First in-person observation of Tourette's...

[Touring5]

Went to the grocery today and as I was queuing up to check out, I had two guys behind me. They were having a normal conversation but over the 10 minutes or so in line one of them loudly blurted out something 3 or 4 times. The first time it happened I instinctively turned around and he was standing there quietly.

Only once could I make out what he said (something like "stick it in" ??) but never heard any vulgarity. I can only imagine how embarrassing it would be to have such a condition.

 

[supton]

Had a friend in college with it, and IIRC he said the kind where you blurt out words was rare. His was a bunch of never-ending tics. I think where he had it all his life it was just the way things were for him, I'm sure at times it must have bothered him but sometimes one has to take the hand dealt them.

 

[Dave9]

Same here, I went to school with a guy and he just had ticks and a few larger movements, but always had his head off to the side instead of facing what he was looking at so at first glance people could tell something was up.

 

[Aredeeem]

Used to pick up a guy with tics when I was driving commuter busses into Manhattan. Liked the front seat. Never failed, I had a quiet trip going. A quiet soul already in one front seat and then just before it was time to pick up the New Jersey Turnpike and express into Manhattan there was Charlie. His tics were suppressed sneezes. A real nice guy, but boy could he change the atmosphere in a hurry. Kept driving with my eyes straight ahead. After 20 years of patience I took my pension.

 

[SuperSalad]

I have it. My tics are mostly inaudible. My wife actually refused to believe me for some time that I even had it. Eventually she started noticing things and accepted that I wasn't messing with her.

My tics began developing around age 5 or 6 and I was diagnosed shortly after by a neurologist with a "mild form" of Tourette's syndrome. When I was a young child my tics were very noticeable and obvious. Over the years I learned ways to hide them and internalize them as best as I could. Some of them became unnoticeable to those around me, some remained obvious, and some could be noticed to someone watching closely. They ranged from noises, to movement of limbs, fingers, shoulders, etc. I've never had a verbal tic, (as in a specific word or language based tic).

Coworkers, friends, etc. are typically unaware I have Tourette's Syndrome unless I disclose it. Then they can sometimes pick my tics out here and there.

When I was a kid, the tics usually changed with the seasons for some reason, and some came and went as I aged. The first one I can recall, a grunting noise, is the only one that has remained consistent from the beginning. It is the first one I learned to hide and no one has heard me make the noise since I was around 7 or 8 years old. I can satisfy that tic with a little click of my tongue on the roof of my mouth. Someone could hear it if they were close enough, but I doubt anyone ever has aside from maybe my wife.

I don't know how it is for others, but stress is a major hurdle for me. Stress causes my tics to worsen in intensity, and my need to suppress them causes a lot of strain, which again, makes them worse. When it gets very bad, it is like a tornado inside of my head. I cannot focus or puts my thoughts in order. I have a coping mechanism that works for me to basically 'reset', but it's kind of difficult to even realize what the problem is when in that state.

If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to share.

 

[andreigbs]

Brave souls here. As one who works in the healthcare "industry", I commend you for your openness.

Sharing struggles increases empathy.

 

[Dadillac]

I have it. My tics are mostly inaudible. My wife actually refused to believe me for some time that I even had it. Eventually she started noticing things and accepted that I wasn't messing with her.

My tics began developing around age 5 or 6 and I was diagnosed shortly after by a neurologist with a "mild form" of Tourette's syndrome. When I was a young child my tics were very noticeable and obvious. Over the years I learned ways to hide them and internalize them as best as I could. Some of them became unnoticeable to those around me, some remained obvious, and some could be noticed to someone watching closely. They ranged from noises, to movement of limbs, fingers, shoulders, etc. I've never had a verbal tic, (as in a specific word or language based tic).

Coworkers, friends, etc. are typically unaware I have Tourette's Syndrome unless I disclose it. Then they can sometimes pick my tics out here and there.

When I was a kid, the tics usually changed with the seasons for some reason, and some came and went as I aged. The first one I can recall, a grunting noise, is the only one that has remained consistent from the beginning. It is the first one I learned to hide and no one has heard me make the noise since I was around 7 or 8 years old. I can satisfy that tic with a little click of my tongue on the roof of my mouth. Someone could hear it if they were close enough, but I doubt anyone ever has aside from maybe my wife.

