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Is tourettes a genetic thing? I mean can you be a carrier per say or is it literally something that just happens?
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Apr 5, 2014 02:47
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Plotterboy posted:Not suppressing is difficult as for a decent period of time early on my folks decided to cure me of tourette though beatings. That's interesting with the fact that you've slowed yours down to cope with it. I think if I did that with mine, that would just make mine more obvious. pandariot posted:Really interesting thread OP. Thanks for starting it! I'm incredibly lucky with my Tourette's in that I'm able to 'pass' when meeting new people. No one really recognizes mine for what they are, so that's good. But yeah, getting more upset is definitely a great way for the tics to pick up. As for my tics catching me off guard, yeah, sometimes they can. It's more of a 'oh wow, my tics are pretty severe right now' versus the actual tic surprising me. Thrasophius posted:Is tourettes a genetic thing? I mean can you be a carrier per say or is it literally something that just happens? There is no distinct 'cause' for people to have Tourette's, though it does seem to be inherited. There's about a 50% chance that my potential children would have Tourette's, but there's no way to know whether or not they would have severe Tourette's or mild Tourette's like me. I'm honestly not too worried about it, my kids are almost certainly going to have depression and/or ADHD anyway so ticcing would be the least of their issues. Anecdotally, I'm the first person in my family to be diagnosed with Tourette's though I'm pretty sure that my grandpa has it. There's some evidence out there that streptococcal infections might have an effect but while the study that came out with this hypothesis had some incredible results, it was among a tiny group of people so, can't really get too much of it. There's also some really fascinating stuff out there on the idea that Tourette's might be an alternate expression of OCD. OCD and Tourette's are so closely related to each other that it's hard for me to even tell the difference between the two at times and the massive amount of comorbidity with OCD and Tourette's makes me also really like this idea.
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Apr 5, 2014 03:31
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What's the difference between a tic and something like a microexpression/nervous habit?
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Apr 5, 2014 21:49
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ShadowMoo posted:What's the difference between a tic and something like a microexpression/nervous habit? Honestly, there isn't much of a difference. Nervous tics have a similar root as a tourettes tic, its just that with tourettes they are pronounced and spread across the body. The other big difference is compulsion. A micro expression, nervous habit, tell, etc doesn't have the sort of build up to the event that tourettes has. Simply put tourette syndrome is nervous habit on steroids.
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Apr 6, 2014 03:44
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Plotterboy posted:Honestly, there isn't much of a difference. Nervous tics have a similar root as a tourettes tic, its just that with tourettes they are pronounced and spread across the body. The other big difference is compulsion. A micro expression, nervous habit, tell, etc doesn't have the sort of build up to the event that tourettes has. I definitely agree with this. I do think that most people have tics of some kind whether they know it or not, some little reaction to something that they do subconciously. However, the differ4ence between that and Tourette's is the frequency. Sorry that it's been a while since I've posted. I have recently started back on anti depressants and despite my worries, my tics are nowhere near as bad as they were the last time that I got back onto zoloft. I also realized something the other day. My Tourette's does effect me when I'm trying to sleep, because I realized that the need to blink my eyes slowly until they're 'right' is a tic. Adderall and working out helps me to just go right to sleep most of the time but when I had a bad insomiac night, I realized that it was because I was ticcing. I can remember wanting to cry when I was little because I just wanted to sleep but my eyes needed to feel right. Not sure how I missed that I was ticcing.
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Apr 28, 2014 19:13
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I know this thread hasn't been touched in a week or two, but I'm another Tourette's goon, and someone asked what the tics felt like when they were coming and I wanted to add my two cents. The itch analogy is pretty good, but another way to think of it is this - imagine you're sitting in the back seat of a smallish car or in an airplane and you've been sitting there for the past 6 hours. Your legs are all cramped up and your back feels weird, so when you stand up you stretch it out, or maybe shake your legs a couple of times to get them back to 'normal'. You could certainly just keep walking without stretching your back, but if you do that you start to notice that it doesn't feel right, so you stretch it out just to make that feeling go away. Also my vocal tic is super quiet, I make a soft 'hngh' sound in the back of my throat, and it's 100% about the way the air feels in my throat rather than the noise. And I sometimes repeat words, which I can sometimes control by repeatedly telling a story in a different way as if over explaining it, which I've turned into a sort of in joke with my friends, to hide some of my weirdness. Also, I never really thought about it, but I can totally drive just fine with only a few minor facial tics, and some days I pretty much don't tic at all, while some days I tic like crazy. Writing this post has had me ticcing like a madman though. Do any of you other Tourette's goons have to sort of 'even up' if something brushes one side of your body weird, or if one side of your glass has condensation but the other doesn't? I was never able to explain it well to a therapist, so I never figured out if it had a real name or not.
