The Day My 7-Year-Old Changed Overnight — And What No One Warns Me About PANDAS

When your child suddenly disappears inside their own body, you stop caring about labels — you just want them back.

When Everything Changes Overnight

One day, your child is running, laughing, focused.

The next, something is off.

For us, it started quietly.

Louis had what looked like a mild strep infection.
No fever. Nothing alarming.
A little tired. A sore throat.
Tylenol. Rest. We moved on.

Three weeks later, everything changed.

Suddenly, my 7-year-old developed:

• Severe motor tics
• Sudden confusion and disorientation
• His hands and feet turning inward
• Trouble walking straight — falling for no reason

It felt as if someone had flipped a switch.

As a parent, you don’t need a medical degree to know when something is terribly wrong.

But what I learned next was far more frightening than the symptoms themselves.

“It’s Probably Anxiety”

I rushed Louis to our pediatrician.

We had seven minutes.

I asked about PANDAS — a rare autoimmune condition triggered by streptococcal infections, where the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain.

I was told:

• “It’s very rare.”
• “Kids have tics.”
• “He’s probably anxious.”

I insisted on testing.

The throat swab came back negative — as expected.
The blood work came back positive.

By then, Louis was worse.

I tried to get urgent neurology appointments at top NYC hospitals.

The answer was the same everywhere:
Weeks. Months. Wait.

Meanwhile, my child was slipping away in front of me.

What Is PANDAS — Really?

PANDAS stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections.

In simple terms:

After a strep infection, the immune system becomes confused and starts attacking parts of the brain — particularly areas responsible for movement, emotion, and behavior.

This causes brain inflammation.

And when the brain is inflamed, symptoms don’t creep in slowly — they explode.

That’s why parents describe it the same way:

“It was overnight.”

The Symptoms Parents Are Told to Ignore

Children with PANDAS often experience:

• Sudden motor or vocal tics
• OCD behaviors that appear out of nowhere
• Extreme anxiety or panic
• Rage episodes or emotional volatility
• Regression (baby talk, separation anxiety, accidents)
• Sensory overload (noise, light, clothing textures)

Yet families are often told:

• “It’s just anxiety.”
• “It’s a phase.”
• “Try another medication.”

But medications don’t address what’s actually happening.

Inflammation does not respond to dismissal.

Why This Hits Parents So Hard

Because you remember exactly who your child was before.

Before the tics.
Before the fear.
Before their body stopped listening to them.

And when doctors don’t see it — when friends don’t believe you — the isolation is crushing.

I’ve spoken to dozens of parents since Louis’ diagnosis.

They say the same things:

“I feel like no one believes me.”

“We’ve spent thousands chasing answers.”

“I just want my child back.”

The Part No One Explains

The behaviors are not the disease.

They are signals.

When inflammation disrupts the brain’s communication pathways, it’s like static on every channel at once.

The nervous system gets stuck in high alert:

• Fight
• Flight
• Freeze

And once a child is trapped there, logic doesn’t help.
Discipline doesn’t help.
Reassurance doesn’t help.

Because this isn’t a behavior problem.

It’s a physiological one.

What Actually Makes a Difference

I’m not here to offer a miracle cure.

But I’ve learned this:

You cannot force an inflamed nervous system to calm down.

You have to help it feel safe enough to regulate.

That means:

• Addressing inflammation
• Supporting the immune system
• Creating predictable rhythms
• Reducing sensory overload
• Using gentle regulation strategies instead of suppression

Think of it like a car engine revving too high.

You don’t slam the brakes.
You don’t cut the engine.

You ease it back into the right gear.

And when that happens — slowly, consistently — something shifts.

Why the System Fails These Kids

PANDAS sits at the intersection of:

• Neurology
• Immunology
• Psychiatry

Which means it often falls through the cracks.

Many clinicians:

• Aren’t trained to recognize it
• Don’t have time to look for root causes
• Are pressured to treat symptoms quickly

Insurance rarely covers comprehensive care.

Parents are left to navigate a maze — alone.

And every month lost matters.

If You’re Reading This and Something Feels Familiar

If your child changed suddenly after an illness
If symptoms appeared “out of nowhere”
If you’ve been told it’s just anxiety but your instincts say otherwise

Please trust that instinct.

You’re not imagining it.
Your child isn’t broken.
And this is not your fault.

There is another way forward — one that starts by understanding what’s actually happening inside your child’s body.

And it begins with listening to the parents who know their children best.