I have been reading this forum for some time now, and have decided to post my own story in the hope of some advice to guide me in right direction.
I am a 31 yr old female, and have had tics since as early as being about 6 years old. I remember being very young and having a sort of ear popping tic which made me uncomfortable. It was not too serious, but then after a big move from the UK to Australia at about age 8 I remember it developing again. I had the eye rolling, blinking and more I cannot really remember. I also remember developing severe OCD at that time, had to wash my hands constantly, had to say the same thing every time before leaving a room etc. My parents did not do anything about it, and eventually around age 11 - 12 it disappeared. I was fine until the age of 15, where my tics came back, and have been with me ever since. I have neck turning, eye blinking, a constant cough, throat clearing and a few vocal tics (high pitched squeaks) and sometimes full body shakes. They have been of differing severities over the years, sometimes its ok, sometimes its so terrible I don't know what to do. I have seen a couple of unhelpful doctors, and it has gotten to the point where I feel silly even talking about it because of the reactions I have have had. So i'm dealing with it in silence and its becoming exceedingly difficult.
From reading this board I have gathered there are many triggers, and I'm finding the whole thing so overwhelming I don't know where to even begin. One thing I do know is that I have had tonsillitis issues pretty much since I was about 5, but not severe enough to have them removed. I do remember being very ill just before my tics came back when I was 15, and was wondering about the PANDAS connection. But from what I have read it is very rare in adults. So I'm wondering if that could be a possibility. Also I remember once I was on a candida diet, as I thought that might be the trigger and I took some very strong garlic tablets (to kill the candida). My tics went so out of control I was crying myself to sleep, it was truly horrible. I stopped taking the garlic tablets and the tics became under control again. But I have gone days without eating garlic and my tics do not seem to get any better. I have also tried taking magnesium, but did not see any particular improvement. I stopped after a couple of weeks, perhaps I should have kept going. Or it could have been the wrong sort I'm not sure. Should I try a naturopath, allergy specialist, dentist (I have an overbite and now I am wondering about the whole TMJ connection). I am in Australia, and there are not as many resources out here.
I would appreciate any advice from the wonderful people on this board, you are all truly amazing getting through what you all have to deal with, and I hope everyone is finding success with their methods.
Thanks in advance