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May 12, 2014 11:46
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nucleicmaxid posted:Writing this post has had me ticcing like a madman though. Yeah, writing about Tourette's does that. Bringing it up can set off tics, as you are acutely aware of the issue and it sets off the triggers which causes the tics. This doesn't really help when it comes to talking or writing about Tourette Syndrome, as it really puts a physical drain on you. If your motor tics are violent, like mine, a well thought out post can be extremely tiring. Especially after a day of managing them. By the end of an average day I'm pretty exhausted. On a bad day I'm usually too tired to sleep. nucleicmaxid posted:Do any of you other Tourette's goons have to sort of 'even up' if something brushes one side of your body weird, or if one side of your glass has condensation but the other doesn't? I was never able to explain it well to a therapist, so I never figured out if it had a real name or not. That's one of the many wonders of Tourette Syndrome! TS is nearly always co-morbid with another DSM spectrum disorder. Be it anxiety, OCD, or one of the Attention Deficit flavours. The "even up" compulsion is probably an OCD thing coming out. Having said that, This may not mean that you have OCD, just that you have OCD like tendencies. IANAD and all that. In fact, things like anxiety play directly into TS. For example being in a situation where spazzing out would be a really bad thing to do will set off an anxious thought to not spaz out, which will heighten the feeling of unease from Tourette Syndrome to do that exact thing that you don't want to do. There was a documentary a while back called Tourette's Rewired, where a paediatric nurse could not stop shouting racial slurs while he was working. He was absolutely mortified about it, which made the whole thing worse. Poor dude ended up being the third Deep Brain Stimulation implant patient in an attempt to kerb this so he could continue work.. Its actually an interesting documentary of you can sit it out. I had to watch it in small installments, as the guys going off on screen would set me off. Seriously, getting more than one TS sufferer in a room is the best way to start the worlds worst dance-off.
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May 12, 2014 14:18
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Writing out this whole thread has had me ticcing like nuts. You are not the only one! And I do feel a need to have things look nice and even, but only for certain things. And nucleic, I think we have a very similar vocal tic, because mine is all throat as well. The sound doesn't matter near as much as the feel.
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May 13, 2014 05:37
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I've got OCD traits (if not full-blown OCD, but I'm waiting on a doctor to confirm that) and nothing sets me off like reading about other people's compulsions.  The desire for symmetry is something I get a lot, so I suppose that's an OCD thing that pops up in Tourette's. I'd be interested about reading more about the connection between Tourette's and OCD. Also: OCD is associated and often comorbid with autism. Does that hold for Tourette's, too? Are any of you on the spectrum?
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May 13, 2014 12:55
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OCD is massively comorbid with Tourette's. In fact, there are some theories that they're the same disorder, only with two different manifestations, with one being more physically compulsive and the other being more mentally obsessive. I know that I have some compulsive tendencies besides my tics and tend to get 'locked into' something until I get it right. I used to play viola and I'd go to start a song and just freeze. I'd have to keep trying to start until everything finally felt 'right', and only then would I be able to go. It's like my issues with deadlifts, when I would basically hyperventilate until it felt 'right'. It's hard for me to actually differentiate between what is my Tourette's and what is a compulsive behavior there. The biggest difference between the two, at least it seems to me, is that I don't tic to effect anything else in the world. There's no real feeling of anxiety behind my tics, I just do them because it fundamentally makes me feel better. They aren't due to intrusive thoughts besides 'I need to do this because I will feel better'. It's more of an internal, physical thing. In either case, OCD, ADHD and Tourette's all likely stem from an issue in the basal ganglia, so it makes a lot of sense to me that they tend to be so massively comorbid. As for where I stand on the compulsive spectrum, I have no idea though I don't think that I'd be considered to have OCD, just that I have obessive compulsive behaviors. I'd have a mild case of it, if anything.
