Tourette Syndrome & Tic Disorders Support Group
This community is dedicated to those afflicted with a tic disorder. A tic disorder is one in which uncontrollable muscle spasms that can range from small annoyances to major disruptive occurrences. .
My 6 year old son first started having tics almost 2 years ago, maybe longer, I just notice them as being anything more than habbits... like hard blinking, repetitively clearing his throat and chewing on his shirt. Then he started shrugging his shoulders and I started reseraching online. We are curently going through the process of getting him evaluated and getting a diagnosis.
His curent tics are
Hard Blinking
Eye Rolling
Fist clenching
Jaw snapping
pulling his eyelid
pinching his eye
Echolalia
and in the past week or two he's developed 4 new ones
Head nodding
grimacing
grabbing his crotch
and a kind of whole body muscle tension
The eye tics and fist clentching are the only tics that even slightly interfere with his activities (because he has to stop what he's doing to do them), except I am constantly telling him to move his hands (when he grabs his crotch). He's been trying to put them in his pockets instead, and sometimes it works.
He's young and doesn't totallyget it. When I asked him he does these things he said, "It helps me think. If I don't do it, it makes it hard for me to think."
So ANYWAY......
The reason I'm worried, and I know I sholdn't be, is because though my son's symptoms are pretty mild and don't really affect his life, he is quickly developing more and they are steadily getting worse. He's only 6 and on average symptoms peak around age 10. That's 4 years of getting worse. And at the rate he's going, A LOT worse. And I know that none of it nessecarily means anything. He could just where he is now for the rest of his life, unlikely, sure, but not impossible. So I know I shouldn't worry. I KNOW THAT.
BUt I have been obsessively studying Tourette's Syndrome and I know it can get REALLY BAD. So I worry for my son. I just can't help it.
Thanks for listening DS.
His curent tics are
Hard Blinking
Eye Rolling
Fist clenching
Jaw snapping
pulling his eyelid
pinching his eye
Echolalia
and in the past week or two he's developed 4 new ones
Head nodding
grimacing
grabbing his crotch
and a kind of whole body muscle tension
The eye tics and fist clentching are the only tics that even slightly interfere with his activities (because he has to stop what he's doing to do them), except I am constantly telling him to move his hands (when he grabs his crotch). He's been trying to put them in his pockets instead, and sometimes it works.
He's young and doesn't totallyget it. When I asked him he does these things he said, "It helps me think. If I don't do it, it makes it hard for me to think."
So ANYWAY......
The reason I'm worried, and I know I sholdn't be, is because though my son's symptoms are pretty mild and don't really affect his life, he is quickly developing more and they are steadily getting worse. He's only 6 and on average symptoms peak around age 10. That's 4 years of getting worse. And at the rate he's going, A LOT worse. And I know that none of it nessecarily means anything. He could just where he is now for the rest of his life, unlikely, sure, but not impossible. So I know I shouldn't worry. I KNOW THAT.
BUt I have been obsessively studying Tourette's Syndrome and I know it can get REALLY BAD. So I worry for my son. I just can't help it.
Thanks for listening DS.
I have a pretty normal life. I have a husband, three kids. And while I would like to say that I don't have any troubles with tourettes I can't. But as an adult people are pretty understanding. And I know that even though I have my issues others have theirs. So I am at peace with my condition. :)