Questions about fasting and etc.
Question:
Pieter, Mark and Shooshie…you three guys are wonderful……women of the world are often in lament over men’s inability to "open up," to "communicate," to share their "innermost feelings," etc. etc. etc. The three of you, by "virtue" of the difficult lives you’ve led as a result of TS, are icons to those who lament as described. I admire you all, immensely. I know, from my own TS perspective, what some of it must have been like for you…IS like for you. But perhaps "we girls" have it a bit easier sometimes. We CAN cry, we CAN show our emotions more, we CAN "open up" and society doesn’t "frown" at us as much. Men, especially men who have suffered not only societies misplaced values, but the difficulties imposed upon life by Tourette Syndrome…..have a double dose of it all. The three of you, by your open, honest, insightful, incredibly descriptive discussions on this newsgroup make me smile with the realization that our societies have not, as yet, won against us. I am honored to be a part of your discourse. Thank you. KAT in CT
Response:
In <3l30c3$…@inet.up.ac.za> pjna…@dos-lan.cs.up.ac.za (Platinum – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Puma) writes: >>>I am beginning to think, if society has, quite arbitrarily, decided >>>that clicks and pops and whistles and noises are "strange" and >>>"not quite normal", why should I bend over backward to accomodate >>>them? If it costs me so much, psychologically. >>Umm. I think it is *we* tourettics, Pieter, who have so arbitrarily >>decided these sounds are strange, at least to some degree. At one >>level, *we* are our own worst oppressors. On the other hand, I am the >>first to concede that some of my noises are quite bizarre. >Indeed; that has been implicit in my words. I am not going on a >Generation X "society owe’s me support" rant. I am not saying >"everybody should be nice and not be botherered if I ‘accidentaly’ >kick the campus trashcans, waaa waaa waa". I am not expecting to >change society’s attitudes, and they are not my problem. >What I am saying is that, because I feel strong enough not to need >society’s approval, and because I feel strong enough to handle whatever >negative impact my TS will have, I cannot see why on earth I continue >supressing like this. It is not they who hold me down, it is something >inside me which has learned to clamp shut. >But more and more I wonder what else that ’something’ has clamped shut. >Why do people experience me as such a closed person?
You ask one of the great questions of life: "Why do people experience me as such a closed person?" You could just as easily ask "Why was I born, only to suffer the sorrows of living, and then to suffer death?" The short answer, as I see it, is that we are terrified of the reactions of others. We have long training (starting with our parents/families) in how the rest of the world perceives us. I was downright weird as a kid (still am to some extent); I was not "normal." We fear rejection, and keep ourselves closed off from others to prevent rejection. A rather self defeating paradigm, but it happens all the time with me. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>Life sucks. We got a disability. >I have noticed that there seem to be a few major viewpoints in >this group: > – ticcing is all there is to TS, ticcing interferes with my everyday > social life; therfore TS is a disability (and by extension, I am > disabled) > – TS is also about depression, dark moods, and other negative things. > They really fuck up my life. Therefore TS is a disability. > – If TS can have other, more psychological, expressions, maybe TS > is just as much related to wit, creativity, a way of seeing the > world. > In comparison the tics etc. sometimes (};-> TS demon) feel worth it. > Anyway I can handle them. Maybe TS is a mixed blessing. >You seem to fall in the first camp.
Ticcing is NOT all there is to it. Were it actually so! It’s the OCD, the attention deficit, the dumb shit impulsivity, and the guilt that lingers forever and ever for incredibly dumb shit things. Perhaps I do tend to dwell on the negative. However, TS is a disability; just read the sometimes frantic postings from parent’s on this board. I refuse to engage in politically correct euphemism. Were TS NOT a problem, a.s.t would not exist. It is not easy for me to talk to these parents; I have to dig up painful childhood memories and pick through them with an adult mentality informed by the understanding of Tourette Syndrome. TS is a problem; the problem has to be dealt with, and hiding behind pretty words or engaging in denial is the worst thing that can be done. I still can be pretty damn disruptive if I don’t control myself; to hold a job, to function in the real world, I have to clamp down on my disruptive tendencies: this is life, and life in this regard sucks. A disruptive tourettic boy learns this early on. On the other hand, I am the first to recognize the creative aspects of TS. We *really do* think diffferently. It has taken me a long time to really understand these differences. It seems that we receive and process information differently than the great majority of other human beings. >I do not tend to see it that way. I don’t think: "Life gave me a raw >deal, and that’s that". I think: "I am who I am, and that’s that." >I go ahead with my life, as I want to. If tics and moods interfere, >well, that’s just part of my life.