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May 13, 2014 16:52
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Effexxor posted:I used to play viola and I'd go to start a song and just freeze. I'd have to keep trying to start until everything finally felt 'right', and only then would I be able to go. It's like my issues with deadlifts, when I would basically hyperventilate until it felt 'right'. It's hard for me to actually differentiate between what is my Tourette's and what is a compulsive behavior there. That's super weird/cool because I, too, played viola and did the exact same thing. I'd just stop and restart until it went 'right'. And I do the hyperventilation thing sometimes when working out because the way I'm breathing feels 'wrong'. I use it as an excuse to not work out  . I'm working on it though, with medication and CBT.
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May 15, 2014 02:50
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Hello again! Effexxor asked me to post in here a bit more about tics & weightlifting and my person experiences. I still before weightlifting (and I have issues with health anxiety that can make going hard on lifting difficult), but I only have one sort-of tic that I get while actually weightlifting. I tend to bite my lip/mouth, but I think that's more related to just trying to put out effort, and not really a tic. When running, though, I still have a trap/neck tic, but it's definitely less aggressive/intrusive when running than just sitting around. The worst ABSOLUTE WORST comes when I'm driving. I feel like the exorcist girl contorting my back when I'm driving ugh I still haven't really talked much to my therapist (or who was my therapist at the time) about my tics -- I mentioned them, but we didn't really discuss them. However, I am going to start therapy for what might be ADHD or OCD or, since I was diagnosed as high-functioning autistic as a kid (though I don't know if that's really correct), maybe that. Either way, tics and issues comorbid to them will be discussed more in detail then. With my other therapist, and the new therapist I'll be matched with, we're more focused on past trauma/how trauma affects me now, so I think having the ADHD/OCD/HFA/whatever it is therapy alongside will be more worthwhile for discussing tics. I know someone else mentioned if anyone else was on the spectrum, and I'm interested in hearing from people on the spectrum (even though I'm not sure if I would still be counted as such).
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Jul 22, 2014 04:01
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Hello. That would be an interesting thing to hear about. I have just started the process in getting therapy and drug treatments to deal with my tourettes and comorbid issues and have been put on anxiety meds at firat until I can get therapy and such sorted out. I will post more later when I'm not on my phone. Really for me it's to get a good system of control as opposed to the half baked things that I have done in the past to deal with my TS. unfortunately, I found out yesterday that the state tourette association for the state I'm in has closed down.
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Jul 22, 2014 04:38
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Hey Plotterboy! Mind talking about what the therapy is like that you're going through? Especially since you have more severe Tourette's, I'm really interested to hear about what your treatment is like. And thank you Gnomesies, I had kinda realized in the Women's Weightlifting thread that how many people still don't know how Tourette's effects people and how common it is. I would really love to hear more on your experiences with Tourette's and lifting. And since it'd be kinda lovely for me to not do so myself, I'll also talk about my experiences. Here is me deadlifting at a meet this weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPzRMzrpJtc You might notice that I take a deep breath and then just dive down. Generally with deadlifts, you're supposed to go down to the bar and then set up, stiffen, take a deep breath and lift. I can't do that. If I do that, I get stuck in this loop of ticcing and breathing until I hyperventilate. I do find that learning to get a dead on focus when I'm about to lift helps a lot. I watched a documentary on Netlflix called 'Magic Camp' on Netflix that had a kid who loved magic because working obsessively with his magic tricks were the only thing that stopped his tics, which I totally empathized with. Also, I finally did a video on how my tics are now and what they look like, with bonus animals! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG4aaQQz0Lo
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Jul 23, 2014 01:18
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Sure, I can do that. Really the issue with me is I never really got treatment at a young age, and at least in Australia, there is not much available for people in my situation. The focus here nowadays is early treatment. This is great because it means you will have less adults like myself struggling in the future, but it does feel like ice fallen through the cracks sometimes. Though as I said to a coworker the other day. Its a pretty crappy situation treatment wise but with luck it may mean people with my experience and situation are a dying breed.
