Guy with tourettes on American Idol tonight

[faith]

oh Cheri, I know, but we've been down this discussion before.

 

I know, I probably should have thought better, but I just had to think for a minute what my son might think. you are right, he sometimes says to me, why do I have to be the only one who has tics. I suppose it would be a good way to show him that others do. but I like to be prepared on that. if we were watching and all of a sudden, there it was, I might have been taken off guard. just hearing it the morning after made me wonder how they presented it, and I hope NPH didn't say "whoa nelly, what do you have tourettes man!"...I'm sure he didn't, but I could just see myself getting nervous there. We have alot going on right now, with my son now knowing about the word tics and OCD. (sorry, we havn't gotten to 'tourettes' yet). today we start ERP therapy for his OCD, so alot for him to handle right now, being almost 11. And funny, I know he would like to be a singer (altho I don't think he can sing a tune, lol, he won't do it in front of me)....

 

I just want him to think its no big deal for people, don't want him to see it being pointed out like it did on AI. maybe I'll find it on youtube and view it first and see if its something he should see. Now I'm thinking, Oh God, I hope kids at school didn't see that and will say "hey, the guy on American Idol does what you do, you must have Tourettes".....that wouldn't be good right now.

 

But I am working on this. He told me recently "mom,I hope you don't mind,but I told xxxx (his friend) about my tics". which I found puzzling, because I'm sure his friend realizes he has twitches. but it was cute, because these two were kind of telling each other about their issues, and were comfortable confiding in each other. his freind is kind of an impulsive ADHD type, and so does therapy for that, so they both were telling each othe raobut it. hey its a start, these kids are still young and at a vulnerable age.

 

what were the tics of the singer on AI?

 

Thanks

Faith

[Tattoomom]

i feel like if he can find a good woman, that they should not have kids.....and even though there are not word for the love i have for my kids....if i had known that it is genetic and he would have to go through this,i wouldn't have had kids.....i guess because i do love them so much

 

 

Fixit,

 

In response to this comment... You mention "kids" so I take it you have more than one child? Does only one of them tic? The reason I ask is because I know for a fact I've read stories online in forums like this one (heck, it might have been this very forum) where their were 2 kids in a family, one had TS, one did not. They grew up to have children of their own. The one without TS had children who tic, and the one with TS had children who do not tic. So as you see, my point is, it can skip around and it doesn't mean that your child who tics will go on to have children who do, too.

 

And besides, there are much worse things that could happen! It's tics, not cancer.

 

I know you love your children, and I know watching them tic is hard. But they can live a very normal live regardless. And it's not bad enough to not have a chance. We only live once.

[Tattoomom]

I think it was staged. They wanted to point out that he had tourettes so they had them ask him if he had it. I'm sure it was talked about to him before the judges even met with him. Just my opinion. It definitely could have been done in a more polite way though...

 

 

I kinda thought it might be staged...

[Tattoomom]

what were the tics of the singer on AI?

 

Thanks

Faith

 

 

 

Video here:

http://www.rickey.org/?p=31735

[Fixit]

I am glad we are all having this health discussion!!!!

I think we all needed this cleansing of the psychological stress that goes with it.

All the inner thoughts that we sharing is exactly what i am feeling.

 

Chemar, I definitely see it does runs in families, but i hope and pray it doesn't have too.

Why does it skip a generation, why does an uncle have it but not the parents?

why does no one have it and then just this one person?

Why does it go away for some?

Why does it go away and come back?

Why does it get better and worse(wax wane)?

If someone went to a doc and said this rash only happes on tuesdays they would say...well what do you do, eat, go etc on monday or tuesday?

If this only happens when i eat pizza they would look at what is in pizza?

I just keep thinking something else is going on since it goes up and down, goes away and comes back

I know that part we agree on, I guess i 'm going in circles.....

I guess i'm saying that ts or ocd describes the outward sympton of some underlying issue for all here, unless there is that (downs type)gene

These kids don't come out of the womb ticcing.....they get their first illnesses 2-3 years old or a weird strian of something some years later. It can be triggered and untriggered IT SEEMS. It seems more of a susseptablity issue????(my spelling is horrible)

 

And again i am not argueing as much as i'm not buying it...the doc in germany found this correlation(agian I haven't read it yet) but is that THE gene..I thought i read something about several other studies that correlated a group of different genes.(several of them)

At first i didnt' want it to be GENEtic, but I almost pray for a gene so my kids can spin the vile and guarntee their kids would be ok. And i may be wrong and living in denial.

