Here’s the upswing of an uptic. I’ve done this long enough to know that this, too, will pass. It simply can’t be that the meds aren’t affecting him. And so, we will wait it out and start over again this summer. Things seemed to be best when we did acupuncture twice a week. So that’s what we will do again.
And then, if my book gets sold, or I decide to get off my butt and get a job, I’ll do Brain Balance.
But the one thing I won’t do, tics or not, is go back to that place of “my life will only be happy when my kid stops ticking.”
That’s just silly.
As I type, the babysitter is playing hand ball with the kids. I cleaned the house while she made dinner. Tonight I’m picking up the lovely Adelia and off to see Chicago we go! First stop, dinner in Hollywood. Oh, what was that you said? No, the tics weren’t invited. They will be put in their place where they belong which is out of mind so I can enjoy myself.
I hope the same for you. Enjoy yourself! Your kid is fine and so are you!
Happily Ticked Off 
Keep your sense of humor, and hang in there! Things will get better, you know they will. Waiting it out is the hardest part. In the meantime, drink lots of wine and coffee!
@ Claudia – Thank you. Doing okay! You? How are things?
We are doing well. Everything is still the same…very mild, and tics pretty much only noticeable to me or anyone who lives with him (sisters don’t even notice anymore). I am knocking on wood as I type. I completely feel your pain, though, and the distress the tics bring to you. I know when we see an increase, it’s that fear of the unknown that gets me every time (ie: Will they continue to get worse? Is this going to become the new “mild”? What is his future going to be like?). All I can say is that YOU, my dear, pulled me out of my mental fog/black hole a few years ago with your blog, so stay positive and hopeful that this is just another waxing period, and know that tomorrow, things could be back to “normal”. It’s just such a crazy disorder, isn’t it?!
This is such a great blog. I think it’s shaved off at least 6 months of trauma for my kid (i.e. I would’ve spent 6 months trying a bunch of half-baked solutions instead of getting serious about what’s going on).
So i went back and read over your old blog and comments, etc, and I was wondering if you ever did try out the Cognitive Behavioural Therapist route? And if so, was it not helpful, did you like the person, etc?
HI – Thanks for reading! We have not done CBT yet. Stink doesn’t find his tics to be a problem, so I’ve been worried about creating one by making him be aware of them and then asking him to substitute them for something else. I hear it’s great, though, and if his tics increase, we might not have a choice. I’m hoping the increase now is simply due to the Intuiv. The kid is so sensitive.
Back when my son was 7 and his tics were worse, we tried habit reversal therapy. We used it mainly when a tic stood out a lot (at the time, he was sticking his tongue out). It worked. Basically the psychologist taught him how to replace the tic with a competing response. It’s a nice tool to learn, though Aidan admitted it is very difficult. We have used it a few times with others, and it does work, but sometimes just waiting them out has been the best action. Some last weeks, and some only last days.
Andrea……….Have I told you lately..how AWESOME I think you are?!!!! I do hope you enjoyed your night out!!! You are a total riot…….and what an amazing mama you are!!!