HI there,
I am just starting out down the road of working out where my children fit on what I suspect is the TS spectrum ... I myself was never diagnosed but think I have had TS all my life - very mild but didnt disappear over time like many cases seem to do.
My brother also had it rather mildly and his seems to have disappeared. Other than he and I we can not trace it back on either side of the family at all, which is strange.
I always feared that I would pass it onto my children, although my case is mild certain tics were obvious and I remember being teased for these at school. I really dont want my children to suffer in any way or deal with having to suppress tics for their whole lives.
So I am quite despairing at present to have discovered in recent months that both of my older children ( ages 5 and 7) are having mild tics. My baby is only 8 months old so time will tell with her.
I have spent every spare minute reading online recently and have ordered sheila rogers book of natural alternatives.
My childrens tics are unnoticeable to others at present so I feel I have time to work out what I am going to do, although I do realise there is no complete cure. I just want to work out the plan of attack for if/when their symptoms progress.
if anyone would be so kind as to answer my questions below I would be hugely appreciative....
1) despite no formal diagnoses I am fairly certain my own case is TS...so does this mean my kids will have TS too or could it be chronic/transient tics ? can it show up in children in milder ways ?
2) likewise, despite my case being mild, could my children get it much more severely than me ? is there any link between parent/child severity ?
3) if it is TS that they/I have, will natural therapies be worth a go ? I see on the forums that the approaches vary according to whether tics are triggered by illness/TS/environment etc.....if it is TS are the approaches worth trying or do TS Sufferers accept that this is just how their brains are wired and put up with it or opt for medication?
4) is it worth being diagnosed?
5) where do I find good brands for supplements ? I know lots of them avaiable are inferior quality...how do I find out what/which brands etc to give my children as a starting point ?
6) annnddd how do I stop thinking about this every.waking.moment ? it is affecting my parenting at the moment as it is stressing me out so much...I just cannot cope with the thought of their symptoms getting so much worse and becoming a huge deal.....
thanks so much in advance.