Painful Tics...Anybody Else?
 

So, I've always had head jerking tics and tics where I tense muscles in different parts of my body a lot. This weekend has been a terrible mixture of the two and I'm not really sure how to explain it all. I've been sore from ticcing for a long time before, but the only tics that have actually been painful themselves are hitting tics where I hit my legs or my shoulders. The other day I started jerking my head. Then tensing neck muscles was added to it. Now, I have this horrible mixture of jerking and tensing and twisting my neck and it is causing me quite a bit of pain. My neck is really sore and I now have a big knot/lump on the back and at the base of my neck. I don't know if it is muscle knotted up there or what. When I jerk/tense/twist my neck I can feel it popping and feel what can only be described as a grinding feeling in my neck. Has anyone else experienced anything like this before? I am debating whether or not I want to go to work tonight because I am so sore and so exhausted physically and mentally from a weekend full of this. If anyone has experienced this before and can give me some advice or ideas on how to relieve the pain and soreness, I would greatly appreciate it.



I take that back...
I have had tics like this before. I had tics like this when I was first diagnosed a few years ago. It's got me kind of anxious and worried because at that time, I got so bad that I couldn't drive or work at all for months at a time and I ended up going to the ER three times one weekend because I was in so much pain and we didn't know that I had Tourette's or that it was tics at that time.


Ugh... :(

Hi Jasmine,
Long time no see.

I'm really sorry you're having a difficult time at the moment.

If you're jerking and cracking your neck a lot then you could try wearing a soft neck collar that's not too tight. I have heard of it helping some people, but then again in others they find it irritating and makes it worse.

Have you tried soaking in a bath with some epsom salts?

Sounds as if you need a massage to help ease the immediate tension and pain.

All these things might just be a temporary fix if your tics are changing and waxing, but the more you hurt it's possible the more you'll tic because of the irritation.

Feel better fast!

Hi Lara!
It has been a long time. I have been so busy with work and wedding planning that I've just not been online much at all.

I made Jacob (my fiancé) give me a massage yesterday. It was good while it lasted, but pretty soon I was back at it. I'm not much of a collar wearer. High collars irritate me. I think it's part of my sensory hypersensitivity. It definitely would make things worse. I'm going to try a heating pad on it after while.

I was considering emailing my doctor and asking her for suggestions, but recalling that she has never been helpful when I've asked her before, I decided that was probably a waste. I still may send her a quick message with an update anyway.

I have started wearing fake nails all the time, and that has actually helped sensory-wise. I can't handle my real nails rubbing any type of fabric. Scratching my own skin with my nails is usually fine, but say I try to scratch someone else's back for them, it just makes me cringe after a minute. I have also found that wearing sunglasses at all times when driving during the day helps a lot. My eyes are so sensitive to the sun, which is really aggravating when driving. The problem is I am bad about taking my sunglasses off at other people's houses and just losing the in general, so I've probably bought 5 pair of sunglasses in the last 6 months. I typically only buy $5 sunglasses from Walmart. One day I'll end up with 10 pair of sunglasses because everyone will be finding them at their houses and returning them to me. Lol.

There are a lot of things that I have just dreaded doing lately around the house because of my OCD. I have gotten to the point where I just don't want to do things because I'm so tired of having to do it a certain way. I don't mind the actual task at hand, it's the fact that I am so exhausted by the constant running in my head and trying to make sure I'm doing everything just right or checking afterwards to make sure I did it a certain way. Even though I hate that it's not done, like dishes being dirty or laundry not being done or the floors not swept and mopped, I kind of feel like I'd rather not do it at all than go through the extra work. But then I feel so lazy and my house is a mess and I can't stand it.

The life we live is a rollercoaster, and even more so with TS and all that comes along with it.
I hope everyone is doing well.

Hi Jasmine

NUCCA chiropracty can really help with the pain from neck etc tics
They do very gentle adjustment. www.nucca.org

Have you ever tried Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the OCD?

Yes, I have.
 

I recently have developed a teeth gnashing tic
Not more than a few weeks ago. It's a random tic. It's a means nor irritation.