The genetic deal gave me blue eyes and fair hair; it also gave me Tourette Syndrome. It’s a part of me. "I go ahead with my life, as I want to. If tics and moods interfere, well that’s just a part of my life". >I live my life as myself with everything that’s part of me. Even >vaguely thinking what my life could be like without TS is just as >senseless a question as asking: "I wonder who I would be if I >weren’t me?" >>You are finding your voice, Pieter. It helps to have another >>adult male who can write at length with considerable insight into >>his condition. >Maybe I am being a grumpy Tourettic bastard, but I find the notion >that I am "finding my voice" offensive. That kind of thing always >sounds as if other people assume that they know what I actually >want to say better than I do; and now at last I am actually starting >to say what you think I really mean.
Only I know what I feel, and it’s often to write out what these feelings are. Some of the stuff you’ve written is intrinsically *true*, validated by my own experience. a.s.t has been a wonderful forum for me to think out what I really feel. As I force the words out, I often come to new insights. >Now isn’t it strange how much barbed wire we roll out around what >we consider our real selves? I say, we. I say it with a purpose. >I’ve seen it in us all. >We’re all so very reserved. Want to keep the lid on. All so very >careful not to step beyond the bounds of accepible scientific >thinking about TS.
There’s a lot of barbed wire around me: Fortress Mark. I do listen to what the researchers say, but it’s people like us — adult tourettics — who ultimately have to define who/what we are, and tell the non-tourettic researchers when they are full of shit. >>You have been very private, not telling much about yourself or those >>around you. This is OK, only I *do* speculate. >Once again, isn’t it strange how *we* love to figure out what’s >whirring and clicking in other people’s heads?
You betcha. I am one curious sonofabitch. >>One question. Was your upbringing *strict* Dutch Reformed, and if so, >>do you remain so? Religion, its teachings and expectations from its >>adherants has difficulties when encountering a tourettic mind. >A few months back I posted on the tremendous negative impact >charismatic religion can have on a tourettic mind. At the moment >I am more of a sceptic, maybe thanks to that same tourettic mind. >As far as my upbringing is concerned, I have always had this curious >notion that I raised myself; I went my own way and my parents had no >real idea what lived in me. >While you are doing long-distance diagnosis, the issue over here is >not "Dutch Reformed" or not. Our whole freaking society has an >incredible Calvinistic bent. Everybody feels so guilty about anything >that is remotely out of the ordinary. Another reason why my path and >that of society is diverging more and more.
Umm. I have some insight into the Calvinistic mentality. My father (among other things) is a Presbyterian minister. At it’s worst, it expects conformity from the "elect." A disruptive, hyperactive, coprolalic tourettic is the antithesis of what the Elect of God expect from their communicants. At it’s best, it can be quite liberating. Human nature being what it is, Calvinism (like everything else) tends towards narrow mindedness (ah, the joys of the doctrine of total depravity). >>You have spoken of your violent thoughts. I have them too. My Dad and >>I have spoken a little of them between ourselves: it’s incredible >>filth, sex and violence all mixed up, the kind of stuff that cannot be >>spoken of, mostly because you will be totally misunderstood by most >>listeners. This brings on guilt. The important thing is that we never >>*act* on these thoughts; they are nonetheless often bothersome. >Now *you* seem to be the Calvinist around here. "Ooo noo, I have >these terrible filthy thoughts, but at least I don’t do anything >about them so I suppose that doesn’t make me a bad person."
