03/25/2021
Testimonial of Treatment:
Beginning 2013 our son, Luke started experiencing several different medical issues all of which were not easily diagnosed or treated. On April 24, 2013 Luke began burping; it was very loud hiccup like burp. Luke was diagnosed with a burping tic and prescribed Clonidine and Kapvay. Since the tic’s are a neurological disorder and the burps were bringing up stomach acid Luke was referred to a pediatric neurologist and a pediatric gastroenterologist. Luke went through an upper GI scope and there were no signs of any other issues with his digestive system. Luke continued to take Clonidine, Kapvay, Prevacid and Zantac. The medicines worked and within about three weeks the burping tic was gone. However, the side effects of the medicines were affecting his daily life. It became hard for him to focus, sleep and even care about doing things. Since the tic was no longer present Luke was slowly weaned him off of all medications.
About a month after he finished taking his medicines, on September 29, 2013, Luke began coughing. The coughing was violent and there were times when Luke could not catch his breath. Over the next couple of days the pattern developed where he would start coughing around 4 p.m. and continue non-stop coughing for 4 to 6 hours. Luke’s pediatrician believed it was another tic however he admitted Luke to a local hospital to test him for several communicable diseases. All of the tests came back negative except for the common cold. The doctors decided to transfer Luke to a Children’s where he would have access to a neurological team. After being admitted to the hospital, they ordered an MRI of Luke’s chest. Due to Luke’s coughing the MRI was performed under general sedation. After recovering from the sedation, Luke’s cough was gone. The medical team really did not have an explanation for it other than the general sedation could have this calming effect on the brain. Luke went home with no cough and resumed his daily life. We were told that there was no preventative and to expect future occurances of tics, because they are common through puberty.
On October 29, 2013, Luke began complaining of a stomach ache and was very gassy. We took him to the ER because his stomach began to distend and the pressure and pain was unbearable. They took x-rays and ruled out a blockage, gave him some gas medicine and the pressure was relieved. Again another unexplained episode that is uncommon for a child.
On December 3, 2013, Luke started complaining of back pain. He was shaking in pain and was not able to walk without support. We again took him to his pediatrician, because of the pattern we felt like may be dealing with another tic. The pain was so intense that we took him to the ER at a Children’s hospital where he was admitted for testing. Another MRI of his entire spine was ordered and a psychiatric visit to help him to deal with the pain. Due to the seizure like shaking Luke was sedated for the MRI. The MRI was negative and after recovering from the sedation his pain was much better and we were discharged. This episode had many of the characteristics of a tic but we were never given a definitive explanation or plan. It was believed that Luke’s issues were based in his brain so psychiatry was recommended to help Luke process the pain. To know Luke is to know he is an extremely intelligent child with high maturity level and a positive attitude. It did not make any sense to us that Luke’s brain was causing these issue and our fear was that Luke would be put on medicines that would alter his personality and provide little help. Luke's muscles were getting weaker by the day and was only able to go to school for about 1/2 the day and was allowed to use the elevator to get to classes. Luke was now taking Clonidine and Kapvay and was referred to a physical therapist for rehab. They noticed Luke’s skin had a marbled look indicating that there was an issue with his sympathetic nerves however, it wasn't clear what should be done about it.
We were also referred to Dr. Hoffman's since he had a broad knowledge of the neurological system as well as the muscular skeletal system. On our very first visit Luke left the office a completely different kid then when he went in. He had more strength and stamina then he had in weeks. The next day at school he was able to take the steps again which seemed like a miracle.
Dr. Hoffman’s initial exam looked at Luke's whole body and his treatment approach was multi-faceted. Dr. Hoffman identified that Luke’s left brain was dominant and proceeded to treat him with brain based therapy to stimulate the right brain. Luke's treatment included sessions on an interactive metronome and hemistim. He also encouraged Luke to do more exercise to stimulate his large motor skills. Dr. Hoffman looked at Luke’s blood work and felt that his glucose was on the low side which could indicate a hypoglycemic issue. He suggested Luke change his eating habits to maintain a consistent blood sugar level. Dr. Hoffman also diagnosed Luke with a subluxation and identified the sympathetic nerve issues, which he treated with spinal manipulation to a region that activates the parasympathetics. He also suggested working with his pediatrician to stop taking Clonodine and Kapvey because they affect the Basal Ganglia and may affect his ability to recover. After about two weeks of therapy Luke’s back spasms were greatly decreased and he continued to progress over the next month. Luke has been symptom free from the back spasms for over three months.
In January 2014, Luke had another episode with his stomach much like the episode in October. We followed up with Dr. Hoffman who treated him with acupuncture and the next day Luke was significantly better. After three visits with Dr. Hoffman all signs and symptoms were gone. However, the biggest point I want to make is he had an episode and we did not end up in the hospital nor did it take a lot of different meds to get his system regulated again.
It has been over four months since we started seeing Dr. Hoffman and Luke is feeling great, he is taking vitamins, exercising, watches what he eats, and is on a maintenance plan with Dr. Hoffman. I have full faith and trust in Dr. Hoffman and I believe our journey through the unknown is over because of Dr. Hoffman’s knowledge of the neurological system. I would highly recommend anyone with a child with issues that that are not being easily diagnosed to visit Dr. Hoffman.