And Chemar i don't ever want to make you mad, because you might take the ball and just go home you are too valuable

Peace to all

[guy123]

I think it was staged. They wanted to point out that he had tourettes so they had them ask him if he had it. I'm sure it was talked about to him before the judges even met with him. Just my opinion. It definitely could have been done in a more polite way though...

 

I bet you're right. Almost everything on TV, even reality TV, is staged.

 

Still tho, exposure to TS isn't a bad thing.

[guy123]

Why does it skip a generation, why does an uncle have it but not the parents?

why does no one have it and then just this one person?

Why does it go away for some?

Why does it go away and come back?

Why does it get better and worse(wax wane)?

If someone went to a doc and said this rash only happes on tuesdays they would say...well what do you do, eat, go etc on monday or tuesday?

If this only happens when i eat pizza they would look at what is in pizza?

 

This is why genetic research and the progression of medical technology should be at the top of society's priority list. What could be more valuable than extending and improving human life?

 

Of course, people don't want to do that because they'd rather sit around being stupid all day.

 

edit - I can't believe I held my tongue in this post and didn't launch into a political tirade sprinkled with misanthropy and cynicism!!! :D

[Chemar]

Chemar, I definitely see it does runs in families, but i hope and pray it doesn't have too.

Why does it skip a generation, why does an uncle have it but not the parents?

why does no one have it and then just this one person?

Why does it go away for some?

Why does it go away and come back?

Why does it get better and worse(wax wane)?

 

that is how many genetic conditions, not just TS, manifest. It depends on the combination of the genetic components that the individual inherits.

I have 2 sons, the oldest does not have TS and the youngest does

 

the waxing and waning is characteristic of TS but many OTHER factors both within and around the individual alter the manifestation, duration etc

 

I guess i'm saying that ts or ocd describes the outward sympton of some underlying issue for all here,

and yes, obviously there is an underlying issue which manifests with outward symptoms. That is the nature of all neurological illness as well as with all genetic inherited illness. If one inherits the genes for any illness and then begin to manifest that illness, there are outward symptoms of an internal illness. Not everyone that inherits the genes will manifest the illness tho. It has to do with dominant and recessive genes and other factors within each individual as well as those external "triggers"

In TS it seems to be related to the dopaminergic system, in OCD the serotonin one

 

 

These kids don't come out of the womb ticcing..... It can be triggered and untriggered IT SEEMS. It seems more of a susseptablity issue????(my spelling is horrible)

 

actually my son exhibited what we now believe was his first tic shortly after birth. he made strange clucking noises which the doctors told us were due to a "floppy larynx" but later tests revealed no such thing in him

 

and yes, no one is disputing that the manifestation of TS can be triggered

 

the whole thing about genetics is that one inherits the predisposition for the disorder and then it manifests because of an inherent "switching on" of the gene(s) responsible, and/or because of other internal and/or external "triggers"

 

I am just not sure why you feel that genetics and predisposition and triggers are mutually exclusive? That IS what genetics is all about.....inherited traits that exhibit based on variable factors

[faith]

Maybe we should have a thread labled, "CONFESSIONS" I know I have a lot.

 

I thought I would share this: My oldest dd last summer was working on a college essay that had to be about someone who impacted her with some life changing experience.

 

She titled it, "Two People and One Disorder" her essay was so profound to me because I was able to read how my non-TS child witnessed the physical aspect and emotional aspect of Tourettes.

 

She is so personally proud of her brother who in her eyes, silently accepted his suffering. She saw me as an emotional rollercoaster, but watched me pick myself up. She listed a litany of accomplishments her brother and myself had to overcome to unlock the shackles that kept us socially awkward.

 

It was a beautiful essay and I was so proud of her that 4 years ago at 14yo she was able to see how two people she loved suffer, one physically the other emotionally.

 

She ended her essay with, "Let his light shine." To honer her brother's accomplishments.

 

CP

 

 

aww, CP...I was running out the door before so wanted to get my reply in...I just re-read this and oh...I teared up at the second to last paragraph......

 

just kind of brought it all back....I remember well your first months here.....we've weathered alot......

 

Faith

[faith]

okay I watched the youtube video.............

