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Question 41: what was the easiest way to get
Dx, without the doc missing the Tourettes? [Also] You have said that
TS is like having a little kid in your head that copy and repeats
movements which ends up being tics. Does this apply to verbal/phonic
tics? I can see how complex phonic tics could be like that. But I
can't see how this works with simple phonic tics. R.J., CA, USA.
Hi
R.J.:
Often
the reason doctors 'miss' the diagnosis is because they don't realize
that a person can suppress or hide tics. Hence the individual comes
in, says they have TS, but the doctor doesn't see any movements or noises.
One of the ways to avoid this is to keep a logbook of your symptoms
(what they are, when they occur, what makes them increase/decrease,
how long you've had each symptom, etc.). Another thing to do is to tape
or video some of your tics so that even if your tics go away at the
doctor appointment (something that is not unusual at all) you can still
show the doctor some 'evidence'. Finally, many doctors who work with
TS regularly know about this "doctor's office syndrome", and
have various 'tricks' for seeing the tics anyway (such as peeking at
you in the waiting room, keeping you in the office a long time so that
your TS gets used to the place and comes out, giving you a frustrating
task that increases your stress and therefore your tics, asking you
to purposely hold in the tics to see if this makes the tics worse after
you no longer have to hold them in, etc.)
Regarding
your second question, definitely that 'little kid' analogy works with
phonic tics too -- even simple ones. Take a sniff, or throat-clearing,
for example (two common simple tics). Like blinking your eyes, you sniff
or clear your throat a LOT in a day (especially in the winter or if
you have a cold) and you tend to do it the same way each time. This
might sometimes get the attention of that little kid! Even certain noises
that occur a lot
in your speech (some syllables or phonemes such as 'ah' or 'uh') can
grab that kid's interest! I used to say 'kay' all the time (short form
for "OK"). It became a tic that you can hear in the Museum
of Tics or by clicking here.
