Re: Le Roy, NY, USA: Unusual outbreak of Tourette-like symptoms in 12 students at Junior-Senior High School
Alert, thank you for that post. Just so everyone understands, the onset is different and much more pronounced and extended than the symptoms described in some of the documented mass hysteria cases.
The onset for my nephew occurred during late August to early September. The presentation just prior to onset was a slight lack of concentration and a slight measure of long term memory loss. The day of onset was a sudden lack of control of motor functions, deteriorated cognition and awareness. To the point my nephew could not get up. He was shaking and could not stop. His father and mother had to literally pick him up to take him to the hospital. During the early hours and days following the onset, his whole left side of his body was shaking and twitching indiscriminately. More pronounced was a twitching in his facial muscles on the left side of the face to the point of contorting. He was experiencing incredible neck pains.
Keep in mind for these early days after onset, he was most of the time unable to walk without help due to the shaking and numbness. During this whole time in the hospital (I believe it was about 10-13 days), he was going through a whole list of scans, bio testing, and psychological testing. This was very hard on the family. Not just my nephew and his mother and father but also, the rest of us and friends that could not believe what we were seeing happen to him. This is what makes it so hard for these LeRoy parents. Just like the LeRoy students, one day your child is just fine. Active, no problems, no health issues and the next day you are in the hospital with your child trying to cope and find a way to deal with what is going on. Having absolutely no clue what to do for them. Every test that was performed on my nephew came back negative. Each time a sigh of relief and yet a feeling of anxiety understanding that there still was "NO ANSWER".
My nephew left the 2nd hospital after about 2 weeks after onset in a wheel chair. They sent him home with a walker. He remained at home and did improve ever so slightly each day. During this time, he still was experience random bouts of long term memory loss. It would go away for a period of time and then he would have a relapse. It was like his long term memory would keep resetting. He would only be able to remember events back to the last episode. Each time, he would have to be re-educated on who certain individuals were and what his previous relationship was to them.
Around late October, he began attending school on a part time basis only just a few hours a day. The school provided a tutor. He especially was having problems remembering how to perform math problems. Over the course of a few more weeks his motor dysfunctions and twitching subsided to the point where he was prior to onset.
But the memory relapse events still occurred. The last one that I was aware of was just prior to the family thanksgiving. He actually did not remember most of the family members there!
Since early to mid December he has slowly returned a semi-normal life.
His friend, the other local "Northern Indiana" cases has not faired so well. Her onset occurred just a week or so prior to my nephew. (Note: My nephew was not aware of her illness or status until he was already hospitalized for a number of days.) She is still at home and has had a horrible time with this "mystery illness". (LeRoy's Syndrome?). I do not have enough direct information to comment on her condition from onset till now but I do know she has been out of school since onset in late August. I believe her memory lapses are still continuing. She also had motor issues but the memory issues were more pronounced than in my nephew's case.
Please keep this in mind when posting or researching. This is why I have been following this story so closely. The family felt so helpless and alone in not understanding why this was only my nephew. It helped immensely when they found out about the other girl at his school who was also afflicted.
It helped absolutely incredibly just seeing Emily's post here in late November about the kids in LeRoy.
I am sure if you could sit down and talk with these LeRoy families this story would be told again, and again, and again....
This is why I CRINGE at the mass hysteria diagnosis. I don't believe there was a "mob" tweet about faking tourettes on the internet. Remember, many of these kids, for a short period of time, had no clue that other classmates and friends were also afflicted. The Indiana group included.
Alert, thank you for that post. Just so everyone understands, the onset is different and much more pronounced and extended than the symptoms described in some of the documented mass hysteria cases.
The onset for my nephew occurred during late August to early September. The presentation just prior to onset was a slight lack of concentration and a slight measure of long term memory loss. The day of onset was a sudden lack of control of motor functions, deteriorated cognition and awareness. To the point my nephew could not get up. He was shaking and could not stop. His father and mother had to literally pick him up to take him to the hospital. During the early hours and days following the onset, his whole left side of his body was shaking and twitching indiscriminately. More pronounced was a twitching in his facial muscles on the left side of the face to the point of contorting. He was experiencing incredible neck pains.
Keep in mind for these early days after onset, he was most of the time unable to walk without help due to the shaking and numbness. During this whole time in the hospital (I believe it was about 10-13 days), he was going through a whole list of scans, bio testing, and psychological testing. This was very hard on the family. Not just my nephew and his mother and father but also, the rest of us and friends that could not believe what we were seeing happen to him. This is what makes it so hard for these LeRoy parents. Just like the LeRoy students, one day your child is just fine. Active, no problems, no health issues and the next day you are in the hospital with your child trying to cope and find a way to deal with what is going on. Having absolutely no clue what to do for them. Every test that was performed on my nephew came back negative. Each time a sigh of relief and yet a feeling of anxiety understanding that there still was "NO ANSWER".
My nephew left the 2nd hospital after about 2 weeks after onset in a wheel chair. They sent him home with a walker. He remained at home and did improve ever so slightly each day. During this time, he still was experience random bouts of long term memory loss. It would go away for a period of time and then he would have a relapse. It was like his long term memory would keep resetting. He would only be able to remember events back to the last episode. Each time, he would have to be re-educated on who certain individuals were and what his previous relationship was to them.
Around late October, he began attending school on a part time basis only just a few hours a day. The school provided a tutor. He especially was having problems remembering how to perform math problems. Over the course of a few more weeks his motor dysfunctions and twitching subsided to the point where he was prior to onset.
But the memory relapse events still occurred. The last one that I was aware of was just prior to the family thanksgiving. He actually did not remember most of the family members there!
Since early to mid December he has slowly returned a semi-normal life.
His friend, the other local "Northern Indiana" cases has not faired so well. Her onset occurred just a week or so prior to my nephew. (Note: My nephew was not aware of her illness or status until he was already hospitalized for a number of days.) She is still at home and has had a horrible time with this "mystery illness". (LeRoy's Syndrome?). I do not have enough direct information to comment on her condition from onset till now but I do know she has been out of school since onset in late August. I believe her memory lapses are still continuing. She also had motor issues but the memory issues were more pronounced than in my nephew's case.
Please keep this in mind when posting or researching. This is why I have been following this story so closely. The family felt so helpless and alone in not understanding why this was only my nephew. It helped immensely when they found out about the other girl at his school who was also afflicted.
It helped absolutely incredibly just seeing Emily's post here in late November about the kids in LeRoy.
I am sure if you could sit down and talk with these LeRoy families this story would be told again, and again, and again....
This is why I CRINGE at the mass hysteria diagnosis. I don't believe there was a "mob" tweet about faking tourettes on the internet. Remember, many of these kids, for a short period of time, had no clue that other classmates and friends were also afflicted. The Indiana group included.
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