Tourette's.

[oldherbaceous]

Had a real shock this week, my 15 year old Son Sam, was diagnosed with Tics, what are the symptoms of Tourette's. Last Saturday, just what i thought was a tickly cough, but by Tuesday had turned to, head shaking, twitching and vocal noises and now to shouting, severe jerking and the odd outburst of bad language.....all this in only a week.
So it's been a real shock to the whole family. We have been busy finding out what we can and also been in touch with Tourette's helpline, but there seems very little one can do to help the person with it. We are all keeping as positive as possible, but it does make you feel pretty useless as a parent....
To make it tougher for Sam, he starts his Mock exams Monday.

So what i'm really after is not sympathy, but has anyone had any dealings with Tourette's, as i would love to know things that i should be asking or doing.

[Pa Snip]

O my word

Last few months have been 'orrible on here for news about sons and daughters.

Sorry I can't offer any suggestions about the syndrome, not something I've had any dealing with.

All I can offer is letting you know that my thoughts are, and will continue to be, with you and Sam. I don't do the prayer it though so I'll leave that for someone more experienced..

News like this, that can affect the whole of a young mans future, is why I consider myself lucky. I've had a good lifetime of no major issues until I almost reached my 3 score and 10.

Thinking of you, all the very best

[Westi]

Do you think the mock exams are stressing him a bit, hence the sudden and dramatic onset? It would appear he has it regardless but I should think those symptoms come on slower without a catalyst like stress. I've had interaction with people with Tourette's and the only advice I was told is don't interject with prompts or make comment, let them finish what they are trying to say & don't respond to the other symptoms i.e. follow the hands with your eyes or whatever, just ignore them & listen. It works actually if you don't respond in any way but it is hard trying to remember to keep your face & eyes neutral, some of the gestures and things diminish during the conversation but the speech interjections & difficulties sometimes continue, but these can also improve, especially if the conversation remains on one topic.

Sorry to hear about this OH. Best Wishes to Sam, but I'm sure he knows you are all supporting him & love him.

Westi

[oldherbaceous]

Thank you both for your very kind and equally thoughtful and helpful words.....i'm sure the pressure of school and the exams, hasn't helped at all with Sam's stress levels and that seems to be what the Tourette websites all agree is one of the biggest triggering points.

So all we can do for now is, take one day at a time and hope things improve for him.

[robo]

O H I'm really sorry for your predicament there is nothing I can say or help you with we are still trying to make sense out of our lives at present I wish I could offer you words of wisdom but I can't I hope the problem resolves itself when the stress is over that apart I've no knowledge of Tourettes I know this is no help to you but it's the only thing I can say ,my thoughts are with you

[oldherbaceous]

Thank you Robo, i had heard of Tourette's before and knew a little of the symptoms.....but i never realised what the people with it were going through and certainly not how you even start to try and support them.

The more people that know about how it affects someone with it, the better.

[Westi]

How's it going with Sam OH? Thought of him today as met someone with it. He was a carer for a learning disabilities lad I was checking on. We bonded, he was open & told me he had it, but it was obvious, so I followed the advice given & asked him what it was like, what's the best treatment he had etc when the opportunity arose.

He said speech therapists gave him lots of hints and tips, but he had a pretty awful time of it before that. (He was about 40+). He chose his career and is a qualified nurse but took the LD direction because as he said they don't judge & he has the patience to let them try to communicate as knew it was just the time that held back the responses & 'helpful' people giving answers for him made him angry so he thinks that's why their behaviour is not so good at times for the same reasons. He pointed out he had some awesome friends who don't even notice, more than once!

Lad was discharged so don't know if our paths will cross again but hope this little bit of first hand info might help & reassure you and Sam.

Westi

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Westi, I'm afraid to say, Sam's Tourette's has got a lot worse over this week, with an awful lot of swearing thrown in. This has to be the worse part of it, as i'm finding the swearing very hard to cope with, but more importantly so is Sam.....i suppose he sees the shocked look on peoples faces when he does it.
I'm hoping when he finishes his mocks next week, the pressure will be off a little, we will see.
We had a lovely man ring us from the Tourette's helpline, who chatted for nearly an hour about it, so that was a big help...he was also a Tourette's sufferer.
Still can't quite believe, all this has happened in just two weeks.
So, thank you for your reply Westi, it is really appreciated....we will get there.

[robo]

O H ,swearing is the norm in today's life it's only us old ones that get shocked by it then again it's only words don't let it upset you

[Pa Snip]

we will get there.

You will indeed, you're made of strong stuff.

Your original post stated you are not looking for sympathy.
You have the support of many here, although few may say so in public in deference to that statement, if that support could be compared to anything it would probably be like the strongest RSJ girders although I'd make a lousy toucan.

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[oldherbaceous]

Thank you both, if there's one thing that i'm really good at, it is keeping positive.......and winding my good mate, Old Codger up, of course....

[Primrose]

Dear OH,
Oh that is so hard for you all and must have come as a big shock. I think there are still a lot of uknowns about how it is caused and how to regulate it. Also it isn't a condition well understood by the public, especially the ucontrolled outbursts of swearing or Uncontrollable body spasms. I don,t know a great deal about it apart from the fact that an acquaintance of mine had a child who developed it. It does seem that stress can either bring on the symptoms or make them worse, so possibly helping Sam develop some techniques for reducing stress like learning yoga or other relaxation techniques might help him.
I'm sure talking with his teachers at school would be a wise thing to do and obviously signing up to any support organisations where you can share experiences and perhaps learn from others.

Don't let him be overwhelmed by the diagnosis. Three years ago my husband was rushed into A&E and was treated by a young doctor who told us, before she examined him, that she suffered from Tourette's and she did suffer from some jerky movements and some rather unexpected utterances. But she was perfectly competent in her examination so if she was capable of achieving her ambition to get through medical school and become a doctor, there is no reason why Sam should not go on to achieve his ambitions, in whichever direction they may lie.

He and you may have to learn to embrace his condition and not be overwhelmed by it. People often respond to medical problems in others in the same way that the sufferer embraces them so encourage him to ask his chums at school to support him. If he can develop the confidence to take others with him on this journey it will help people around him to understand better the problems he might face. The more people on his side, the easier he will hopefully find it to cope.

I send my kind thoughts of support to you all. We all tick along with the daily, sometimes boring routines of our lives and when something unexpected happens it has the capacity to derail us so I''m sure all of us here are on your team.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Primrose, thank you so much for your very positive words, that is just what we need here at the moment.....I know we have many bridges to cross, but with plenty of determination, i'm sure we will cross them all.

[Cider Boys]

I am very sorry to read about your son's problems oldherbaceous and you and all of your family do have my sympathy. I have no knowledge of the condition but hope that your son can get the appropriate help and support. Seventeen years ago my youngest son was knocked from his bicycle by a drunk driver that resulted in him receiving a severe head injury that affected his brain (and personality)and he was only 15 years old at the time and I do appreciate what a worry it can all be. There can be times when you feel completely helpless but all you can do is be there for your son.

Very best wishes

Barney

[oldherbaceous]

Thank you for your support Barney and very sorry to read what your family went through too.
It is that feeling of complete helpless, that you mentioned, that i'm struggling with.
I will do whatever it takes, to make things as easy as it possibly can be, for Sam.