#touretter

- Stand up for yourself when someone discriminates against you for your Tourette’s.

- Don’t listen to ignorant people who don’t understand,  you know what it’s like to live with your condition, they don’t.

- It will get easier over time

- If a doctor doesn’t believe you have Tourette’s  - get rid of them.

- If you are in school, college or university, get accommodations and support. You can get extra time on your exams, a separate room for exams, reduced timetable, a laptop to write on and more.

- If you believe you have a co- occurring condition such as OCD, ADHD, Anxiety, depression, Autism, dyslexia or anything else, get assessed if you can afford it, but you can self diagnose if needed.

- If you have difficulty finding work or if you need extra support, look into disability living allowance, PIP, or disabled students allowance (UK) or the benefits that you have in your country.

- You will probably experience self -doubt , there may be a little voice in your head telling you that your “faking it”, but you are not, many people with Tourette’s have this and if you are questioning whether you are faking it I can guarantee you are not.

- If you can, join a local support group, the friends and support you get are priceless.

- Read up on tic triggers on the ACN latitudes website , triggers can include certain foods, chemicals, emotions, sensory input, or medicines 

- Talk with your doctor about any possible treatment options because everyone is different and you can find what works for you, whether its medication, CBIT or habit reversal training. You don’t have to treat your Tourette’s if you don’t want to.

-Embrace your Tourette’s , don’t be ashamed of it!

- Don’t let anyone make you feel like you have to suppress your tics. Suppression is not the answer.

- Join an online Tourette’s forum or support group, they have all the best information and they are an amazing way to get support.

People think Tourette syndrome is just annoying uncontrollable movements and sounds, but really its having Tourettic OCD so severe that you cannot dress yourself or use the toilet. Its having sensory issues that make every texture or loud noise feel like nails on a chalkboard, so much that you can’t brush your teeth and just wearing jeans and a jumper can make you feel sick. It’s ticcing so severely that you can’t do the buttons of your shirt up and can’t use a laptop without smashing it. It’s not being able to use a computer because your OCD makes you scroll up and down 300 times on every webpage before you can click on anything. It is separation anxiety so severe that you cannot sleep in a room on your own and going to school makes your heart race. It’s OCD rituals that take hours and make you late to school and appointments. It’s doctors not believing you and saying that all your symptoms are caused by Autism and blaming you and your parents for your difficulties. It’s your hand seizing up when you write. It’s not being able to write because you are ticcing so much. Its teachers telling you o put more effort into your work , even though your tics are making you repeatedly bang your head on the desk. It’s being sent out of class for somethings that’s completely out of your control. It’s anxiety and panic attacks that make you feel feeble. It’s lying on the floor screaming at 3AM because you just want it to end. It’s mothers who mourn for the child they’ve lost because their child is not the same.  Its facing discrimination in public and people making nasty comments. It’s being bullied wherever you go in public. It’s dissociating due to the stress of it all. It’s side effects of medication. It’s rage attacks that make you burst with anger and can make you a danger to yourself or others. It’s constantly being distracted in class because you can’t concentrate and your grades plummet. Its feeling the immense pressure in your chest and throat from suppressing vocal tics . Its self doubt and that little voice in your head telling you that you’re “Faking it”. It’s having v*miting tics that keep you home from school and having bladder tics that force you to wear adult diapers. It’s having tic attacks that are tiring and painful and make you overheat. It’s having stomach tensing tics that cause extreme pain. Its having Phantom tics where you can feel the premonitory urge on objects and other people. It’s terrifying mental tics and intrusive thoughts that make you want to scream.

Tourette’s and Relaxation

Tourette Syndrome is a very difficult condition to get a handle on. From issues of control to where you’re ticcing and how to mask it. (more…)