Could this be TS? help please.

[Guest Chris]

Hi all. I just wanted to check if my problem was Tourettes syndrome, or another tic. I don't really know much about it, I just recently decided to do some research and luckily found this site!

 

Anyway:

 

My problem started when I was about 9 or something. I had a small nose twitch. Of course I could hold it in, like when you blink, but eventually I just had to give in. Anyway, over the last few years it started to get a bit worse. I'm 15 now. I have a wierd facial 'twitch'? where I blink my eyes a few times, sometimes twitch my nose, and I have other small jerks in my arms/body. I am currently 15.

 

I can hold them in, but not for long. Compare it to blinking. I have been exposed to computers, books and TV a lot since I was young. I started doing a lot of writing in my spare time at around age 10 or 11, which involved a fair bit of computer usage. More recently I have been doing a lot of music composing and film editing on my computer.

 

Is what I am explaining a 'tic'?. My mother told me that I should try staying off all screens for a while, to see. Then I found this site and found that it seemed to help people. My problem doesn't affect my daily life, school or my social life. I don't really think people notice that much. Also, I think that when I spend a lot of time on the computer it gets worse. When I'm at school its a little calmer.

 

One final note: It seems to move around. Sometimes I get a nose twitch, but sometimes it's just the eye one. Once I start doing a new 'twitch' I can't seem to stop it, and it becomes a pattern like the rest.

 

Thanks!

[Chemar]

Hi there and a big welcome to you.

 

it certainly does sound like you are having tics, but just why could be for a number of reasons.

It seems you have already found one in that you are sensitive to the flicker from screens. When you are on the computer, maybe try to always have a light on to reduce flicker, and even better, a light that has one of the full spectrum daylight bulbs in it.

Do you have an LCD monitor? many have found that those are better than the CRT ones.

 

If you read around here you will find that many things can underly tics so it really is a process of going thru them and trying to discover your underlying issues.

 

For a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome, there need to be motor and vocal tics present and I dont see that you have described any vocal tics?? only motor ones. that would make me wonder if maybe you arent rather dealing with more of a transient tic issue.

 

Start off by trying to note whether you tic more after certain foods? other things?

 

so much more for you to check out but I dont want to give you info overload.

Just try assimilating info here and then ask questions...maybe also ask your mom to start reading here so she can help you try to find the answers.

 

[Guest Chris]

Thanks! I don't have an LCD monitor, I should get one. I like the look of them, anyway. I don't get more tics eating food I don't think. As for the vocal things - sometimes I get a small feeling that I need to make a vocal tic (almost like a quick hum). Hard to explain.

 

-Chris

[Gina]

Hi Chris,

 

One other thing to add to Chemar post above. TS is hereditary so if its possible try and look at your family. Talk to your Mom & Dad they might not be aware of "Tourettes" but they might be able to tell you about some odd tics that other relatives have had. My husband was the first in his family to show signs and wasn't diagnosed until he was almost 20. Once the diagnosis was made and he learned more about tourettes than he could look back at others and see that he wasn't the only one just the one that it was most noticable on.

 

One other thing, I suggest keeping a journal of everything that you eat and how your tics were for each day. You might be surprised at what you can find out. I did this for my son with TS when I first starting learning about the food issues and TS.

 

Good Luck!

Keep reading there is so much helpful info here.

Gina

[Guest Chris]

Thanks. Actually, I forgot to say:

 

My uncle (40) has a really strong twitch in his eyes. Like a hard blink. I think it might be a tic. Also my great grandad makes a wierd vocal sound (like a hum) every few seconds. I think that's also a tic.

 

-Chris

[Claire]

Hi Chris,

 

Everything you describe sounds like tics...have you asked your doctor?

 

Anyway, there are a variety of tic syndromes, which range in severity. But whatever the 'label' some things really help.

 

Is it possible to take your mother's advice (she sounds great!) and spend 1 week away from screens? We call it the 'no-screens' test here--we discuss it on the TV/computer thread on this forum. If you will read this link, you will see that 16 of 18 families that tried this saw significant improvement--and some had pretty severe tics, including vocal or motor. The no screens week means no TV/computer/gameboy/big screen movies. If they have them in class at school, maybe find an LCD monitor there, though it is best for no screens at all. My son used to use a typewriter for schoolwork, and now we got him an AlphaSmart for typing, cause it works like a word processor, with a very small screen and can plug into your computer to print. You can turn it into a word document and fix the fonts at the end, but most of the time you are off the computer. It would even fit in a backpack easily, it's smaller than a laptop.

 

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...p?showtopic=852

 

It takes a few days to start seeing results, thus the week trial. If the week shows a big improvement, then you can try the LCD monitor--it doesn't flicker like a CRT. Most think it helps, but I would try no screens first--then if it goes well, you can experiment with how much LCD time you can tolerate--you will know because the tics would increase again if there are issues.

 

The food thing is tricky, you don't know if there is a reaction to the food until you take it away and the tics improve.

 

If you have good insurance, there is a test that will tell you this. It is an IgG blood test for 150 foods. This sensitivity is super common here. Here is a survey thread--it is old, more families have shown this makes a difference since then. www.elisaact.com does this test.

 

http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...p?showtopic=794

 

Also, there is a test for pyroluria at www.pyroluriatesting.com. If you give them your doctor's name--the doctor doesn't have to sign it in advance and you will both get the results. It costs $48 and is a urine test you can do at home, they mail the box).

 

This site is all about people finding ways to reduce tics. The success rate is tremendous. But it takes commitment. My son's tics went away 100%. Others have been greatly reduced. It is hard to have to control tics--these ideas take reduce the urge.

 

But it is too much info to just convey--I hope you read the threads. It is also individualized, but many common elements exist.

 

Finally, removing artificial ingredients (preservatives, colors, MSG) can help too.

 

It sounds like a lot, but if each week you tried something new, you would get there.

 

Finally, there are specialist doctors listed in the thread at the top of the page that will see if you have vitamin deficiencies that may contribute. Usually the tics are aggravated for a reason. You CAN figure it out if you are committed. But it takes discipline.

 

The cool thing is that if you have any other issues that often go with tics, e.g. ADD, OCD, anxieties, they can improve with it. And no prescription drugs are needed, with their nasty side effects. In fact, some drugs (e.g. Ritalin for ADD can actually aggravate tics).

 

Good luck, and please post if you do try anything--whether it works or not, people here will have ideas.

 

Claire