Phoo. You’re joshing. But the guilt is there, in spades. To put it graphically, one can have fantasies about the sort of things Jeffrey Dahmer made real (serial murder, necrophilia, cannibalism); you can be certain that talking about such thoughts is going to be misunderstood in most circumstances. >Indeed, yes, the important thing about these thoughts and fantasies >is that we don’t act on them; that is an idea to remember if you >need to put them in perspective. But I don’t see them as "unfulfilled >vice in potentiality". Ideas are ideas. Drawing relationships between >all the mental symbols in this life. It’s not that I don’t feel guilty >about them because I don’t act on them; I don’t feel guilty about them, >period.
"Unfulfilled vice in potentiality" sounds like a locution thought up by a Calvinist, or perhaps, a sociopathic psychiatrist who gets his jollies testifying for the prosecution in death penalty cases. But these thoughts are here. I had them as a child. I have always had them. I *think* most humans have such thoughts, but not to the baroquely elaborated extent as I do. I do not act on these thoughts; in fact, they are totally repulsive. Still, these thoughts are present. There was guilt in the past, some continuing guilt today. But more recently, I have begun to simply recognize them for what they are, and sometimes almost enjoy them for their grotesque but astonishing creativity. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Sorry if I seem to be bitching you; it’s just the mood I’m in. But >then, we touretters of all people
… read more »
Response:
>>I am beginning to think, if society has, quite arbitrarily, decided >>that clicks and pops and whistles and noises are "strange" and >>"not quite normal", why should I bend over backward to accomodate them? >>If it costs me so much, psychologically. >Umm. I think it is *we* tourettics, Pieter, who have so arbitrarily >decided these sounds are strange, at least to some degree. At one level, >*we* are our own worst oppressors. On the other hand, I am the first to >concede that some of my noises are quite bizarre.
Indeed; that has been implicit in my words. I am not going on a Generation X "society owe’s me support" rant. I am not saying "everybody should be nice and not be botherered if I ‘accidentaly’ kick the campus trashcans, waaa waaa waa". I am not expecting to change society’s attitudes, and they are not my problem. What I am saying is that, because I feel strong enough not to need society’s approval, and because I feel strong enough to handle whatever negative impact my TS will have, I cannot see why on earth I continue supressing like this. It is not they who hold me down, it is something inside me which has learned to clamp shut. But more and more I wonder what else that ’something’ has clamped shut. Why do people experience me as such a closed person? >Life sucks. We got a disability.
I have noticed that there seem to be a few major viewpoints in this group: - ticcing is all there is to TS, ticcing interferes with my everyday social life; therfore TS is a disability (and by extension, I am disabled) - TS is also about depression, dark moods, and other negative things. They really fuck up my life. Therefore TS is a disability. - If TS can have other, more psychological, expressions, maybe TS is just as much related to wit, creativity, a way of seeing the world. In comparison the tics etc. sometimes (};-> TS demon) feel worth it. Anyway I can handle them. Maybe TS is a mixed blessing. You seem to fall in the first camp. I do not tend to see it that way. I don’t think: "Life gave me a raw deal, and that’s that". I think: "I am who I am, and that’s that." I go ahead with my life, as I want to. If tics and moods interfere, well, that’s just part of my life. I live my life as myself with everything that’s part of me. Even vaguely thinking what my life could be like without TS is just as senseless a question as asking: "I wonder who I would be if I weren’t me?" >You are finding your voice, Pieter. It helps to have another adult male >who can write at length with considerable insight into his condition.
Maybe I am being a grumpy Tourettic bastard, but I find the notion that I am "finding my voice" offensive. That kind of thing always sounds as if other people assume that they know what I actually want to say better than I do; and now at last I am actually starting to say what you think I really mean. Now isn’t it strange how much barbed wire we roll out around what we consider our real selves? I say, we. I say it with a purpose. I’ve seen it in us all. We’re all so very reserved. Want to keep the lid on. All so very careful not to step beyond the bounds of accepible scientific thinking about TS. >You have been very private, not telling much about yourself or those >around you. This is OK, only I *do* speculate.
