Tourette’s Syndrome
A hiccup is an involuntary spasm of the respiratory organs. I think that the closest way for those of us who don’t have Tourette 's to relate to those who do are through hiccups. I’m passing around donuts, take 2 and eat them as fast as you can. It is said that one way to get hiccups is to quickly eat dry food without any water or other liquid. Try it. I’m not sure if anyone got the hiccups from eating donuts, but at least you all got free donuts out of this experiment. But I’m sure you’ve all had hiccups before, and we’d probably all admit that they’re bothersome and annoying. One online source described hiccups as “annoying, involuntary fits that can make it hard to eat, have a conversation or sometimes carry out
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In simpler terms, Tourette’s Syndrome is a reoccuring tic. Some people may only experience their tic a couple of times a day while others might be affected by their tic a couple of times a minute. Everyone with Tourette’s will have multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic. Some of these tics can be easily disguised while others will be highly noticeable. Some of the most common tics associated with Tourette’s include blinking, punching, yelling or screaming, shoulder shrugs or eye …show more content…
Medications can include injections in the affected muscle. For example, a child with a tic of arm spasms might be given an injection in their arm to try relax the muscle and reduce the amount of spasms. Children are also given ADHD medicine. It is prescribed to help increase short attention spans. It is believed that in some cases that the symptoms of Tourette’s increase with stress and anxiety. Another form of treatment to help lessen the symptoms of Tourette’s is behavioral therapy. This is used to essentially calm the tics. In these sessions, patients do a number of activities which help them increase awareness and identify situations that aggravate their tics.
The next time you are interrupted with the annoying hiccup, be thankful that this tic will eventually pass and you’ll be feeling back to normal soon. Remember that a person affected with Tourette’s, although it might lessen as they get older, it rarely goes away completely and most are affected their entire life.
How would your life be different if you had Tourette’s? Could you go to the movies? A restaurant? School?
How would you act in a social situation if you knew someone with Tourette’s