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Jul 23, 2014 02:17
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I am a moderate-to-severe Touretter. I tic freely almost all the time, since I feel so poorly if I hold it in. I can't watch others tic, or else I tic violently, and start to 'absorb' their tics, which I do not want. I do not have throaty/nasal tics, which is good, as those gross me out. I do not undergo treatment for Tourette's. I am comorbid for general anxiety disorder only; my mother has weak OCD and adult ADD. I take Zoloft for the anxiety disorder, and it has made my tics less frequent, albeit done nothing for severity. I have been ticcing since sometime between 3 and 5 years old. I drive, work directly with people (salesperson), and have had no problems. No issues with symmetry. Some of my tics are -strong echolalia in a high singsong (also for sounds, not just voices), particularly the last 2 words in a sentence, then repeating the penultimate word several times, then saying the last word the sentence had -tossing items straight up -yelping if I see food going toward the floor, either from dropping or being poured or whatever -gotta move the right arm somewhere, anywhere (has resulted in people getting smacked) -punching with the right arm (have punched my husband, now I have enough mental control to swing the fist out of range of him, so I hit my cheek) -barking, howling, growling, snarling -left side of my face clenching -right side of my face sneering -random words shouting in not-my-voice -biting The biting is bad. I mean I have punched myself in the cheek/teeth very hard a few times now, but the biting when I work face-to-face with strangers is distressing. It's VERY sudden and I can't realize it's coming beforehand; certain movements in other people set it off. Like, if they 'cower' or bend over a little or turn away like I guess they would if they were frightened of me, then I end up at least lunging for a bite. I've done some damage to my husband, bad bruises. I've even lunged at my mom a few times. Thankfully I'm starting to recognize it and stop it from being anything more than a growl and an open mouth. Before the Zoloft, I sometimes had nights where the tic need would grow too strong in my whole body and I'd essentially just thrash around for a while, hyperventilating, until basically passing out. Been just 3 months with Zoloft, so maybe it's not fixed, but I can hope. I don't like waking up with almost all of my joints thrown out, barely able to move. This is just what I can remember offhand.
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Jul 24, 2014 04:16
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I've found that going back onto Zoloft has actually calmed my tics down a bit, though I'm not sure if it has so much to do with my tics as much as my general anxiety level going down. Has anyone in this thread tried biofeedback? My aunt is a psychologist who leads people through it, and it's supposed to have some good results with Tourette's. And here's a question for the folks with more severe tics, how common is it for people to think that you're doing it for attention? I've never actually had anyone say that or accuse me of it with my Tourette's, though lord knows I've heard it plenty of times for my ADHD-crazed actions, especially when I was little. I know Plotterboy talked about people not understanding when he was growing up, but what about now?
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Jul 24, 2014 19:39
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Effexxor posted:Except with Tourette's, it's not just a feeling under the skin, it's a need to do/move something. For me, it's generally bending my joints until they feel like they've been 'stretched' enough. For instance, I have a tic where I bend my wrist back suddenly and the best way to describe how it feels before is that it's like I have a little ball bouncing back in my forearm, going from my forearm to my wrist. As the uncomfortable feeling builds, it's like the ball starts bouncing faster and faster and faster and the only way to get the ball out is to bend my wrist back, and that 'gets it out'. Sometimes it works and sometimes I need to tic more to 'feel right'. I think that I might actually have something like this. I should probably bring it up with my psychiatrist. I don't mention it because I find it embarrassing for some reason, but I very frequently feel this strong need to tense my muscles in a repetitive fashion. The only difference is that there's an element of thought to it; for example, I'll feel a strong need to tense my muscles from my shoulder going down to my foot and will feel very uncomfortable if I do not do so. I probably do it as often as once a minute if I'm feeling at all uncomfortable (which is a lot of the time). Even when I'm comfortable I still probably do it once every few minutes. I've actually had people comment that I always seem uncomfortable to them, and I guess it might be because of this.
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Jul 24, 2014 22:03
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I guess I'm around very polite people. Strangers tend to nervously ignore it. My parents laugh (so do I). My husband ignores it, or tweaks the echolalia to make it worse until I'm literally shrieking the words. I get a feedback loop with echolalia. Hearing myself rarely does it, but if say my husband says something that must be echoed, and I echo it a few times, if he says it again, I have to echo it more frantically, higher pitched, higher volume, faster. Do others do this? I found a semi-record of some of my tics (I have written them to a friend on instant messenger sometimes). They don't get triggered by me seeing a word or anything, I honestly don't know what. So they're not echolalia, they don't happen more than once (except for the coprolalia words, because I have that). But they come out, and sometimes I am not aware of what I said, or that I ticced at all. -SURROUNDED BY VICE -butts. (very matter-of-fact) -GHOST DAD -titans of industry! -diLAUdid (with a head bob as if a pigeon) -wub WUB wub -VOLDEMORT -hella beef
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Jul 24, 2014 23:07
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Culex posted:-SURROUNDED BY VICE I read this last night and just sat there for 10 minutes unable to stop playing with those words and the feel of them. It was like going to a wine tasting or something. Hella beef was the best, I got a 'WHUFF' out of my chest when I'd say the h part of 'hella'. Edit: And Ytlaya, no reason to now tell your psychiatrist, that does sound like a compulsion to tic. Just keep in mind that the best way to deal with it is to accept that part of yourself and learn to be comfortable with it. Effexxor fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Jul 25, 2014 |
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Jul 25, 2014 20:06
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SURROUNDED BY VICE was my favorite. Especially booming it out.
