I may have Tourette, but Tourette doesn’t have me

Posted on April 9, 2012 by EmmaO

Hey everyone! I would like to stress the fact that people with Tourette Syndrome are still people, too. I have a pretty much ordinary teenage life, except I have a few things about me that make me very different from other kids. Even though I am very different, I am very much the same as them at the same time. It’s confusing, but it’s true.

I have a disorder that is … let’s face it … pretty peculiar. It is a part of my life, though, and I have good and accepting friends. I tic, unlike all the other kids I know, but I still hang out with friends, get boyfriends and go to parties — not wild parties … yet. I know that one day I am going to be the designated driver for my crazy best friend “Holly. Even though I’m extremely anxious about driving, I’ve been encouraged that I’ll be able to do it one day.

I may have four different medicines prescribed to me, but I still go to sleepovers and have fun. I may stay up until the AM ticcing so hard that I get cramps in my muscles, but I still go out to places with my friends the next day. I may have extreme anxiety about driving, but I still take Holly’s golf cart out for a spin almost every weekend.

I may go to a psychiatrist, but hey, who doesn’t these days? I may need things to be symmetrical, but I still wear cute dresses even if they cannot be one-shoulder dresses. I may stress out over school everyday, but I still get straight A’s. I might have gone to the emergency room for a tic that was nonstop for more than 40 hours, but I’m still a pretty healthy person.

I may have Tourette, but Tourette doesn’t have me.

Hoping for a light in some poetry

Posted on April 4, 2012 by RowenaM

People often say that, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.
~ Salma Hayek

Hello everyone. I know I said that on Friday, I would have the poem and blog post up. I had forgotten all about it. I am so sorry. I feel horrible right now. But I am writing now. I will include the poem in it at the end. And I will make another blog post tomorrow because I owe it to all of you.

So, the last week has been very hard for me. My second mom hadn’t been on her medication until today. She had cried over a lot of things; some were minor and some were major. I had felt alone for a while. My biological mom had paid attention to my second mom so much because of all the drama.

Finally, after seeing the Hunger Games on Friday night, we had a talk about why my second mom was feeling the way she was. I had a huge meltdown and told my mom how I felt she wasn’t paying much attention to me much anymore. She apologized a lot and told me she was never leaving me and that I was a part of her, her flesh and blood. I don’t feel alone anymore, and my second mom is back on meds. Continue reading →

Stressing over school and medication

Posted on January 31, 2012 by RowenaM

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
~ Frederick Douglass

Hello everyone! This my first real post. I’m so excited to be a part of this blog. So, this past week has been extra stressful for me. School has been a drag. Since I am home-schooled online, I have to talk to my teachers over the phone. We have these assignments called DBA’s (Discussion-Based Assessments). The teachers talk to you about the material that you learned and ask you questions.

I am always nervous because of my social anxiety. If I have to talk to a male teacher, then my nerves are higher. I have two DBA’s to get done before midnight tonight. For a while now, when I got really agitated or extremely nervous, my tics were very strong. When I’m not feeling that way, they only come up once in a while.

Also, math is my worst subject. I am learning Geometry this year, and it has been a pain in the neck for months now. But, I will make it through. If I could get through Algebra 1 with a lot of struggling, I can do this. Continue reading →

Back at Montclair with a message of hope

Posted on January 18, 2012 by KatieD

Hey guys, I’m back at Montclair! It was a rough day with homesickness and OCD, but I pulled through it with the love of great friends and family members! It’s so crazy being back here. I haven’t been here since 3 1/2 weeks ago.

I met with some friends for dinner to celebrate my birthday, which was on the 14th, and spent some time with some other friends while back at my dorm later on in the night. Honestly, it is so great to be back. I was afraid I would want to drop out because of the homesickness, but I’m feeling better and know I’m gonna stick it through this semester. It is going to be better then lasts, I can just feel it!

I just want you guys to know, you can do anything you set your mind to. It might be hard now, but you’ll get through it. I have a great friend who always tells me, “God has great plans for you — I know it.”

And she’s right. Just because I wasn’t dealt the best deck of cards doesn’t mean that I can’t play them to the best of my ability! God has a plan for all of you guys, too, and I know it’s a good one. Just keep staying strong, and remember — God doesn’t give the good to the ones who deserve it until they have fought long and hard for it.

Missed Katie’s Teens4TS blog entry from earlier today? You can read it here!

Everything gets better with Tourette as time goes on

Posted on January 12, 2012 by KatieD

Hey guys, this is my first time blogging, and I am so excited to get started! My name is Katie, and I was diagnosed with TS when I was 7. It has been a major battle between me and my TS throughout the years. I have had ups and downs, and it has felt like I have been on a roller-coaster all of my life.

I have had my own waxing and waning periods where my TS has gotten better and then worse. I have been through times where I thought it would never get better, never ease up. Luckily, though — with time, patience, the right medication, and a supportive and loving family — I have been able to get through this.

Now, as I get set to turn 19 on the 14th, it will mark 12 years with TS. My Tourette’s is finally easing up, and I am getting a break.

I have gone through periods of times where I would hit myself so hard in the sides that I would have bruises, I would have a jumping tic where I would land wrong and twist my ankle, or I would get bad headaches from throwing my head back so hard.

With my almost 12 years of battling with TS, I have learned so much and have become so much stronger as a person, inside and out. Continue reading →