What does having Tourette's feel like?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

What do you feel while you are having the tick?
Before I do the tic, I get a weird feeling in the particular area. Like if I needed to blink my eyes really hard, I would get a really uncomfortable feeling in my eyes and it builds the more i hold it in, eventually I HAVE to do it, and the feeling goes away for a while, but eventually comes back. If I hold it in for too long, I can barely move or think of anything else, it can sometimes even be painful.

Do you know you are doing it while it's happening or is it something you realize after you do it?
I do realise what's happening, but I have like 10 different tics (motor and vocal) and I do at least one every 5 seconds! (unless I'm concentrated on something or sleeping or holding them in). If I'm in a situation where I don't want to tic, and I'm holding them in, then I would be very aware of what tics I'm doing, but when you're doing it so much like if I'm at home, I'm just so used to it by now that sometimes I'm not aware of it, especially if I've been holding them in for a while, then there would be an explosion of tics (they'd be ten times worse). When I was younger, I had no control over my tics because I didn't know I was doing them and I didn't understand them.

Are you embarrassed by it or are you proud to be unique?
Well at this point, after having tourette's for 9 years (I'm 15 now, it started at 6), I would probably say that I'm over being embarassed by it, sure, it can be embarassing, but I'm not ashamed of it because I know it's just something I'm going to have to live with. I guess there is a sense of uniqueness that comes with having tourette syndrome. I don't hide the fact that I have it unless I might be disruptive, in which case I either hold them in for a few minutes or leave the room. I'm just going to try my best to spread awareness of the condition.

Do people stare at you or laugh at you because of it?
Well usually people do stare, I know I would anyway! If they are really staring at me like nonstop even when I look back at them, I usually just smile at them, which makes them uncomfortable so they stop!! haha. When I was younger people would laugh at me because I wasn't diagnosed until I was 14, and I am able to laugh at myself because some of my tics are funny, but if someone is actually making fun of me, I would try to explain to them that I have TS and I can't help it. If they continue to be annoying and ignorant, then I just wouldn't waste my time with them.

If they do, how do you react?
I think I answered that already, sometimes it bothers me because I can't just bring it up randomly like say ''oh hey I saw you staring at me earlier on, I have tourette's'', because then it would just be weird! But I don't blame people for wondering what the heck I'm doing, I would just prefer if they'd ask me instead of staring at me as if I'm not human!

Good luck with your project!

I'm a 15 year old with tourette's

What do you feel while you are having the tick?
This is kind of a tricky question to answer, so instead can I explain what it feel like before I tic? Most people with Tourettes have a feeling or urge before they tic and the tic full-fills this urge. The best way to explain this is an itch. Your arm really really itches. So what do you do? You itch your arm. Keep in mind that you can't control a tic, however.

Do you know you are doing it while it's happening or is it something you realize after you do it?
This depends on the tic. When I'm on my own I may be ticing and not notice it. However I normally have a general idea I'm ticing, but not necessarily how bad it may be.

Are you embarrassed by it or are you proud to be unique?
This took many many years, but I am not embarrassed by it. In fact, I am more embarrassed for the close-minded people who can't understand what Tourettes is.

Do people stare at you or laugh at you because of it? If they do, how do you react?
I sometimes get staring or angry looks depending on the circumstances. When I was a kid, others would laugh at me. As an adult, some people may yell at me, but rarely laughs.

Can you please include your source?
I have Tourette's

I have Tourette's. I'll keep an eye out on this question in case you want more info :)

I always describe the tics as kind of like hiccups. You can feel it coming and then it just happens. Although, unlike hiccups, you can suppress them to a certain extent, but it's unpleasant to do so. It's like resisting to scratch an itch. All I can think about is how much I want to tic, and then when I do, it feels better, until the next time I need to tic.
I do notice it happening sometimes, but it depends on the tic. I notice the audible ones because they are, well, obvious and people often stare or notice them. The motor tics (blinking, grimacing, and clenching) I don't always notice because they are more subtle. Plus, some of those tics I've been doing for years, whereas the vocal tics come and go now that I'm older.
I used to be embarrassed by it because when I was younger, it was much worse. My teachers had to have me sit in the back of the classroom alone because it was too distracting for the other students when I constantly croaked and twitched. Now that it's more under control, I think it makes me special and unique. I have no problem talking about it and often share it during ice breakers. If it was worse I might feel differently though.
No, people don't really stare or laugh any more. As I've gotten older, the tics have become easier to control, or I've found subtler ways of satisfying the tic. For example, I used to have this really bad tic where I'd clench my whole body up and tilt my head back. It was really obvious and strange looking. Now, I can satisfy the urge by just tightening my neck muscles and making my hands into fists which people don't notice. When I'm by myself, or with family, I sometimes look like I have Tourette's more, but when I'm out in public, I can control it okay. Tourette's is a disorder that tends to get better or more manageable with age.
When I was young and people would notice, I usually just tried to ignore it because there was really nothing I could do. Like when the teachers had me sit alone, I tried to make it into a game and joke that I had my own island. Sometimes I would get upset about it, but my friends were pretty understanding about it and I didn't care terribly much about what other people thought so it was mostly okay.

If you want something else to add to your project, you could mention how Tourette's is often comorbid with OCD. 80% of people with Tourette's also have, at least a mild case, of OCD. I found this out when I mentioned some of my obsessions and compulsions to my doctor (I'd never even heard of OCD) and she said that she wasn't surprised because I have Tourette's. My OCD isn't so bad that I need medication or anything, and it's not super time consuming like it is for some people. I'm just nutty about germs and have strange patterns with how I walk and how I do my homework. Sometimes it's frustrating, but it's usually not too bad.

I hope your project goes well! You picked a really cool topic and I hope my answer helped you. It's a rough thing to grow up with, but I really embrace it now as just part of who I am.

Diagnosed when I was 8ish. I'm 19 now. :)