How Tourette's Changed things in my Life

     Being diagnosed with Tourette's can really complicate things.  You would never realize how many things it can get in the way of.  All growing up, I wanted to be an orthodontist.  I mean, my name would be Dr. Chew, how cool is that?! But no really, I did love the idea of teeth and being able to make everyone have the perfect smile.  Yet, who would go to an orthodontist who doesn't have control of their arms. Obviously that career was out of the picture.  So then what?  Any occupation that was hands on, was off limits.  

      

A Little about Me

Hey! I'm Lexie, and this is my life story!  My sophomore year of high school I was diagnosed with Complex Tic Disorder (CTD), which is under the spectrum of Tourette’s Syndrome.  I have six different motor tics, but no vocal tics.  My tics will change every few months or I will develop new ones.  It is very rare for someone to develop Tourette’s in his or her teen years and I have done every test in the book, but no one knows why I just woke up one morning and started to twitch.  I have tried all different medications, some of them help a little bit, but then the side effects become worse then the tics are.  As of right now, I am on no medication and I tic anywhere from 100-300 times a day.  I can suppress my tics for a short period of time.  But it is extremely mentally straining to hold them for more then about five minutes. The best way to explain them is like if you have to sneeze, you can hold it for a second, but its all you think about until you finally release it.  

What is Tourette's Syndrome

Tourette’s Syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with a usual onset in early childhood.  It is characterized by multiple physical (motor) tics and/or at least one vocal tic.  These tics may be suppressed temporarily and are preceded by a premonitory urge.  According to “MindDisorder.com” tics are sudden, non-rhythmic behaviors that are either motor or vocal and appear out of context.  Tics may be complex, meaning they use more then one muscle group, or simple, using just one muscle.  For example, a simple muscle tic could be eye blinking, head jerks, or facial grimacing.  Complex are slower longer and more purposeful movements like banging, whirling, or twisting around.