Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month: Let's Talk Co-Morbids

I have mentioned co-morbids several times in the past, and I thought it was time to explain more about what co-morbids are and how they affect those with Tourette Syndrome.  Co-morbids are other medical conditions (neurological, psychological, or behavioral) that can appear alongside a main condition, such as Tourette Syndrome.  You might see a person with TS state that they have TS+, a term used to generalize the diagnosis of TS with co-morbids.  Knowing more about co-morbids can help us to gain a better understanding of how much those with TS struggle to overcome just to function on a daily basis.

There are several types of co-morbids that can exist for those with TS.  Below are a few examples.  Please keep in mind that there could be more conditions not described here.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Intrusive thoughts, ritualized behavior, OCD related anxiety

Anxiety Disorders: Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and other non-OCD related anxiety

Mood Disorders: Disorders such as bi-polar and depression

Attention Deficit Disorder:  ADD or ADHD

Autism Spectrum Disorders:  Asperger's and other forms of autism

Rage Attacks:  These can also be known as 'meltdowns' or 'storms'

Sensory Disorders:  Sensory Processing Disorder and Sensory Integration Disorder

P.A.N.D.A.S.:  TS+ symptoms that can be related to infections such as strep

Sleep Disorders:  For example, insomnia

Other Learning Disorders:  Dyslexia, dysgraphia, discalculia, and more

The End of a Good Break

Monster Man has had such a good break from some of the worst problems he faces with Tourette Syndrome.  After about five days in a row of panic attacks, which were also days filled with many episodes of rage, as well as about two weeks of a really bad head-shaking tic, he has managed to have almost a full week with no rage, no panic attacks, and very few mild tics.

Of course, Tourette Syndrome seems to like to throw us all for a loop.  We had some storms come through last night that evidently brought back some of Monster Man's anxiety.  He didn't come downstairs to let us know that he was scared, so he instead stayed in his room where he didn't sleep well last night.  Of course, that has affected his attitude for today.  We've already seen the start of what easily could've turned into episodes of rage had we not been able to get him calmed down before they worsened.  To top it all off, the storms started while we were at church last night, with us driving home in the storm, which set off the head shaking tic and also brought back his 'painful tic'.  As Monster Man's nerves were getting hit harder, his head was shaking faster, his eyes kept looking up in opposite directions, and he'd get that really wide smile.  Between the eyes and the smile, he had quite a headache when we got home.

It is so sad to see him go through these sudden changes, when even Monster Man isn't sure what to expect with each passing moment.  Sometimes, he asks me if he is 'losing it'.  Other times, he asks me what is wrong with him and why he can't learn to control the tics, the anger, and the anxiety.  I still don't have all the answers he needs, so all I can do is hug him and reassure him that everything will be okay.

Another sleepless night

Nothing gets Monster Man's anxiety acting up like knowing there is the possibility of severe weather heading our way.  Yesterday, we were told to expect severe storms overnight.  Our county was amongst the many included in a tornado watch effective until 3am today.  Usually, I try to keep Monster Man from finding out about these watches, not wanting to scare him.  Last night, though, he heard me talking to my hubby as I went through the process of setting our weather alert radio (which my hubby had previously packed away when trying to help clean up our room).

The process of setting the radio only took a few short minutes, and we didn't even think Monster Man had heard the conversation.  About five minutes after the radio was set, though, Monster Man started 'hearing' the storms (they hadn't even reached Georgia yet when he was already sure he heard the storms).  While my hubby was watching television, Monster Man was sure he heard the weather radio alerting us of a tornado.  He kept jumping out of bed, telling us that the bad weather was hear.

Oddly enough, it never even stormed at our house.  In fact, it barely even rained.  Either way, just knowing it could've happened was enough to keep Monster Man awake most of the night.

Anxiety strikes again

As storms made their way through Georgia on Monday night, we found ourselves under a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch.  Some areas around us got hit really hard by nasty storms that caused damage to cars, homes, etc.  Some areas were pummeled by golf ball sized hail.  Just knowing that there were storms nearby was enough to get Monster Man's anxiety working in overdrive.

Monster Man was in his room, drawing cartoons, when the first few flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder reached our area.  Evidently, even with the storm still in the distance, it was enough to make him look out his window 'just to check' because he heard a noise.  That was when he became certain that he had seen a funnel cloud swirling around in the sky across the street.  The poor boy came running down the stairs to warn me, afraid that we needed to find shelter.  I opened the front door to look outside, hoping to calm him down by showing him that there was no funnel cloud.  He was so worried about me opening the door that I had to reassure him that it was safe before he'd even let me unlock the deadbolt to open the door.

Of course, the storm was in the distance as I'd mentioned before.  We had no hail.  The wind had only picked up a very little bit, to the point that you had to really look to notice the difference.  The storm never got any closer to our house than that, either.  It was probably a few miles from us at it's closest point.  Still, just knowing that the storm was out there somewhere was enough to have Monster Man in panic mode.  Even after the storms died down, it was another hour before he was finally calm enough to be able to get ready for bed.

It must be hard on Monster Man, having to fight off so many fears like that.  He told me that he thinks his anxiety has him seeing and hearing things that aren't really there.  I love that he has a very active imagination the rest of the time, but I feel so bad for him knowing that the active imagination gets in the way of his happiness at times like this.