To: Addiction or not, do you do this too?

Tourette's Syndrome is NOT a disease, it is simply a chemical imbalance in the brain and usually only found in adolescents/teenagers. It cannot make you want to exercise nor will it make you sit there and shake your leg. She was simply asking if anyone finds themselves to be more fidgety when losing weight. Even me with this debilitating "disease" some of you have so chosen to label people like me with. Reading the posts after the suggestion that tourette's might be an issue is just disgusting. I have had tourette's since I was a little kid and I am one of the only adults that I know who still shows any signs of it. It's called a SYNDROME for a reason; not a DISEASE. People who label people like me- that's the disease. I really appreciate how much you think you know about people like me.

Did you fart yesterday? If so, you have Endometriosis. A real disease. And farting is just a symptom.

Now how ridiculous do I sound?

I still think gi-jane meant no disrespect to the OP or to people with Tourette's Syndrome.  The other post has been locked and I sincerely hope that blackberrychick will be successful in her weight loss goal by utilizing the tools, ideas, and community that Calorie Count has to offer.  I researched some of her other posts and none of them are as vitriolic as the one referenced above.  I'm still not sure what upset her so greatly in the first place?  Perhaps she knows someone with Tourette's Syndrome and was speaking in their defense?  At any rate...on with the afternoon!

Peace.

It's not gi-jane who I am upset with, it's all those who came after her, declaring it as a disease. gi-jane sounds like a well educated woman whom I will assume knows about tourette's if she suggested it in the first place. Fidgeting can point to tourette's and I totally understand her suggestion. I just don't like being labelled with a "Disease" by people who really have no idea.

You are right; all people do not know the distinction between a "disease" and a "syndrome".  That's one of the hazards of an online forum; people talking about things which they really have no knowledge of!  I am guilty of the same thing myself!  Out of curiosity, do you smoke?  I know a college student who experienced some relief of his Tourette's symptoms by smoking.

Thanks alaskanmama, I'm glad you understand my point! No, I don't smoke, but I have learned to live with it as I am. Most people grow out of it as they overcome puberty and no one would know they ever had any symptoms! I only have a few ticks left. People sometimes ask me where that whistling sound is coming from, I tell them it's me, they look confused, I go on. When I get really nervous or stressed out is when it gets worse but in the long run, I win. I can go home at night knowing that I am educated enough to understand what is going on inisde my head and not let ANYONE tell me I have something wrong with me.

Before 2 weeks ago I would not have been able to tell you if Tourette's was a disease, a syndrom, or what.  It wasn't that I didn't care or was insensitive, I just don't know anyone who has ever had Tourette's nor have I been educated about the topic.  I just read Against Medical Advice, which was a fabulously written memoir about growing up with Tourette's and associated stuggles and medical dilemmas.  Although I still wouldn't claim to know much about Tourette's this book opened my eyes and I would highly reccommend it to anyone who is curious.

I don't mean to hijack your thread.  Just thought people reading it may be interested.

--mary-- I understand why you are upset. I admit, I don't know a lot about Tourettes, but I too was frustrated by the characterization of it as a disease, and that those who have it are "victims."

But, if it's any consolation, I went through the thread and did a word search - and only one person actually called it a disease, and she seems to have disabled her account.

Wow, I hate that she didn't stick around long enough to "meet" some of the great people on here.  But, maybe she is better off, since she seems to have been very sensitive to opinions that differed form her own!  (I thought maybe she had just blocked me!) 

Nope, she's gone - if you go to the thread, and click on her profile, it just takes you to your own - that means the user is gone (although they can still watch, unsigned on *eyes darting furtively*).

Unfortunately, she actually did get a chance to meet some great members, but decided that they were not so great. Her loss.

Is it bad, --mary-- that my main info on Tourettes comes from Ali McBeal (Anne Heche's character)?

I wonder - if you've seen that - did you think it was a fair portrayal of the syndrome?

I do not want to upset anyone, but I have read all the original posts and all of these and I just want to point out a few things.

Some people have tourette's.

Some people have diseases.

Neither tourette's nor diseases make you less of a person.

Cosidering these three facts, I really don't know why everyone has gotten so heated.

I don't really have anything constructive to add, however, I do have three adult friends with Tourette's Syndrome, all of whom still occasionally show traits associated with it.  Please, Mary, don't believe you're alone or the only one.  <3

Well, I'm sorry if my posts offended you.

Like others have pointed out, not many of us know much about Tourette's and the semantics of whether it is technically a disease/illness/condition/syndrome/whatever. I think it's a little unfair to expect that of everybody.

Of course, that doesn't mean anyone should stigmatise people with Tourette's, but I also don't really see calling it a disease instead of a syndrome is really that bad. Nobody except the OP called it a disease out of malice, just lack of knowledge.

To be fair I think the only person who did call it a disease was the OP herself. She was the one who reacted to the mention of the word with such disgust and was so cleary offended. The other posters, including myself, who replied to her were just astounded that she reacted the way she did......hence my post that I found her reaction very insulting to people who actually do have tourettes syndrome.

There was a guy on Big Brother (uk) a few years ago who had tourettes and he was very, very popular :D