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Jul 26, 2014 15:17
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I've been meaning to post a little more about my tics! If I'm alone, or not thinking about being looking at me, I raise my eyebrows a lot especially when I blink, and flare my nose. If I'm around people I'm generally concentrating more on what's socially acceptable to do because  , and no one ever been bold enough to call me out on it, so I assume it stays in check. When I'm alone though? Eyebrow party. My most common one ATM is where push my jaw down & in, and keep my chest up, until I hear a crackle in my neck. About half the time I also pull my shoulders back, kinda like making a shelf for the bar to sit during squats. Sometimes also involves me pulling my shoulders back and forth and tensing. I don't think leg bouncing counts as a tic, but my leg is constantly bouncing if I'm sitting pretty much. I sniffle a lot, even without stuffiness. I used to sniffle outwards, and wouldn't be able to breathe in until I totally deflated my lungs. If I push air forcefully out my nose now, I feel compelled to do it "the right way" so I generally just try not to do that. When I feel like I want to, I try to take a deep breath through my nose instead. It's not a tic, but I bite my mouth/lips compulsively. I've stopped for months before (mouth biting at least), but it requires being able to stave off biting for at least two days, which generally only happens if I have benzos and put my mind to it. I hate biting so so so so so so much. It makes my mouth hurt, and ugh. It just sucks. I stopped from January until July this year, and then picked it back up during a stressful time. Jerkssss I run my nails underneath my other nails as fidgeting a lot, and just plum fidget a lot. I'm actually working on a project ATM making fidget toys/jewelry to help people (myself) who want to fidget more discreetly. All in all, my tics are pretty mild and no ones ever brought them to my attention. I figure they look enough like normal stretching/sound enough like a stuffy nose that most people don't care. The neck/back ones get painful if I'm stressed out though since I start feeling like I need to stretch further, or too often to feel popping. Things that help: Exercising with other people Social anxiety making me focus on self-monitoring more Cleaning (which honestly just helps everything) Sketching, painting, thrown ceramics helped like WHOA. Anything requiring focusing where I'm not just sitting at a chair in front of a computer, really Things that make it worse: Late nights Not enough food Being alone (or maybe I just feel less like I need to focus on hiding it?? I dunno) Watching other people tic Towards the end of runs, when I'm getting tired, ugh Sitting in front of a computer Going to see a psychiatrist for the first time this week, kind of nervous. I don't really understand how they work. Therapy I kind of understand since I've been in it long enough, but I don't understand what I'm supposed to tell a psychiatrist. And I'm afraid I'm going to forget everything and just be like "oh I'm fine" because I've done that with therapy before because I didn't know what to say. Any advice?
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Aug 24, 2014 02:55
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Sorry if this seems like changing topic, but I found this thread fascinating. As someone who suffers with another superly misunderstood and overblown in the media disorder (narcolepsy) its really interesting to learn more about tourettes. I have to admit I didn't realize there were varying cases of it. I should have known better as not all narcoleptics will fall asleep in the middle of traffic or anything like that. Thanks for sharing the info! I might take this thread idea and post an ask me about being a narco thread.
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Aug 24, 2014 04:41
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What do we want? A cure for Tourette's!! When do we want it? oval office!!
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Aug 28, 2014 15:20
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Chupe Raho Aurat posted:What do we want? Wow that's so clever. Also, I could use some advice, actually. My Tourette's just spiked, big time. To the extent where I'm starting to become noticeable, with full body ticks, including actually repeating phrases in public. I've literally come home cramping because I just couldn't stop moving. I worked out tonight after a hiatus and feel more calm than I have in a while, but if any of the people used to the more severe forms of Tourette's have any other tips... I'd love to hear them.
