Return to work

Today was the first day back doing clinical nursing after 6 weeks off. Granted, I've been pretty busy in that time but I haven't been on a ward. It was good to be back though!

There was a programme on the BBC the other night about Tourette's Syndrome. It was brilliant - it follow up on a man named John who had done a programme in the 1980's and a fifteen-year-old boy from North Yorkshire who had the condition, called Greg. There were some very candid interviews, and they must've been very brave to have participated in the programme.

It was interesting to see the difference they had experienced; John had been diagnosed in the 1980's and there was little support for him or his family. As such, John had become isolated and withdrawn. Greg, on the other hand, had a very supportive family who had sought information, services and professionals to help them cope and know more about Tourette's. Had John grown up in this day and age, it is likely that he would have found it easier.

Very little is known about Tourette's; it is a neurological condition where people suffer from tics that need to be released. Their behaviour can often be challenging both for themselves and those around them, and contrary to popular belief only few sufferers shout random swear words out loud. It is known that Tourette's is genetically inherited, and a sufferer has about a 50% chance of passing that gene on to their offspring.

A few theories are currently being thrown around; one that is particularly controversial is a streptococcal infection of the throat that results in antibodies interacting with brain tissue. In people with Tourette's, MRI scans of the basal ganglia are abnormal and it is believed that this may be a cause of Tourette's.

Diagnosis of Tourette's involves a process of elimination to rule-out other conditions that may be causing the symptoms, and the treatment is simply education and support. Symptom control can be undertaken with several drugs if they become a problem. Deep-Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a relatively new and experimental treatment and may be effective.

For more information see Tourettes Action or the BBC Health page on Tourette's.