For the first day or so after losing the use of both my hands I continued to shower in the same way as I have for the last two years. I do this alone, with someone nearby to call if I get stuck or have a ‘ticcing fit’.…

Writing this post feels like a race against time. Just before 11:00 this morning I started to feel a pins-and-needles sensation in my left hand. My thumb was strangely stiff and stuck to the side of my hand, I could move it if I tried really hard but it was slow and it quickly moved back to its stuck position.…

Cushions are one of the crucial safety features for me at the castle, loads and loads of them, including some shaped like biscuits and some like clouds.

I had a long “ticcing fit” in the early hours of the morning yesterday while Will was supporting me.…

I’ve written before about my growing collection of dog-toy-pigs and explained that each one represents a full day without a ‘ticcing fit’. But I haven’t introduced them all properly so I thought now might be good time to do a round-up.…

Just under three weeks ago I went to meet a team from Channel 4 who were embarking on an unusual project. They were looking for people with communication differences to announce some of their shows.

Before that meeting, I would’ve put ‘continuity announcer’ alongside ‘butcher’ and ‘living statue’ as jobs that my tics made it impossible for me to do, though of course I’m perfectly capable of making a clear, albeit biscuity, announcement.…

On Friday, much to my delight, I had a fit free day – a whole day without a ‘ticcing fit’. Tradition dictates that I get a ‘piggy’ as a reward – a squeaky rubber dog-toy shaped like a pig.

I already have seven pigs – Pink Piggy, Black Piggy, Mystery Piggy, Blue Piggy, White-Van Pig, Neon Piggy & Green Piggy.…

I’ve been enjoying something of a dip in the regularity and severity of my ‘ticcing fits’ in the last couple of weeks and one benefit has been a welcome increase in the number of uninterrupted nights sleep I’ve had.

But this lucky streak came to an end last night when I woke at 5am having a little fit.…

Today’s post is written by guest blogger Alec. He shares his recent journey with Tourettes, and describes the key things that’ve helped him cope since the onset of his tics ten months ago. Over to Alec…

To start with, I’m honoured to write an entry for a blog from which I draw so much personal help.…

Yesterday Leftwing Idiot, Poppy and I went on a day trip to Brighton to have a meeting with some friends. We had a lovely time while we were there but the day was overshadowed by the awful journeys. They were so bad I’m writing about them this evening and not the visit itself.…

A few days ago I heard about an article in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry and it was something I was very pleased to read.

The piece was reporting on a study carried out at St George’s Hospital in London into the ‘distinct bouts of severe, continuous, non–suppressible and disabling tics’ experienced by some people with Tourettes.…