
went awry, attacking GAD and other good guys.

*********************************************

Basically, ASD has A LOT in common with diabetes. I believe this fever/improvement connection has partially to do with blood sugar (glucagon)and autoimmunity. At least for a portion of the kids. Not all have this response, of course.

You're not crazy though. I have seen it too and have spent a lot of time trying to figure it out and I still have questions. I know what i've seen with my own eyes though my obsessive side won't let me not question it.

LR

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-19-2005
Tue, 12-27-2005 - 3:30am

Thank you all. It helps to know I am not imagining things! Val, that research sounds interesting. Do you recall the presenter?

I also thought about the food, or lack of connection. Plus, Eric would probably never eat on his own unless prompted. Which kind of makes you wonder too.

And LR, I see many similarities in that this phenomena occurs when Eric is really sick, viral, not with just a regular cold. I need to read your post again. Thanks for bumping it up for me. I appreciate it!

Katherine

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 12-27-2005 - 10:09am

Hi Katherine,


I'm so sorry Eric was sick for Christmas!