Date: 1996 (Revised)
Publisher: Self-Released
Format: Book (Softcover)

"When I breathe, it breathes. When I speak, it speaks. When I try to sleep, it won't let me. Whatever I attempt to do, it's there -- waiting to spoil the moment. To a doctor, it's a disorder, a medical oddity. To an onlooker, it's a spectacle -- perhaps humorous, perhaps grotesque. To me, it's a monster, a demon, a hellish beast who has no right to exist in my world or anyone else's. It's my unwelcome companion."

For anyone interested in learning about Tourette syndrome, this book is a down-to-earth insider's description of one of the strangest and most intriguing neurological disorders ever known. Once mistaken for madness, or even demonic posession, TS is unique in its ability to force sane, rational individuals to perform bizarre acts or utter inappropriate sounds (and sometimes profane statements, in rare cases) against their will.

In this remarkable narrative, author, musician, and audio technician Rick Fowler not only discusses the symptoms, causes and treatments of this intrusive disorder, he takes the reader inside the Tourettic mind, describing in explicit detail the sensations and obsessive thought patterns which force one to jerk about, shout, bark, or curse involuntarily, and the eerie feeling of being controlled by an unruly "chemical entity."

With appealing candor, he also relates the all-too-common tale of his years of struggling to find a proper diagnosis and treatment for his condition, and discusses the financial and societal difficulties Tourette patients must face daily. Fowler's description of this medical oddity, which has baffled doctors for years, provides compelling reading for those fascinated with the workings of the human mind.

Check out a Real Audio interview with Rick Fowler from an episode of WUGA's radio show "The Commons."