Once again, isn’t it strange how *we* love to figure out what’s whirring and clicking in other people’s heads? >One question. Was your upbringing *strict* Dutch Reformed, and if so, >do you remain so? Religion, its teachings and expectations from its >adherants has difficulties when encountering a tourettic mind.
A few months back I posted on the tremendous negative impact charismatic religion can have on a tourettic mind. At the moment I am more of a sceptic, maybe thanks to that same tourettic mind. As far as my upbringing is concerned, I have always had this curious notion that I raised myself; I went my own way and my parents had no real idea what lived in me. While you are doing long-distance diagnosis, the issue over here is not "Dutch Reformed" or not. Our whole freaking society has an incredible Calvinistic bent. Everybody feels so guilty about anything that is remotely out of the ordinary. Another reason why my path and that of society is diverging more and more. >You have spoken of your violent thoughts. I have them too. My Dad and >I have spoken a little of them between ourselves: it’s incredible >filth, sex and violence all mixed up, the kind of stuff that cannot be >spoken of, mostly because you will be totally misunderstood by most >listeners. This brings on guilt. The important thing is that we never >*act* on these thoughts; they are nonetheless often bothersome.
Now *you* seem to be the Calvinist around here. "Ooo noo, I have these terrible filthy thoughts, but at least I don’t do anything about them so I suppose that doesn’t make me a bad person." Indeed, yes, the important thing about these thoughts and fantasies is that we don’t act on them; that is an idea to remember if you need to put them in perspective. But I don’t see them as "unfulfilled vice in potentiality". Ideas are ideas. Drawing relationships between all the mental symbols in this life. It’s not that I don’t feel guilty about them because I don’t act on them; I don’t feel guilty about them, period. Sorry if I seem to be bitching you; it’s just the mood I’m in. But then, we touretters of all people understand that moods are part of a person, and not to be taken personally… ,_ /_) /| / / i e t e r / |/ a g e l The Platinum Puma
Response:
In article <3l27eb$…@inet.up.ac.za>, pjna…@dos-lan.cs.up.ac.za (Platinum Puma) wrote:
|> It may sounds strange to you, |> but lately I have the desire not to tic more, but to supress less. |> I get the idea that a part of me has become hard, almost dead because |> it constantly supresses tics to a socially acceptable level. It wearies |> me. |> |> I am beginning to think, if society has, quite arbitrarily, decided |> that clicks and pops and whistles and noises are "strange" and |> "not quite normal", why should I bend over backward to accomodate them? |> If it costs me so much, psychologically. |> |> I go through my day with a straight face, and nobody suspects a thing. |> Then suddenly I pack up my things and walk home, and "WHAMMO!" everything |> descends on me. The moment I try to quiet down and try to sleep, I |> suddenly start writhing and stuffing the pillow into my mouth and |> jerking upright. So I go and take a walk until 3 am, in the pouring rain, |> just to try to get tired enough to sleep. |> |> Society does not see me doing any of this, and does not care; why should |> I behave "acceptably" if it means locking tremendous neuroligical forces |> with an iron fist. |> |> When I tic, I find my selfe unable to stop; when I supress, I find my |> self unable to release…. Arghhh! It hurts even to read this. While I can go half a day, a whole day maybe, without ticcing in a way visible to others, when I get alone it goes off like a fire alarm. I can’t say how many times I’ve finally started drifting off to sleep as I noticed dawn’s light peeking through the blinds. But it doesn’t happen all the time. I can’t tell when it will and when it won’t. My biggest breakthrough, however has been to allow myself to let go and tic when with my family I used to suppress it around them, too, and it made me an angry, moody person. Now, I’m just a moody person. No… that’s not true. I still get angry, but not as frequently. Of course, there are lots of other things involved. I’ve worked hard on trust and love, trusting and loving. That helps. And letting go around family has been a form of that. At least I’ve tried to let my family in on it. But how do you explain to others something you cannot even