TV programme tonight got me thinking .......

Wonkylegs

Did anyone see the BBC1 programme tonight on Living with Tourettes?

I remember watching the first programmes and was interested to see how the two young men featured had learned to cope with such a debilitating and (often) socially unacceptable condition.

As I watched it something struck me. Although they have a very visible/audible condition unlike our often hidden arthritis, I realised that they had both developed a way of dealing with their Tourettes which mirrors how many of us deal with our Arthritis.

There has been much merriment on here in the past about this creature 'Arthur' :roll: and how he has come to live with us uninvited and unwelcome. :x We blame him for the bad stuff, and curse him when he stops us doing something, or makes us flare just when we had something special planned.

Well these two young men did exactly the same - they both viewed their tourettes as another 'person' or part of them, and separated their 'real self' from 'it' and all it broings with it.

Just thought how interesting it is that living with two very different conditions can be so similar. It also made me realise that there are many more people out there with 'unwanted lodgers' of all kinds!

so we are not alone!!

sorry to anyone unfortunate enough to have been visited by 'arthur' whilst also sharing his name! I am sure you know we mean well!

sharmaine

Interesting comparison! Does this mean we're all going mad (in a good way)?

The demon arthur!

Sharmaine

Wonkylegs wrote:

Did anyone see the BBC1 programme tonight on Living with Tourettes?

I remember watching the first programmes and was interested to see how the two young men featured had learned to cope with such a debilitating and (often) socially unacceptable condition.

As I watched it something struck me. Although they have a very visible/audible condition unlike our often hidden arthritis, I realised that they had both developed a way of dealing with their Tourettes which mirrors how many of us deal with our Arthritis.

There has been much merriment on here in the past about this creature 'Arthur' :roll: and how he has come to live with us uninvited and unwelcome. :x We blame him for the bad stuff, and curse him when he stops us doing something, or makes us flare just when we had something special planned.

Well these two young men did exactly the same - they both viewed their tourettes as another 'person' or part of them, and separated their 'real self' from 'it' and all it broings with it.

Just thought how interesting it is that living with two very different conditions can be so similar. It also made me realise that there are many more people out there with 'unwanted lodgers' of all kinds!

so we are not alone!!

sorry to anyone unfortunate enough to have been visited by 'arthur' whilst also sharing his name! I am sure you know we mean well!

ninakang

Sharmaine

You speak for yourself - I'm not going mad, I was mad to begin with :-)

But yes, interesting comparison - I wish I'd watched the programme myself, what was it called?

Nx

suzster

i used to work with children with various disabilities and so have 1st hand (or 2nd maybe?) of tourettes. it truly is an unseen disability, like arthur. people with tourettes get stared at and judged for the 'ticks' they have no control over, like we get judged for looking fairly normal, i say fairly as i guess i don't always look totally normal with my mad dyed hair!! but still needing help, support amongst other things. it's been said before that people who don't know us wonder why we need walking aids yet we look healthy, no plaster cast so how can your legs hurt? using disabled toilets yet i have no wheelchair, why on earth do i need to use a disabled toilet?
all comments and attitudes that don't help when i'm trying to live as normal a life as i can!
but yes it is interesting how we view arthur, i know i often curse him, note i call arthir a he? i know arthurs a male name but i still think of it as a male, does that make me sexist? lol.
especially today when it's half term and my eldest wants to go out and enjoy the sun, but i've woken up with a flare, it's been brewing for a few days and today i have the knees of arthur, not mine!!! and as for my neck, i'm sure soimeone has been practicing making a new frankenstien using decrepid (sp?) and rusty body parts!!!
but i do see it as another part of my life that we have to learn to deal with.
i've started writing a blog and it's about how arthur effects my every day life, but reading it i think people might think i have so wierd person living with me!
a very interesting post legs, thank you for starting it x

woodbon

Hi, I only caught bits of it, but it is interesting. It made me realise how little we really know about the brain and behaviour.

I know when I worked with people with dementia, it was fasinating. How just by spending time with someone who has been written-off as unable to partisipate in ordinary life, can, in fact, given time and understanding communicate quite complex feelings.

Sorry, didn't mean to get too heavy!!! :oops: I miss my contact work so much sometimes.... Never mind! Love Sue

sharmaine

I know I'm mad. I caught myself scolding the aphids on my apple tree (then I squashed them with my fingers) this morning. I could be locked up - thankfully our garden is very private! Between the ants and the aphids I could be committed! Ha!

Sharmaine

ninakang wrote:

Sharmaine

You speak for yourself - I'm not going mad, I was mad to begin with :-)

But yes, interesting comparison - I wish I'd watched the programme myself, what was it called?

Nx

sharmaine

On a serious note.....it's nice to be able to think things through logically. Our brains are complex machines (well mine is). My poor stepfather (he died 3 years ago) had alzimers (i don't think I've spelled this correctly). I'm sure he recognised us but couldn't communicate it verbally. Love conquers all. We did have some laughs in the early stages of his condition. He used to be so smart and fussy about his clothes. One day he got dressed for church in an open necked shirt; with about 8 ties around his neck, flip flops and 2 cameras. The brain is indeed fascinating.

Sharmaine

woodbon wrote:

Hi, I only caught bits of it, but it is interesting. It made me realise how little we really know about the brain and behaviour.

I know when I worked with people with dementia, it was fasinating. How just by spending time with someone who has been written-off as unable to partisipate in ordinary life, can, in fact, given time and understanding communicate quite complex feelings.

Sorry, didn't mean to get too heavy!!! :oops: I miss my contact work so much sometimes.... Never mind! Love Sue

Wonkylegs

you should be able to watch or download the programme on the BBC iplayer.

It was called:

Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It

& shown on Thursday 28 May 2009 9pm

hope that helps for those who missed it.

lindalegs

sharmaine wrote:

I know I'm mad. I caught myself scolding the aphids on my apple tree (then I squashed them with my fingers) this morning. I could be locked up - thankfully our garden is very private! Between the ants and the aphids I could be committed! Ha!

D'you know Sharmaine I think you squashed my Uncle Norman who'd come back as an aphid in the afterlife as I lost contact with him just this morning. :roll:

Luv Legs

woodbon

sharmaine wrote:

On a serious note.....it's nice to be able to think things through logically. Our brains are complex machines (well mine is). My poor stepfather (he died 3 years ago) had alzimers (i don't think I've spelled this correctly). I'm sure he recognised us but couldn't communicate it verbally. Love conquers all. We did have some laughs in the early stages of his condition. He used to be so smart and fussy about his clothes. One day he got dressed for church in an open necked shirt; with about 8 ties around his neck, flip flops and 2 cameras. The brain is indeed fascinating.

Sharmaine

woodbon wrote:

Hi, I only caught bits of it, but it is interesting. It made me realise how little we really know about the brain and behaviour.

I know when I worked with people with dementia, it was fasinating. How just by spending time with someone who has been written-off as unable to partisipate in ordinary life, can, in fact, given time and understanding communicate quite complex feelings.
I'm sure such important and basic feeling do stay with people, its quite common for the sufferer to call their son or daughter Mum or Dad, I think its because they'v taken over the parenting role. I also feel for the relitives as they knew the person as they used to be. We paid carers came in and built our relationship on how the person is now. Love Sue
Sorry, didn't mean to get too heavy!!! :oops: I miss my contact work so much sometimes.... Never mind! Love Sue