TRUTH about TOURETTE’S
The
BY SARAH WALL
Sarah Wall offers a personal insight of living with Tourette syndrome and dispels the myths surrounding this misunderstood condition
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hock, humour and disgust are normally the top three reactions I get when I first tell people I have Tourette’s. Shock because I look like any other person in the street, humour because people automatically assume I am going to come out with a barrage of profanities, or disgust because whilst people like to harp on about accepting differences, the reality is a very different scenario. Nevertheless, I cannot blame people’s reactions because the majority of their preconceived ideas are formed solely from what they see in the media. On one hand it is great the condition is getting much needed coverage, but on the other it isn’t ideal when the main media portrayal is surrounding the notion that Tourette’s is all about swearing and profanities. I am not sure why the media likes to do this, maybe because it is such a unique symptom that is a shock for most people, or maybe to increase the humour, or maybe just for the ratings, but today I would like to share with you the real world of Tourette’s by busting the myths and presenting the much-needed truths.
SO, WHAT IS TOURETTE SYNDROME?
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological condition that affects over 300,000 children and adults in the UK. The main characteristics of TS are tics – which are repetitive involuntary sounds and/or movements. Vocal tics (sound) range from simple tics such as grunting to more complex tics including repetition. Motor tics (movements) range from simple tics like grimacing to more complex tics such as jumping. Tourette’s was actually the first of my five chronic conditions I ever had diagnosed at the age of 18. Prior to this
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diagnosis I was wrongly diagnosed as being epileptic with my specialist believing the ‘episodes’ I was experiencing were seizures, when in truth they were tics. My tics have evolved over time and now consist of pacing back and forth, facial grimaces, body stiffening and hand twisting and shaking. I would describe the sensation of needing to tic as an urge, a bit like an alien in my chest fighting to get out which, once I tic, dissolves. I have the ability to control my tics in public, but doing this puts enormous pressure on my body which is not ideal as it increases the symptoms of my other chronic illnesses.
