I had an appointment earlier with a new Tourettes specialist who’ll be taking over my care. I took Fat Sister, who’s a doctor, with me. This was extra useful because, after the meeting, we were able to talk things though from a medical as well as sibling perspective.

I liked the new doctor. She was warm and friendly and she suggested a range of different things that might help reduce the impact of my tics.

One of the things we discussed that hadn’t been suggested before was Botox. This isn’t because I’m especially wrinkly but because I have a tic in my neck that’s causing pain at the base of my skull. Injecting Botox in this area would weaken the muscles and reduce the likelihood of further damage.

I’m quite up for trying this and Fat Sister thought it was a sensible idea. In fact she jokingly suggested they should Botox all of me, but I wasn’t at all sure about Botoxing my vocal chords, which was another option the doctor put forward. Apparently this can help reduce the strength of vocal tics and though I wouldn’t rule out trying it in the future, I’m not ready for it yet.

I came out feeling positive. The medical, social and practical strands of support are coming together and I’m hopeful that combined, they will give me much more control over my Tourettes.