Photo by Patricia Prudente on Unsplash

Charlene (not her real name) is bright, quick-witted, friendly and full of personality. She loves animals, is fiercely social, and has a spark that's impossible to miss. But for years, that spark was buried under something her family couldn't explain — and couldn't seem to shift, no matter what they tried.

The Background

Charlene is 8 years old, attends a special school for ADHD/ASD, and has a history of recurrent infections going back to a Strep throat at 2.5 years old. As her symptoms evolved and worsened, suspected PANDAS began to emerge as a picture that made sense of what the family was living through.

Before Treatment — What Daily Life Looked Like

Behaviour & Mood

• Severe separation anxiety — couldn't let mum out of her sight, needed her to accompany her to the toilet, cried if mum went to the gym

• Explosive rage and aggression — hitting, biting, scratching, name-calling, throwing objects, slamming doors

• A striking "split personality" quality — described by mum as almost evil, with a face and presence that felt dark and unfamiliar

• Deep remorse after episodes — crying, apologising, saying she loved them — but the cycles continued

• OCD and controlling behaviours — particularly around animals, becoming locked in rituals that couldn't be interrupted

• Defiance and demand avoidance — everything had to be made fun or it simply wouldn't happen

• Constant dopamine-seeking — asking what was happening next, craving stimulation, unable to tolerate stillness

Anxiety

• High anxiety across multiple areas — separation, health, social situations, loud noises, flying

• Anticipatory anxiety before new or challenging events

• Fear of being alone, including at night

Neurological & Physical

• Eye-blinking tic, throat-clearing tic, face rubbing

• Wetting herself at school — up to three times daily — and occasional soiling

• Weak bladder, refusing to go to the toilet until the last moment

• Obsessive sugar cravings — asking strangers and classmates for sweets

• Sleep disturbances — waking angry almost every morning, needing to sleep in parents' bed

• Sensory overwhelm — getting very high, then crashing into meltdowns

• Jumbled, repetitive speech when consuming gluten

At School

• Very hard to separate from mum at drop-off — clinging, scowling, distressed

• Struggling academically and socially despite clearly being bright

• Needed mum present in the classroom

After Treatment — The Shifts

First Follow-Up (Approx. 10 Days In)

"The difference is huge. She hasn't just returned to what she was like before this flare— she's gone back to how she was before all this started."

• Aggression: no physical aggression since starting treatment 

• Rage episodes dropped dramatically — from relentless to occasional, and now muttered rather than explosive

• Sleep significantly improved — going to sleep earlier, sleeping later, waking calm

• School drop-off transformed — running into the playground to play with friends instead of clinging

• Teacher reported: "She has made so much progress in reading, focus, and is so much calmer"

• Jumped an entire reading level within weeks

• Gentler with her dog — less controlling, less aggressive toward her

• Anxiety around flying noticeably reduced

• Mum: "She's a lovely, happy girl"

Ongoing Progress

• Dance classes started and loved — something previously impossible due to separation anxiety and inability to attend classes

• Able to go out with dad alone at weekends — mum can go to the gym

• Tic frequency reduced; at times absent entirely

• Broccoli sprouts introduced — "So much calmer. Everyone was commenting."

• During flares (triggered by infections, gluten, certain supplements): symptoms return temporarily but at a fraction of their previous intensity

• Described as "10% of the flares" she used to have

Where Things Stand Now

• Separation anxiety approximately 50% improved

• Toileting improved significantly, with regressions during flares

• Controlling behaviours around animals much reduced

• Waking happy most mornings — a stark contrast to the "waking angry 99% of the time" that had persisted for years

• Still some way to go — but the trajectory is unmistakable

What Helped Clarify the Picture

Several patterns emerged that pointed toward PANDAS as an underlying driver:

• Clear links between Strep like throat infections and symptom flares

• Symptom improvement on Strep treatment, with return when infections recurred

• Tic worsening during flares, improving between them

• Behavioural and neurological symptoms cycling with illness

• The distinctive "split personality" quality — a child almost unrecognisable during flares

• Sensitivities to gluten and certain supplements triggering flare-like responses

A Note on the Approach

Treatment focused on supporting the body's response to the underlying Strep susceptibility, alongside constitutional homeopathic support for the whole child. Progress has not been perfectly linear — infections, dietary exposures, and life stressors continue to create temporary setbacks. But the baseline has shifted significantly, and the family now has tools to manage flares when they arise.

If your child's story sounds familiar — the cycling symptoms, the personality changes, the infections that seem to trigger everything — I'd love to talk.

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