What's it like to live with Tourette's Syndrome?

Question

I have to do a term paper on the subject. oooh, and if u could list ur sources unless its like ur own personal experience.

Answer 1

Good question. A good book is:



"Front of the Class; How Tourettes Made Me the Teacher I Never Had" by Brad Cohen. In his book he describes what it is like growing up and then trying to get a job. Very good book.



As for my own experience, my son has this disorder. He is 12 and it's tough for him. The most frustration comes from not being in control of your own body at all times. He has difficulty in school, as it simply takes him longer to do the work required of him. He's NOT dumb, retarded, or mentally ill. He is actually wicked smart! He just learns and processes differently than other kids. He has chores and homework, just like everybody else. He plays chess, is artistically gifted, and makes stop-motion animation movies on his iMac. He does have friends, but most other kids make fun of him or just ignore him.



His case is moderate, so he can take care of himself pretty well, just with a few extra movements and noises.



Tourettes is Neurological, or to be more specific, Neurobiological. Think of it this way: my sons' software is fine (his aptitude for learning and ability to function), but his hardware is wired incorrectly and this causes him to tic.



You can find more information about Tourettes here:



http://www.tsa.usa.org



http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Woods/3395/TSIndex.html



http://www.freewebs.com/teenswts/documentarys.htm



This is a DVD you should present to your class! It will support your findings and it features kids describing their lives with TS:

http://www.tsa-usa.org/news/HBO_Release_apr06_update.htm



http://www.buildasitefactory.com/index.php?sid=37



Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Well i am 13 and it's NOT EASY people think that if you have it it's funny. Well you know what its not i repeat what people say like when i am in church i mouth all the words or i might whisper phrases again and again. I sniff my clothes especially and other objects its actually just a tic. Almost no one knows that i have it i am pretty sure that most people think i am acting weird sometimes but only my closest friends know exactly wat i have. Also notice myself stepping odd sometimes and i clear my throat a lot, i tap my leg all day long especially in school, and i also jerk my head a lot.

Then there is the ADHD and OCD that commonly people with tourette's have to which i have which for me is the biggest problem in school and even getting to bed before 12 O"clock" is great for me because of my OCD. It's hard to hide the tics but i just try to do them when the teacher has everyone else's attention or in the hall because at my school it's to crowded for anyone to notice. Since i was never diagnosed correctly until last year or seventh grade. I have just kinda gotten used to it. I don't have many friends i am never smiling except when i am home or am having a good day or if something is funny. I am just taking it one day at a time. Here is a good web sight i found for someone else:



http://www.mediresource.com/sdm/pharmaprix/english/disease_detail.asp?disease_id=230



By the way i was diagnosed at about 12 1/2 with tourette's

I was only diagnosed with ADHD and OCD and Anxiety until then. Though it has gotten easier.



Good luck on your paper!

God bless!

Answer 3

hi, i have tourettes and it isn't fun. i was diagnosed in third grade because i made a loud sort of gargley sound when i breathed and i shook my head obsessively. people didn't want to sit near me because i was a distraction. now that i'm 16, it's easier becasue tourettes almost always gets better as you get older and is usually almost gone as an adult. its really rare to be like over 25 and still have audible distracting tics. i've learned how to make my tics less distracting now so that people don't notice. tics come and go for me, like i'll have one for just a week or two or one for months. i've been battling with a tic i've had for years where i clench my throat. it's weird having tourettes. sometimes i'll try to not do the tics but it just takes so much concentration. i feel kind of like ella in that book ella enchanted. like i get really anxious if i don't do the tic but as soon as i do it, i feel fine. hope this helps!

Answer 4

I have it and it is sometimes a bother. I am 29 and I work as a manager in the retail business and I have vocal tics - yelping, grunting, neck jerking, and foot/leg twitches. My employees understand but when I try to help customers I do my tics - but they don't say anything - but I feel embarrassed. I just try to go on with life. I also have ADHD that is associated with it and an OCD - I think it is an OCD - I have a bad habit of picking my skin on my fingers and feet. So again, I feel embarrassed at work and social life because I am constantly wearing band aids. But that is a typical day in the life of me.

Answer 5

Hi...I'm 22 years old and I was diagnosed with tourettes when I was 20, but have been living with it since I was 4 years old. I was diagnosed so late becuase when I was a kid, nobody knew much about tourettes and most of my tics I learned to hide well. the only ones I couldnt hide were blinking, scrunching up my nose and a few small vocal tics which my parents and doctors thought were due to allergies so I was getting allergy meds and such. growing up with it was hard. I used to get punished by my parents for the tics they did see me do. they thought I was doing it on purpose and it made me look "retarded" I was often called retarded by kids at school, but I still had quite a few friends. as I go older I found it harded to deal with becuase some of my tics were quite painful. I often bite my tongue...I was even bitten through it before and no matter the pain it causes, I still cant stop. I also sometimes dig my fingernails under eachother until they bleed. and once again...I just cant stop. I finally got so fed up with it all and people always asking me whats wrong and what I'm doing so I started researching online. all signs pointed to tourettes and OCD so I made a doctors appt. and he sent me to a neurologist where she was able to diagnose it in less then 10 minutes talking to me. (its easier to diagnose as an adult becuase you have a better understanding of what your doing and how you cant control it) I was put on meds for it...2 different kinds, but I no longer take them. I figure I lived 16 years without them so I can go on. I find just knowing what I have gives me piece of mind and that when people ask whats wrong I can tell them I have tourettes. It has never slowed me down before and I wont let it now. I have plenty of friends, a wonderful husband and am 5 months away from my college graduation from Dental Hygiene...probably with honors. I graduated top of my school in 8th grade and recieved medals at my high school grad for academic performance. I am looking forward to having children of my own in the near future. there are still people of course who make fun and hollywood likes to turn it into a big joke, but I'm never offended by it. it simply shows they lack so much knowledge and how immature they really are. I also feel that if making fun o f me means they feel a bit better about themselves then I'm glad I could help. they lives much be worse then mine if they need to make fun of people with medical conditions such as my own. hope this helps and you can email me if you have any other questions