 

teary eyed again!!!

 

He was actually cute, no big deal at all. I think Neil PatricK Harris asked him that because it was on his application, it was already known, it didn't sound rude. I don't think his tics were all that noticeable at all, he's older and I bet he has some good control over it in public.

 

He's going to Hollywood! so when he is on camera again, I think I'll point out to my son that "look, see, there's a man (boy, lol) who has a facial tic"........it'll be fine.

 

I told him today that I worked as a lunch monitor at one of the grammar schools (not his) and there was a boy in the fifth grade who had a facial/neck type tic. It wasn't that noticeable, but as we moms know, we can spot it a mile away. this child was hanging with his friends and having fun and I'm sure no one was the wiser. I explained it, because he is really down on himself and thinks he is the only one.

 

thanks for the discussion, and glad to be a part of it.

 

Faith

[Fixit]

Like I said, I think I"m just going round in circles, yes, no ... wait red,... i mean dog.......

 

I'm haveing deja vu....too much of the circling, the hamster in my brain won't get off the wheel.

I guess now i'll have to go look at this cute guy from american idol on youtube and go read that article cute guy123 sent.

 

csp, thanks so much for sharing

[guy123]

read that article cute guy123 sent.

 

Aww, yeah, I'm cute!!! :lol:

[ilovedogs]

okay I watched the youtube video.............

 

teary eyed again!!!

 

He was actually cute, no big deal at all. I think Neil PatricK Harris asked him that because it was on his application, it was already known, it didn't sound rude. I don't think his tics were all that noticeable at all, he's older and I bet he has some good control over it in public.

 

He's going to Hollywood! so when he is on camera again, I think I'll point out to my son that "look, see, there's a man (boy, lol) who has a facial tic"........it'll be fine.

 

I told him today that I worked as a lunch monitor at one of the grammar schools (not his) and there was a boy in the fifth grade who had a facial/neck type tic. It wasn't that noticeable, but as we moms know, we can spot it a mile away. this child was hanging with his friends and having fun and I'm sure no one was the wiser. I explained it, because he is really down on himself and thinks he is the only one.

 

thanks for the discussion, and glad to be a part of it.

 

Faith

Faith,

My son is always seeing other people who tic. When we were back in VA and we saw CSP and her family, we saw 2 other kids who had tics. One was riding in a car stopped at a light next to us and the other sat in front of us at a football game(CSP saw this boy ticcing too). Anyway, we also have met with Carolyn N and her son Daniel and my son knows about Daniel's tics, etc. My ds asked me after meeting CSP's son about his vocal tics, not in a rude way but in a way that was just natural curiosity. I think a lot of people(kids especially) are just curious and once you answer their questions, they let it go and move on to something else.

 

 

And, speaking of people performing with tics. My mom was just out here visiting with her accordion group and one of the men in the orchestra has tics. He was an engineer for Exxon and was very successful(he's retired now). He only had his tics when he wasn't playing in the orchestra, like when his section was on a break he would tic while sitting there. I pointed him out to ds and he was like, "How cool, he does a really neat thing with his eyebrows." And, no, ds did not try to repeat it or make this tic his own. I think it's really good for our kids to know that they are not alone and that other people struggle with similar issues. I know it makes my kid feel better.

 

Have you thought about finding someone in your area who has a child with tics? Maybe get the children together so your son can see that tics can be varied just like someone's personality can be different. I know your frustation, though. I've been coming here for 2 years now and I'm still trying to find all the triggers that make the tics worse. I do know for certain now that chocolate is a trigger! I had seen an increase in tics in December, but not the anxiety, and I had to look back on the month and I realized that he had an Advent calendar where you eat one chocolate piece a day. Once the chocolate ended, the tics started to clear up. Also, today I think I found that caramel color also aggravates tics b/c I let him have a root beer which I normally don't allow that was caffeine free. Well, he started some tics that I hadn't seen in a month and I was wondering why. I'm 'guessing' it's the caramel color b/c I already know that HFCS does not make his tics worse. And, yes, sometimes I'm just plain old worn out from playing detective, LOL!

[ilovedogs]

read that article cute guy123 sent.

 

Aww, yeah, I'm cute!!! :lol:

And modest too!

[guy123]

Has anyone been watching the show still? Any word on how this guy is doing or if he's had anymore airtime?