Timeline of Triggers
Age 7 - Colin started piano lessons a few months before turning 7. Sometime during that year he could not stand the sound of a Metronome.
Age 8 - 9 - Ticking clocks became an annoyance. He began to hide an offending clock in our dining room and had his piano teacher remove a clock from her wall during lessons. He also reported being bothered by a ticking clock in the room across from his 5th grade classroom.
Around that time the car radio also needed to be turned off. We attributed this to a hearing issue from several ear infections that required ear tubes. Our older boys thought this was an annoyance due to not being able to make out the words to songs.
Age 10 - 11 - Ceiling fans became an issue. He began to turn them off. This caused an issue with his brother who he shared a room with. Colin eventually started to sleep in the loft. We also noticed that Colin started sleeping in just his underwear and would not wear pajamas.
Age 11 - 12 - During the past year the triggers have quickly expanded. Windshield Wipers and Car Air-conditioning/fan. When we stayed in hotels, the room Air Conditioners & Heaters became a trigger.
Over this summer we encountered a fast migration that spread to Car Rides, The Refrigerator, Crickets, Lawn Mowers (which cause the worst triggers), the Water Heater, the fan in my son's laptop, water running through the house pipes and now both my husband and myself.
Our current new-normal is our son managing to function during the day in public without drawing attention to his Misophonia and at home a different story. He strips to his underwear, puts on his noise dampening headphones (the type used to protect against sound of lawn mowers and heavy machinery). He will lock himself in the 1st floor half-bath and either sleep on the floor or try to sleep leaning over the counter, standing up. He will also snooze in the basement with the lights out either kneeling on the floor with his head on the sofa or on the area rug. He also seems to be able to stand in a corner, wrapped in his blanket, staring off into space. He will not eat food we prepare or take out that we bring home to him. (fear of being drugged? or not wanting something we have done for him?)
When triggered the signs are as follows:
"Crazy Eyes" or "The Angry Squint" where it would appear our son tries to narrow his eyes into laser-beam shooting weapons that can destroy with a glance.
Warnings to stay away. - "Get out of here" "Stay Away" "Leave me alone" 'Don't talk to me"
Messages of Hate - "I hate you" "Go die in a hole" "I'm gonna kill you" "I'm gonna stab every last piece of you until you're dead" "You bitch!"
Screaming, Crying and Slapping Himself - We're not sure why but our son will slap himself on the thighs and butt and scream "Stop hurting me!" during his worst triggers (usually neighbors' lawn mowers) He will kick & slam doors and counters. He has accused us of terrible things. *update
* found out that he admitted to his hospital psychiatrist that he took a video in the dark and pretended we were hitting him to get back at us for taping a rage.
What we would like to accomplish
Short-term Goals -
1. Acceptance - We need our son to admit his condition and be able to accept help. Currently he will talk to no one and will claim he is fine and wants to be left alone.
2. We would like to see our son try Neurofeedback - The is the one treatment that has helped others with Misophonia. We have heard horror stories about drug-based treatments and will only consider as a last resort and as a short-term fix to stabilize our son.
3. We would like to eliminate as many triggers as possible, starting with being able to be in the same room as Mom & Dad and be able to have a calm conversation. We can not live with a law-less, disrespectful child.
Long-term Goals -
1. Help find a cure for Misophonia (and any other neurological/psychological disorder our son might have).
2. Return our son to being able to lead a happy and normal life.
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