Tourette's and the Like

Perhaps I simply haven't been looking well enough, but I have yet to find a thread for those with Tourette's or other Tic disorders. I thought it might be nice for us to have a place where we can talk about these things. Especially since most of us probably don't have anyone we can talk to about it. Below, I have prepared a series of questions for any who would like to answer them.
1) How many tics have you had and what were they?

6. A nose twitch, blink-blink-squint, an odd humming, throat clearing, a hissing, and one that involves my throat, stomach, and diaphragm and is really difficult to describe. The latter is most common at the moment; the others don't come out as much anymore.

2) How long have you had them?

Ever since I was in elementary.

3) What were your initial thoughts?

I was very embarrassed by them and would try very hard to keep from tic-ing. I constantly worried whether someone would hear or see me tic and I hold that fear to this day.

4) When did learn you what they were?

Last year. My parents weren't very attentive.

4) How much control do you have over them?

There are times when I can control them, and other times when it feels they control me. All in all, they've gotten better though.

5) What are some things you notice worsen them?

Anxiety, heat, and possibly allergies.

6) Do you know of anyone else in your family with the disorder?

My father and his mother both had tics and my father still has them.

7) Do you have another disorder?

No. I've had a therapist suggest I may have OCD, but I've never felt the need to seek a diagnosis.

I suppose the purpose of this was to say:
Let's get rid of the stigma around Tourette's. We aren't weirdos and we don't have to be ashamed. This isn't the sort of thing I ever heard growing up; now at least I know someone else has.

I have tics but no verbal ones. They come and go. Last time they flared was after a strep infection. My dad also have tics, especially one that he had all my life. For him it did not come and go.

When I was developing issues I was 13 and my parents, who were very socially phobic, demanded that I stopped having tics. I worked so hard suppressing tics I developed OCD instead. I'm sure this is why I have OCD. I'd rather have the tics actually. The tics I have today are not especially severe compared.

No one else?

Perhaps that is why no one else thought to write of it. Actually, those with Tourettes tend to struggle with OCD, so it makes perfect sense that you would develop it. They also have a higher probability of developing ADHD, anxiety, and autism as well. Or so I've read. I assume the same can be said for those with other tic disorders as well.

I have Asperger's and ADD. I think it's much more common to develop OCD if you have a bad autopilot and if you're a detail thinker.

In my own case I know the OCD was a direct reaction to repressing tics. It might not be the usual, but it was like that for me.

You of course, would know better than anyone else the cause. The comment was not meant to insinuate you were mistaken, so I hope it wasn't read as such.
It is fascinating how these things seem to intertwine, isn't it?