explain to yourself? I mean, they know about Tourette. But as a pattern, I seem to try to deny to myself that it is Tourette which is causing a mood or anger. When I finally get it worked out, I understand TS was behind it all along. Usually such working out comes from exercise or playing the piano for a couple of hours. I hit the rollerblade trail with a frenzy. A bicyclist pulled up behind me at a stop light yesterday and said, "man, did you know you are fast? I’ve been trying to catch up with you for three miles!" (he must have been slow… I can’t believe I was going THAT fast.) After that pent-up energy is gone, I drift along like a breeze, and for a while, anyway, I can relax. Anyway, Pietre, I feel for you. I have not gotten brave enough to tic to the world without hesitation, but I’m sure if I could without adding any stress to my life, it would make this a lot easier. Shooshie
Response:
In <jdh-2403951323110…@ppp010.po.iijnet.or.jp> j…@sushi.mitre.or.jp >My 5 year old son has started some ticcing and so I began some >investigating to try and understand it. The only doctor we >have gone to so far thinks he has allergies. I think he may >have allergies in addition to TS. This doctor really doesn’t >have much on the ball I think, but my wife likes him. >My father had some barely noticeable tics (occasional flinching, >eye blinking – and these seemed to go away as he got older) >which everyone thought was "nervous habits". >Now that I have learned more about TS I think I probably have >had alot of symptoms over the years that people associate with TS, >including tics (really head jerks). [...] I kind of thought these >jerks were cool. Till now I just thought these jerks were some kind of >hysteric neurosis, but now I wonder was it TS.
Head jerks? Welcome to Touretteville. 
You do not mention vocalic tics. It is the combination of physical tics and vocalic tics that is the distinguishing hallmark of TS. That, and the tendency towards OCD and ADHD. Actually, you need to *push* your wife into finding a physician experienced in recognizing TS. She needs to get as educated as you yourself. >Oh one last thing, in the FAQ why is nail biting in there? I have been >going off and on that all my life – can’t get rid of it, but how is it >connected to TS? (i.e. it must be in the FAQ for some reason, I’d like >to hear what it is).
I am not and never have been a nail biter. A lot of non-tourettics are nailbiters, and there are tourettics who are nailbiters for reasons not necessarily connected to TS. For the rest, it’s a tic, ingrained from early childhood. Do you keep your nails ruthlessly emery boarded down? Or do you "forget" to do this, in order to indulge a deep seated need? You don’t sound particularly *bad". TS, however, is widely variable, both between and within generations. My father has a very mild case of TS. I had a rather severe one during puberty, and remain quite noticably tourettic. My brother has a less severe case, but worse than my father’s. My sister, who has no objective symptoms whatsoever, has a 9 year old boy who *seems* as bad as I was at his age. You really do need to educate yourself for your son’s sake. You are in the right place.
Response:
In article <3l1bo2$…@ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>, mloM…@ix.netcom.com (Mark Odegard) says: >>There are two things I did when I was much younger >>which seem to be related to decreases in my symptoms, or at >>least changes in them. First, fasting/vegetarianism which >>lasted several years through most of graduate school, and >>secondly, ingestion of various psychodelic substances.
[...schnippp...] >If anything, drug use would have made you WORSE (as would have protein >wasting from fasting/unbalanced vegetarianism).
But it is claimed that cannabis can ‘lull’ the tourettic frenzy… >What you are remembering is that your TS had settled down into its adult >mode by this time. >TS is at its absolute worst during puberty. It’s not until you attain >physical and neurological maturity that things settle down (about age 20 >or so).
Strange. When I think back to the years before 15, I have to rake for clues as to whether my TS was nascient or not. After that it has definitely been there, but it seems to have bursted out into full song from age 19,20 onwards. [...deletia...] >Tourettic manifestations have also been *tamed* in >the sense you have lived long enough to learn how to manage at least >some of them in socially acceptable ways.