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Oct 7, 2014 06:47
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Have a quiet place to go, keep excersising, try not to stress. Also don't worry if it's noticeable, the only people who will give a poo poo are chucklefucks like Chupe there. I know I promised a report on the neurofeedback front. I've been putting it off because between that and work going beserk I haven't had a lot of time, but the change 14 sessions in has been bloody amazing. I have been barely ticking, just a few twitches in my legs and shoulders, and the background anxiety is pretty much gone. I honestly haven't felt this good since I was 12.
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Oct 7, 2014 08:37
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Effexxor posted:Wow that's so clever. While i don't have it, a good friend of mine does, and he said the best thing for him when he's ticcing really bad is going swimming. I know you already exercise, so if your gym has a pool, it might help? He said it was a way to stretch out and focus on the exercise and he would have really bad full body tics a lot of the time. Also, drugs, but I don't recommend that one. He does say that weed helps, and his ticcing is a lot less noticable when he's stoned. He's lucky in that he doesn't really have any echolalia, but he does have some severe physical tics, especially since he's been working in a call center sitting down all day focusing on a computer screen. This thread is really fascinating from the point of view of someone who knows someone with it, and i feel for him, because to those of us who are friends with him, its easy to ignore his physical tics (outside of one intense round of nazi zombies where he ticcd so bad he dropped the controller and killed us on like, wave 50) but he's so shy about meeting new people because he's afraid they're just going to see his tics and think he's weird.
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Oct 7, 2014 21:51
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Effexxor posted:Wow that's so clever. Man! You sure showed me with your over sensitive reply to a off the cuff comment told to me by an OCD patient! Really worth necroing a two month dead thread for that! gently caress off and take your meds. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Oct 8, 2014 08:34
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I have a student with tourettes. I feel bad because I'm very high strung / easy to startle. When its lab time and they're quietly working and I walk by and they let out a yelp, I almost have a heart attack every time. Luckily they have a good humor about it! I try not to react, but I can't help it.
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Oct 8, 2014 17:28
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Chupe Raho Aurat posted:Man! His reply was about as laid back as they come, you aggro twat.
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Oct 8, 2014 20:18
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To be honest, I'm more offended that Chupe couldn't come up with a better joke. I've heard that one way too many times and it's just not that funny. And that's saying something, because Tourette's can be hilarious. Plotterboy, that is seriously incredible that the biofeedback is having that much of an effect! Are you still on your medication for Tourette's? Do you still need it? Also, thanks for the advice, I've been making an effort to really decompress when I get home and I think it's helping. Just weird to see what the more severe Tourette's is like. AA is for Quitters, I actually really have liked the call center workplace for Tourette's. I work in a booth so I can tic all I want and no one really sees. I can empathize with him not really wanting to leave the house though, when I went to the gym on Monday, it was so embarrassing to be ticcing non stop around these people that I like, respect and am comfortable around. Honestly though, Tourette's is generally very hard for people to recognize, tics are usually not thought about unless someone's really vocal. Alterian, you startling might actually make him more likely to tic around you, ironically. Not because he means it, but just because with Tourette's, you sometimes get the compulsion to do the exact opposite of what you know you should. Like seeing someone and yelling a racial slur at them or seeing someone who's fat and saying 'piggy' or something like that. Which is awful for those people, because that don't mean it but just can't help it. That being said, that's awesome that you're both able to take it with humor.
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Oct 8, 2014 21:05
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Speaking of it being hilarious, would you be really offended if someone inadvertently laughed at something you said?
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Oct 8, 2014 21:34
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Tibor posted:Speaking of it being hilarious, would you be really offended if someone inadvertently laughed at something you said? Nah. Granted, I usually don't say nice or funny things, more like 'anxious' or 'stress' or stuff like that, but my sniffling can be funny. In either case, you have two options, laugh or cry. And crying is a lot more exhausting than laughing.
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Oct 8, 2014 21:44
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Effexxor posted:
Yeah the neurofeedback has been amazing. Its calmed me right down to the point where I'm very rarely set off. It took a little while for me to realise that I didn't need to keep a constant eye out for triggers, but once I noticed I wasn't ticcing as much and thought my way through it I worked out that I hadnt had a serious tic attack since 3 weeks after beginning the sessions. I'm still on SSRI's which are also helping, but I weaned myself off the Valium a while back, which is good. After I finish up the sessions I will be checked by the work psycs and should be out in the field again very soon.
