1996 – What a Year!:)
Question:
That goes double for me too guys. I have learned so much from you guys, thanks! Happy Holidays and Happy new year! Rose
Response:
Dear ast’ers, Whatever your personal beliefs about Christmas, I happen to believe that the knowledge you’ve shared & the support you’ve given to me all year long is the real meaning of Christmas! No way could I let this holiday pass w/out sending a special message to all of you!:) Not quite 10 months ago, my then-17-yr-old son was dxd w/TS. I knew nothing, absolutely nothing, about TS at the time, but started my research by reading "Children w/Tourette Syndrome – A Parents’ Guide", contacting the TSA, & joining the local support group, which was an excellent start. But I must say that the knowledge & support you’ve willingly shared on ast has been of such tremendous help that there are truly no words to express it!:) It has made such a difference in my understanding of TS & helping us to live w/it! This is what I mean when I say this embodies the true spirit of Christmas – people helping each other, treating others w/love & respect – all year long!:))) I’ve made no secret of my belief that nutritional attention is very important in helping TS symptoms. And so now, I must share w/all of you that, once again, my son has chosen to go the medication route, in addition to vitamin supplements. His mental ticcing (1 obsession in particu- lar) led to obvious depression & general grumpiness, so we discussed starting his new meds. He tried both – Wellbutrin & Klonopin, but needed to stop the Wellbutrin after just 2 days – he said it was making him feel more aggressive, similar to how the Prozac & Haldol had made him feel right after his dx. So now, he’s just taking the Klonopin, at 1/2 the rxd dose, & is reporting the obsession is gone. Some of the depression appeared to be gone, at 1st, but now seems to be resuming, to a certain degree . This makes me think that maybe his obsession wasn’t the only source of his depression, & he commented during our conversation that he was kind of hoping the last DR (new neurologist) was right – that if this is TS, it’s sure the mildest case he’s ever seen. It sure sounds like he wishes he didn’t have TS, & we’ve talked about it a bit, but we will be talking about it more, too:) These will be an ongoing challenges, no doubt:) As for me, I’ve started taking Paxil. Some of you may have noticed that I needed to stop posting for a while – I wasn’t myself & couldn’t shake the depression, moodi- ness & anxiety. After my physical 10 days ago, & after confirmation by my DR that I am perimenopausal, she recommended starting Paxil. We discussed this at length, as well as other alternatives, & I finally agreed to think about it. So, once I got my bloodwork done & had given this a lot of thought, I began taking it. So far, it has made a noticeable difference in how I feel. I can almost stand to be around myself again:) I had become so irritable most of the time that being that way was adding to my depression & anxiety. The only potential side effects, so far, have been mild – a muscle ache or 2 here & there, some lethargy, & excessive giggling!:) (At 1 or 2 things I’m sure would’ve merely produced a chuckle, before Paxil.) Hopefully, the muscle aches & lethargy will only last during this initial adjustment period – & it would be nice if the giggling were only temporary, too!:) But, that I can live with – laughing is good for the immune system, so I think I can live w/that benefit even in exchange for possibly appearing some- what like an airhead by folks who don’t know me very well:) Oh, & the DR said just maybe the Paxil would help w/the severe picking I’d been doing (couple of nice little craters going in my scalp:) & maybe even my teeth grinding, which had become severe over the past month or 2. Paxil has not helped either of these, so far. I sure will try to make more of an effort in the coming year to give back to this group what you’ve given to me! To those of you who’ve also given me private support, thank-you, too! It has meant more than you will ever know! A special note for those private supporters who may not have heard from me in a while – just a few days ago, I lost all of my messages & e-mail addresses. Please do not think I’m ignoring you, I simply don’t know how to contact you:) – so I hope you’re tuned in to ast & see this post:) 1996 was not nearly as traumatic as it could have been – mostly due to the contributions of people on ast – I sincerely thank you & wish you all a wonderful 1997!:) Sue (in DE)