I don't know how it is for others, but stress is a major hurdle for me. Stress causes my tics to worsen in intensity, and my need to suppress them causes a lot of strain, which again, makes them worse. When it gets very bad, it is like a tornado inside of my head. I cannot focus or puts my thoughts in order. I have a coping mechanism that works for me to basically 'reset', but it's kind of difficult to even realize what the problem is when in that state.

If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to share.

Must be a Jersey thing because I am nearly exactly as you are. Except I didn't learn to control the "grunting" until my 30s. Stress brings mine out too. Also if I witness another tourettes victim ticcing it triggers mine. I am 55 now and have it pretty much controlled. I spent many years depressed over it and the depression of it actually led to my first marriage dissolving. My current wife of 29 years knows I am "flawed" and never approached me about it. Love this girl

Don

 

[Jason2007]

My only experience with Tourette's was my best friends Dad (Vietnam Vet) had to have metal plate replaced when we were kids (80's) and he developed the shouting cursing version for a slight period. Kinda freaked me out cause he was the nicest, quietest guy.

 

[bunnspecial]

I went to college with a guy who had it pretty seriously.

In normal conversation/circumstances his one noticeable tick was a recurring sound that was sort of a cross between a cough, sneeze, and snort-hard to describe but very distinctive-and usually accompanied by a head jerk.

It could get BAD during exams, though, or other times when he was really stressed. He would blurt out some nasty obscenities(including one once acceptable word at least down south that's now in the never-ever-ever-say it category), although they would tend to not be said with the best diction so it wasn't always 100% clear what he was saying. He also seemed to have somewhat of a control mechanism in place where he could keep them more mumbled and not shouted, although I heard both.

He would generally request to take exams isolated or rather in a separate room from the rest of the class. A few professors didn't initially accomodate that request, but after one exam they'd usually give in. I know of at least one professor who tried to escalate it, but couldn't because it was a diagnosed medical condition.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Wait till you are enjoying a periodical in your local library and suddenly a Tourette bomb goes off nearby. You won't forge it and will probably leave the library with your eyes caged.

 

[opus1]

I went to college with a guy who had it pretty seriously.

In normal conversation/circumstances his one noticeable tick was a recurring sound that was sort of a cross between a cough, sneeze, and snort-hard to describe but very distinctive-and usually accompanied by a head jerk.

It could get BAD during exams, though, or other times when he was really stressed. He would blurt out some nasty obscenities(including one once acceptable word at least down south that's now in the never-ever-ever-say it category), although they would tend to not be said with the best diction so it wasn't always 100% clear what he was saying. He also seemed to have somewhat of a control mechanism in place where he could keep them more mumbled and not shouted, although I heard both.

He would generally request to take exams isolated or rather in a separate room from the rest of the class. A few professors didn't initially accomodate that request, but after one exam they'd usually give in. I know of at least one professor who tried to escalate it, but couldn't because it was a diagnosed medical condition.

I think I had a professor with a milder case, or he had some sort of nervous tic. It exhibited as a sort of a moan when he finished sentences. First day of class he was going over his grading system and it went something like this: "there will be weekly quizzes which count as 25% of the grade *moan*. There will be a mid-term and final which will each count as 25% of your grade *slightly louder moan*" And so on...I remember it took a couple of iterations of that before I realized it was the instructor and not someone in the class trying to be funny.

About 3 weeks into the semester I hardly even noticed it anymore.

 

[AdRock]

Back in 1999 I was in England and flew to Maastrict in the Netherlands. It was a short flight on a small 30 passenger twin engine. We flew out in a thunderstorm and were in it pretty much all the way over. It was like being on a roller coaster and you never knew when the bottom was going to drop out. There was a kid on the plane with his father and his was a vocal tourettes. He was very nervous and would scream obsceneties at just the right moments. To me it was funny as hell. I was in tears a few times when he would just go off for a few minutes. It was a surreal experience. Now, before anyone gets mad at me for laughing, I talked with the guy and his father for a while in the terminal before our flight. They were super nice and saw the humor in it themselves. Especially in that situation. They were great sports and good people. I'm chuckling now just thinking about it.

 

[Lubener]

I worked with a guy for 30 years who had tourettes, he had it somewhat under control with medication. Once in a while he would have an occassional minor outburst. No big deal.