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Oct 13, 2014 00:40
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So... sorry for resurrecting this thread, I feel like I should apologize after last time? I just want to throw these questions out there. Plotterboy, I found a therapist nearby who does neurofeedback and am going to see him on friday. You're kind of the one person that I know who has done this therapy so... what would you suggest to look for in a therapist? Also, I have the opportunity to write a thing on Tourette's for a relatively big mental health website and well, I'd love opinions on what I can write about. I'm thinking of going over: 1. How Tourette's works (aka dopamine bullshit) 2. The differences between echolalia and copralalia and how great words feel to say at times 3. The fact that OCD and Tourette's can be two facets of the same disorder 4. How it feels (i.e. the itch comparison and the tantrum comparison) Also, has anyone else felt like their tourette's is a barometer? Since my husband has been working more, I find myself at home more and whoa boy, my tics pick up. It's like a scale, where if I'm ticcing a lot, I know there's something stressed about my life and can deal with it from there. And last thing. Does anyone else dread the shower? When I'm in the shower, I tic horrifically badly. I think it's due to the lack of stimulation to distract me, but it's enough to make me not want to even bother. (though I do still bathe.)
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Dec 1, 2014 02:43
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That's so weird, because when I'm in the shower I just about never tic. Though my tics are usually a stress-response (as you pointed out) to something being 'wrong' or 'dirty', like I tic more often in a filthy place, the same way I would in an unfamiliar or very stressful place. I do tic a lot when I'm lying in bed before sleep though, and I think that has something to do with lack of stimulation. If my wife is up playing video games, or off somewhere else, then I just tic for like 30-45m before I can sleep. I have an almost glottal stop sound/throat motion tic that is the only tic I can even think of happening in the shower, and it comes on if I'm really gross from working out, or doing hard work, or because it's been rainy/muddy and I wore shorts or whatever.
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Dec 1, 2014 18:23
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I wish I knew why I hate it so much, but I'm basically hooting and harumphing and saying weird phrases constantly in there. The only thing that helps is to sing. At least I don't physically tic in there, because I would rather not tic and split myself with a razor or slip and break my neck. It may also be due to the fact that I'm alone, and always tic more when no one is around.
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Dec 2, 2014 04:08
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I lucked out and fell into a good therapy group. But basicly you're after a therapist with good knowledge of tourette syndrome, good accreditations, but most importantly a good therapist is one that you get along with. My current psycologist and I have a tendancy to derail our meetings with talk about my industry because his son works in a similar field and he wants to learn more about it. Also neurofeedback takes time, it took me a few sessions to kick in and 20 or so sessions until I had a good balance on what was happening. They should start talking to you straight away about booking 30 sessions or so. The ticcing while alone thing may be you discharging if you're the type to try and hold it in while around company.
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Dec 4, 2014 15:30
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I'm not diagnosed with Tourette's or OCD, but I definitely have compulsions, all physical and mostly about "maintaining symmetry". Reading this thread made me realize that my thing with symmetry isn't just me. Thanks, thread.
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Dec 6, 2014 00:49
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 01:21 |
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I hadn't noticed this thread before, but it is interesting. That 'itch' feeling describes a thing I get with my legs. I have what I think might be restless leg syndrome that started when I first went on SSRIs and it feels just like that, especially when I'm sitting or trying to sleep. It's a thing I've never remembered to tell my doctor, because when I'm out and about doing stuff it doesn't really happen. Resisting the urge to jiggle my leg or flap my foot is really uncomfortable. When I first went on fluoxetine, I was repeatedly flexing my glutes while trying to sleep and I was really embarrassed about it when sharing a bed with another person cause I was worried it would look like humping. I've kinda toned it down to a repeated foot flapping kinda thing over the years, and sometimes I think it feels like when a cat waves its tail around. Reading about other people's tics has given me the jimmy leg something fierce though, and I found myself kinda 'trying out' the wrist bending thing and the head bobbing thing. I also get an irresistible urge to repeat 'boop' and 'beep' sounds, like the checkout scanner at the supermarket. I don't know if that's really a tic though, or just me being a dork.
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Dec 6, 2014 07:14
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