Some hope for all of you

[Guest Brian]

Hi, my name is Brian Golde. I am a 20 year old junior at Miami University, Ohio. I have had tourettes syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder for as long as I can remember. I don't ever remember not having it. With tourettes, I have harsh body jerking movements, facial ticks, and I make funny sounds (coughing, exhaling, low humming). I have had many struggles in my life with it and have gone through much teasing. I count things obsessively, trees, lights, cracks, anything, but especially letters. It makes school hard because of the lecture classes. Taking notes while listening to a professor speak and writing at the same time is not easy. But, I am carrying a 3.4 GPA at one of the top public colleges in the country and have never been on any medication. For those of you who have these problems yourself or have kids with them, I just want you to know that it will all work out. This is my first post on a forum ever. I just thought it would be nice to hear what other people have to say. If anyone ever cares to talk, feel free to email me at: brian_golde@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading this.

[Guest Guest]

Hi

 

Nice to see your positive note. At what age did your TS symptoms start and when were you diagnosed? At what age were your symptoms at the peak severity level?

how did you manage in your school, etc with your vocal tics since its difficult to cope? Does any other family member of yours have TS too since they say its genetic?

The prognosis for TS is pretty good in the late teens they say, so did you notice any drastic improvement recently?

Since you were not on medication, were you on any alternative therapy?

thanks for your replies (in advance).

[BiNa]

Thank you for replying. I first remember symptoms of my tourettes from when I was about 5, and I confirmed this by watching very old videos taken from my childhood. Obviously, I had no idea what it was then, so I did not try to stop it, and it was very disturbing to see myself how I was then. My face was a constant mess of blinking and scrunching. I wasn't diagnosed until I was about 12 or so, when I finally sat down with my parents and told them I knew something was wrong with me because I was getting made fun of a lot at school. They had noticed, but were uneducated on the subject at the time, so never did anything about it. I would have to say that my peak severity level was when I was around 8 or so. It hasn't gotten any better, I just am aware that I have it now and I force myself to cut back so it doesn't look as bad. The vocal tics were difficult in school. Most the time, if someone would catch me making a strange noise, I would just start coughing and try to play it off as if something were making me do it. Sometimes I know it didn't work, though. I would just sit there embarrassed. I have asked as far back as my great-grandfather and no one in my family has ever had TS or OCD so I don't know why or how I got it. I never noticed any improvement in my teen years, but maybe other people have just because I hold back a lot, which is not easy. When I am in a room by myself and no one is there to hear me is when I am at my worst and I just let go with my faces and noises and bodily jerks. I never did try any alternate therapy whatsoever. I just tried to stay strong and lived my life the best I could. What I tell people when they ask why I have never tried any treatment is that I have had this my whole life and it is all I know. It would be nice to get rid of it, yeah, but I guess I'm scared of what life would be like without it. It sounds ridiculous to most people, but then again, most people don't understand what it's like. It has run my life as long as I remember and I don't know anything different. Thank you for your reply and I hope I answered all of your questions sufficiently.

[Guest Guest]

Hi

 

Good to see your reply. Do you still have vocal tics? How are your OCD symptoms now?

Its never too late to try alternative methods to improve your tics.

Take care and stay in touch. Goodluck to you. Since you are doing pretty well in your education, etc its quite obvious that you are too determined.

[BiNa]

Well, I'm glad to say that my vocal tics have lessened a bit since I was young. However, my OCD symptoms continue to just get worse. As a matter of fact, today was probably the worst day I have ever had with it. I don't know what is changing, but something is. Normally, I don't step on cracks in the sidewalk, but a place in the road where it turned to brick and I was forced to walk there, I usually could. I would just suck it up. But today, I froze up and couldn't do it anymore. I know I looked like an idiot because I almost just fell over where I stood. I had to go into the road and walk the rest of the way. I also have been having a lot more trouble understanding what people are saying to me because I am too busy counting all the letters in the words they say and then alphabetizing every letter in all the words. I don't know what's going on, but I hope it's just temporary. If this keeps worsening, I don't know what I'm going to do.

[Guest Guest]

When did your OCD symptoms begin? Have you ever approached a doctor for your TS/OCD? Do you have siblings and do they have this problem too? Do your friends know about your TS/OCD?

Its all a passing phase and I am sure your symptoms would wane soon. As long as your symptoms don't bother you in your normal functioning, I guess that is fine.

[BiNa]

My OCD symptoms began many years ago and have continuously gotten worse. I pick up new things I do every day and never lose any of the old things. The only time I've ever talked to a doctor before about it is when I was diagnosed. I have a brother who is a year older than me and he doesn't have anything. I am the only one ever in my family to have either. My friends and roommates all know about both my OCD and TS, but they don't know a whole lot about them, just that I have them. I had to leave a class early yesterday because I felt like I was going crazy with counting. I couldn't even understand what the professor was saying because my mind was so busy counting anything there was to count. I hope it is just a phase. Thanks for your reply.

[Chemar]

Hi Brian

How encouraging to hear that you are coping so well!

 

My son is 14 and has TS/OCD/ADD and a couple more.....he has shown an amazing reduction in tic severity and ESPECIALLY in his OCD symptoms(which were his most troublesome) in the last 2 years since going onto a supplement system and trying to avoid food additives.

 

Even just a good, pure multivitamin every day makes a difference.

And my son takes mainly 5HTP & Inositol to help the OCD(available at most health stores)

It REALLY helps!

The OCD used to have a very negative effect on his normal functioning, but now is barely noticeable, tho he still like to "organize" things

 

I am so pleased when I read posts like yours! Stay in touch.

[jujubean114]

I've had OCD & Tourettes for about eight years now & I've just discovered all of these forums- I had no idea how many people there were out there that have cases just like me. I read your post & it gives me hope because I'm not on any meds either. It seems like most people I've read about with OCD or TS are on meds but on of my 'obsessions' is that I fear medication (As weird as that sounds!) I think that it is poisoned or that it will harm me in some way or change me. SO I'm very hesitant to even try it. Knowing that someone else has dealt with these disorders without meds makes me feel like I can deal with it on my own.

THANKS!