I am inclined to say: "Fuck society". It may sounds strange to you, but lately I have the desire not to tic more, but to supress less. I get the idea that a part of me has become hard, almost dead because it constantly supresses tics to a socially acceptable level. It wearies me. I am beginning to think, if society has, quite arbitrarily, decided that clicks and pops and whistles and noises are "strange" and "not quite normal", why should I bend over backward to accomodate them? If it costs me so much, psychologically. I go through my day with a straight face, and nobody suspects a thing. Then suddenly I pack up my things and walk home, and "WHAMMO!" everything descends on me. The moment I try to quiet down and try to sleep, I suddenly start writhing and stuffing the pillow into my mouth and jerking upright. So I go and take a walk until 3 am, in the pouring rain, just to try to get tired enough to sleep. Society does not see me doing any of this, and does not care; why should I behave "acceptably" if it means locking tremendous neuroligical forces with an iron fist. When I tic, I find my selfe unable to stop; when I supress, I find my self unable to release…. s
Response:
In <3l27eb$…@inet.up.ac.za> pjna…@dos-lan.cs.up.ac.za (Platinum Puma) writes: >In article <3l1bo2$…@ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>, mloM…@ix.netcom.com
(Mark Odegard) says: >>>There are two things I did when I was much younger >>>which seem to be related to decreases in my symptoms, or at >>>least changes in them. First, fasting/vegetarianism which >>>lasted several years through most of graduate school, and >>>secondly, ingestion of various psychodelic substances. >[...schnippp...] >>If anything, drug use would have made you WORSE (as would have protein >>wasting from fasting/unbalanced vegetarianism). >But it is claimed that cannabis can ‘lull’ the tourettic frenzy…
I remember my first experience with pot. i TOTALLY bugged out, every tic and twitch coming out. I baffled everyone else around me. Grass is not supposed to bug you out. I have rarely indulged in grass, and have not done so in years. AS for what Pieter calls the tourettic frenzy: I’ve never had occasion to use pot when I’m in such a state (yes I know EXACTLY what Pieter is talking about). >>What you are remembering is that your TS had settled down into its >>adult mode by this time. >>TS is at its absolute worst during puberty. It’s not until you attain >>physical and neurological maturity that things settle down (about age >>20 or so). >Strange. When I think back to the years before 15, I have to rake >for clues as to whether my TS was nascient or not. After that it has >definitely been there, but it seems to have bursted out into full song >from age 19,20 onwards.
My reading of the literature indicates that there is a small minority of cases that are not evident until rather late, but in ALL cases, are evident by age 21. The general pattern, however, (for boys at least) is for TS to become full blown along with (and provoked by) the raging hormones of puberty. In my own case, I really did not get to my *worst* until about 16-17-18, when I virtually shut down. >[...deletia...] >>Tourettic manifestations have also been *tamed* in >>the sense you have lived long enough to learn how to manage at least >>some of them in socially acceptable ways. >I am inclined to say: "Fuck society". It may sounds strange to you, >but lately I have the desire not to tic more, but to supress less. >I get the idea that a part of me has become hard, almost dead because >it constantly supresses tics to a socially acceptable level. It >wearies me. >I am beginning to think, if society has, quite arbitrarily, decided >that clicks and pops and whistles and noises are "strange" and >"not quite normal", why should I bend over backward to accomodate them? >If it costs me so much, psychologically.
Umm. I think it is *we* tourettics, Pieter, who have so arbitrarily decided these sounds are strange, at least to some degree. At one level, *we* are our own worst oppressors. On the other hand, I am the first to concede that some of my noises are quite bizarre. >I go through my day with a straight face, and nobody suspects a thing. >Then suddenly I pack up my things and walk home, and "WHAMMO!" >everything descends on me. The moment I try to quiet down and try >to sleep, I suddenly start writhing and stuffing the pillow into my >mouth and jerking upright. So I go and take a walk until 3 am, in the >pouring rain, just to try to get tired enough to sleep.
Yeah (I wish I could indicate the intonation that "yeah" — very Eastern Seaboard/Brooklyn). You work so hard to behave yourself, and the harder you work, the worse it is. As for getting to sleep, Actifed, Benadryl, booze, anything to make the shit go away and let you fall asleep. >Society does not see me doing any of this, and does not care; why >should I behave "acceptably" if it means locking tremendous >meuroligical forces with an iron fist.
