{"id":349,"date":"2022-01-17T18:40:48","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T18:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgenowik.com\/?p=349"},"modified":"2022-01-17T21:18:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T21:18:20","slug":"tourettes-or-not-to-urettes-that-is-the-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgenowik.com\/index.php\/2022\/01\/17\/tourettes-or-not-to-urettes-that-is-the-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourettes or Not To Urettes. That is the question."},"content":{"rendered":"

– Or: How I learned to love being the Tourettes jerk who jerks<\/h2>\n

Imagine for a moment if you will – or even if you won’t – how a conversation could go bizarrely sideways if someone you’re conversing with makes a statement requiring affirmation and instead<\/em> you viciously shake your head from side to side.\u00a0 As if to say “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR EVER LOVING MIND?”\u00a0 Or the response was a grunt that resembles the bark of a dog.\u00a0 And not in the good Ozzy Osbourne kind of way.\u00a0 Or, in rare instance, uncontrollable cursing.\u00a0 It’s not “Being Andrew Dice Clay,” it’s having Tourettes.<\/p>\n

None of that is happening on purpose.\u00a0 It’s an impulse triggered by neurons in the brain to do something involuntary that generally has nothing to do with a situation at hand.\u00a0 And in this specific instance, this is because Tourette Syndrome is a pain in butt.\u00a0 And neck.\u00a0 Also head. And potentially everywhere else.<\/p>\n

In a bid to prove that I am not – in fact- even the slightest bit amusing, this week I’m going to dive into the topic of Tourette Syndrome and the joy and celebration it brings to existence.<\/p>\n

“But wait, George!” you are quick to cry out.\u00a0 “You make it sounds like Tourette’s is this terrible thing that destroys your body and relationships and prevents you from making friends and destroying your enemies.”\u00a0 This is also correct.<\/p>\n

HOWEVER.<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t change anything about it*.\u00a0 It has shaped the person I am – for good or for ill – and continues to have an impact on capabilities that I require for daily function.\u00a0 It also has an effect of interfering with aspects of life that are sometimes inconvenient but REALLY good on the improv skills.<\/p>\n

Let’s wade in.<\/p>\n

* except for maybe the minor parts there it destroys the body.\u00a0 that part i could live without.\u00a0 just saying.<\/p>\n

Tourettes? That sounds like a French Word.\u00a0 Or is it a FREEDOM WORD?<\/h2>\n

This section relies heavily on data available on the Tourette Syndrome Association of America<\/a> web site.\u00a0 The TSA has been an evolving and informative resource for decades on the subject of what the devil this thing is, why it exists, and ways in which to combat the overall challenges it presents.<\/p>\n

Tourettes is categorized as being part of the spectrum of Tic Disorders.\u00a0 Its rarity is quite inflated: it is estimated that 1 in every 160 children in the US has Tourettes, and 1 in every 100 has “TS” or another tic disorder.\u00a0 It is differentiated as having a requisite number of both physical and “vocal” tics. I’ll describe some of the more common occurrences as well as some that are less common but very real in my own sphere of life.\u00a0 It’s my blog and I’ll write if I want to.<\/p>\n

The physical tics can be as simple as eye and nose twitches, body bump evening up, nostril flaring, muscle contractions, and so forth.\u00a0 All very deliberate, all compulsive and involuntary.<\/p>\n

The vocal tics are generally described as vocalized sounds.\u00a0 Grunts, barks, clicks, throat clearing, loud inhalations, use of words out of place, and even use of words that are completely inappropriate.<\/p>\n

The swear jar theorem<\/h2>\n

In those moments where Tourettes individuals are portrayed in movies or television – or comedy – it is generally under the vein of someone swearing uncontrollably.\u00a0 The reality is that roughly 10% of people with diagnosed Tourettes will curse in a fashion that is not of their own volition.\u00a0 As such, this is considered to be The Prototypical Tourettes Symptom.\u00a0 So say we all.\u00a0 Here are a couple of interesting points about that though that I’m sharing because, again, it’s my blog and I’ll write if I want to (o\/` you would write too if it happened to you o\/` ):<\/p>\n