Tea for My Tics

She. 20. PANDAS disorder / ADHD / tics / college student / RMSF / disease & disorder awareness / tea-nerd

[its-ticsticstics]

person: “but you’re not ticcing right now!!!”

my tics secretly clenching my whole ass like im about to shit my pants: 

“yeP AMAZING IM CURED”

[teaformytics]

My parents going, "Wow, you haven't ticced all day! Why is that?"

.... I've ticced a lot today, you just can't see them.

Or

.... My tics are allowed to be there and not be there. They're not consistent or constant. Yes, different stimuli can make them worse. But I can also be completely calm and nothing be bothering me and still tic a lot. Just because I'm ticcing, doesn't mean I'm triggered or nervous.

[teaformytics]

So, I noticed tonight that my friend was definitely having a few small tics. She is around me a lot (I have a tic disorder) and her roommate has Tourettes.

I don't really know if she realizes that she's been ticcing because they're so small.... but should I mention it to her? I know that if you have the potential for a tic disorder, you can develop tics if you see others tic. I feel guilty that my friend and I may have triggered her to develop tics. Will mentioning make it worse or should I ignore it? I'm still fairly new to the tic community. @its-ticsticstics I feel like you might be a good person to answer this.

[teaformytics]

Realizing that all these years of having this strange compulsion to hide every time I hear someone coming isn't because I thought it was funny, but that it's a trauma response from hiding all the time from my narcissistic father.

[touretteculture]

What are your tics?

[touretteculture]

People with tics do NOT have to suppress around you just to make you feel comfortable.

People with tics do NOT have to hold down a tic attack just for you to not feel uncomfortable.

People with tics do NOT have to suppress.

Suppressing is a shitty thing, when I suppress my tics, my whole body tenses up, I can’t talk because I’m afraid a vocal tic may come, I let small tics go because it can go unnoticed, I can’t focus on anything that isn’t suppressing tics, I suppress because I’m afraid people can look at me weird, say something bad, or bully me.

And yes, is a form of surviving in a neurotypical world, but it makes US have tic attacks, it make US tired, it make US feel like shit because we can’t unmask around people, we can’t be us with our tics.

So if you have a friend with tics, please, let them unmask, let them be free with their tics.

[teaformytics]

Any body have experience with taking clonidine? My doctor's perscribed it to me for my tics and ADHD.

[teaformytics]

Had my first big appointment with a psychiatrist today! Officially, officially diagnosed me with ADHD today. My scores were pretty high. So nice to have that on paper. I'm being refered to a neurologist for my tics. They kept PANDAS on the table, but also talked about Tourettes.

Hopefully I can get in to see a neurologist soon! For now they started me on a med to help with ADHD and the tics.

YAY FOR THE BEGINNING OF ANSWERS!

[teaformytics]

I had an absolutely horrible sensory overload meltdown and tic attack last night. I was literally on the floor saying, "I'm so uncomfortable."

Thankfully after my friend gave me a neck massage, putting a gel ice pack on my neck, and laying on the floor with my friend's ESA, I was able to calm down.

This isn't the first time my friends ESA has helped me majorily. More proof that I need one!

[teaformytics]

My grandpa called and I was talking to him about my tics and what they are. He was so kind and asked a lot of great questions. He wants to know more about them. Does anyone have any good articles or YouTube videos that would be helpful to show my grandparents and even my own parents?

[chaselogic]

This shit

This absolute bullshit is the thing that makes me absolutely livid. This TikTok creator, thistrippyhippie, AKA: Evie Meg, is someone who, like myself, deals with Tourettes. As I’ve said before, there’s a rise in tics, and it appears that people are blaming Evie for it.

Let me just say that she has done so much to help educate those who do not have Tourettes or are just uneducated on the matter. Her platform has done nothing but good things and seeing that pisses me off to no end. Literal doctors are pinning the blame on her as well as other creators who have Tourettes for this “tic epidemic”. It’s complete bullshit. Again, as I’ve said before, you can develop tics after seeing someone with them but those are functional tics! They can easily be resolved with therapy.

And please remember: TICS DO NOT EQUAL TOURETTES.

I’m saying this because this creator as well as many others who have Tourettes are receiving a lot of unnecessary smoke lately because thirteen year olds are developing tics. Which, whatever, it happens. However it seems like doctors are going out of their way to actively blame these creators because they don’t seem to want to put in the effort and figure out what is actually causing these teens to develop tics.

These creators are being forced to censor their tics and cut them out of videos, which literally defeats the purpose of educating others. They’re being banned from spreading awareness. It’s just another example of people being forced bend to the will of the vast majority just so they can feel comfortable. It’s so harmful to these people and as you can see from Evie’s post, it clearly affects her mental health and well being.

If you believe creators with Tourettes are to blame for this rise in tics, fuck you.

[teaformytics]

Turns to a fellow tic friend and stares him dead in the eyes.

"Tics are just spicy twitches."

I'm calling my tics spicy twitches from now on, thank you. You're welcome. 😂

[teaformytics]

When you're trying to study and your brain just goes, "I have absolutely nothing else left to give. Good luck!"

[teaformytics]

When you like someone and they like to make eye contact all the time, which is a great sign except you have ADHD and eye contact is EXTREMELY uncomfortable. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️😭😭😭🙄

(Also applies to ASD and SPD and others).

[teaformytics]

Wearing sunglasses at night while drivimg because I'm extremely sensitive to light and car lights are just way too bright.

[teaformytics]

When you have a whistling tic, and you have to tell people all the time to not whistle back because it makes it a million times worse.

[teaformytics]

Me talking to my friend who also has tics: "Do my tics trigger yours?"

Him: "No, I don't echolocate....I MEAN HAVE ECHOLALIA!"

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 I'm dead. Echolocate. 😂😂😂😂

[teaformytics]

So, I finally am attempting to seek out accommodations at my university. I reached out to my doctor about getting documentation to finalize my accommodations and asked if she would be willing and able to fill out some paperwork for me to get an ESA as well.

She responded with a really nasty, rude email and basically said I was beyond her help and that my symptoms are beyond "simple ADHD and PANDAS", and she made up a bunch of stuff that didn't happen in my appointments.

My family and I think that she is kind.

So now I'm trying to find a new doctor. Yay. I have no idea what I'm doing. Doctors give me so much anxiety and my old doctor was the only one who didn't.

Starting from square one, both for diagnosis and for accommodations. Yay.