Life sucks. We got a disability. If we are disruptive (and oh, yes indeedy, I can be distruptive), it’s *us* that get shafted. A spastic is ineligable for a job requiring fine hand-eye coordination because of their disability. If our noises are disruptive, we are ineligable for jobs where silence is necessary because of our disability. We make compromises to function in the real world. As I said, life sucks; we got a raw genetic deal. >When I tic, I find my selfe unable to stop; when I supress, I find my >self unable to release….
Exactly. Precisely. There are times when you have been soooooo good, that private time doesn’t work. This kind of state is the prodrome to an eventual tourettic frenzy, at least in me. You are finding your voice, Pieter. It helps to have another adult male who can write at length with considerable insight into his condition. You have been very private, not telling much about yourself or those around you. This is OK, only I *do* speculate. One question. Was your upbringing *strict* Dutch Reformed, and if so, do you remain so? Religion, its teachings and expectations from its adherants has difficulties when encountering a tourettic mind. You have spoken of your violent thoughts. I have them too. My Dad and I have spoken a little of them between ourselves: it’s incredible filth, sex and violence all mixed up, the kind of stuff that cannot be spoken of, mostly because you will be totally misunderstood by most listeners. This brings on guilt. The important thing is that we never *act* on these thoughts; they are nonetheless often bothersome.
Response:
Hi, Reading this group has been very enlightening. I knew nothing about TS except the name until I came here and started to read and explore. My 5 year old son has started some ticcing and so I began some investigating to try and understand it. The only doctor we have gone to so far thinks he has allergies. I think he may have allergies in addition to TS. This doctor really doesn’t have much on the ball I think, but my wife likes him. My father had some barely noticeable tics (occasional flinching, eye blinking – and these seemed to go away as he got older) which everyone thought was "nervous habits". Now that I have learned more about TS I think I probably have had alot of symptoms over the years that people associate with TS, including tics (really head jerks). For example, these head jerks came and went a couple times, once around 7 years old, and later around 14 years old. I remember that I did not try to stop it, did it automatically, did it in school and everywhere, some people told me to stop it but I just blew them off, I kind of thought these jerks were cool. Till now I just thought these jerks were some kind of hysteric neurosis, but now I wonder was it TS. Anyway, there have been other TS symptoms over the years, which brings me to my main question. There are two things I did when I was much younger which seem to be related to decreases in my symptoms, or at least changes in them. First, fasting/vegetarianism which lasted several years through most of graduate school, and secondly, ingestion of various psychodelic substances. Both of these (the fasting period and the psychodelic period) I think of as having made lasting changes in my mental habits, and I also think of them as having reduced or erradicated some TS related symptoms (tics, atten. defic., OCD thinking traps, etc.). Is this coincidence, or has someone had similar experiences. Oh one last thing, in the FAQ why is nail biting in there? I have been going off and on that all my life – can’t get rid of it, but how is it connected to TS? (i.e. it must be in the FAQ for some reason, I’d like to hear what it is). Cheers
Response:
In <jdh-2403951323110…@ppp010.po.iijnet.or.jp> j…@sushi.mitre.or.jp (Joseph Harvath) writes: >There are two things I did when I was much younger >which seem to be related to decreases in my symptoms, or at >least changes in them. First, fasting/vegetarianism which >lasted several years through most of graduate school, and >secondly, ingestion of various psychodelic substances. Both >of these (the fasting period and the psychodelic period) >I think of as having made lasting changes in my mental habits, >and I also think of them as having reduced or erradicated some >TS related symptoms (tics, atten. defic., OCD thinking traps, etc.). >Is this coincidence, or has someone had similar experiences.
If anything, drug use would have made you WORSE (as would have protein wasting from fasting/unbalanced vegetarianism). What you are remembering is that your TS had settled down into its adult mode by this time. TS is at its absolute worst during puberty. It’s not until you attain physical and neurological maturity that things settle down (about age 20 or so). Whatever is left is what is going to be with you for the rest of your life, varying in intensity and overt manifestation over time (waxing and waning). Tourettic manifestations have also been *tamed* in the sense you have lived long enough to learn how to manage at least some of them in socially acceptable ways.
