About Tourette Syndrome and Deep Brain Stimulation.

I have had Tourette Syndrome since I was 6. Because my symptoms were so severe, in 2009 I had a  Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) operation at the National Hospital in London to try and control my tics.

The operation was very successful and has helped in making my tics far less bad. DBS consists of embedding twin electrodes in the brain, which are aimed at the point that is thought to control the problem tics and movements. These electrodes are attached to a device very much like a heart pacemaker that is embedded in my chest and can be altered by remote control to change a number of different settings in order to find the best setting. In the picture above you can see an X-Ray of my head - the two lines are the electrodes.

Although the operation took around eight hours for me it has been a success because it has reduced the number and severity of my tics.