How to Talk About It

I hope the title of this post didn't give you the idea that I know how to talk to people about having Tourette (Tourette's? I really need to make a decision here) Syndrome. I sure haven't figured it out yet. I could perform an exhaustive mental review to come up with an exact-ish number of people who I know know that I have TS, or I could ballpark it at 15. Ballpark it is. I guess I'd say that everyone who needs to know about it knows about it; my immediate family, some extended family, a few friends and co-workers, and my work's HR guy. And my neurologist.  A very small fraction of my wife's family knows as well, and I'm not sure how big I should be making the circle of people who knows about it.

I'm shy about talking about my Tourette's for a couple of reasons. First, I'd have no idea how to start the conversation!

Me: How about that weather today, and also I have a neurological condition called Tourette's Syndrome.
Other Person: I find the weather to be quite adequate, and isn't THAT a delightful bit of information!

It's not like I have a degenerative condition like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's that people around me need to know about so they understand why I'll be slowly losing my faculties.  I have what is, for me on most days, a manageable, often invisible set of symptoms that make my brain and my body fight (or collude against me?). I worry that a lot of responses would be something along the lines of "Yeah, and?" I'd find that more upsetting than it's worth.
My other big reason for not telling people about it is my fear that a lot of responses would be "No you don't." That would just piss me right the heck off. I worry that the hugely over-stereotyped version of TS that most people hold in their heads doubles as a set of diagnostic criteria for most of them, and I don't relish the thought of having to explain to them that they're wrong. I know how unfavorably I react when I'm told I'm wrong, and I don't want to be on the opposite side of that conversation a dozen or more times. I also worry that people will think that by telling them I have Tourette's, I'm asking for pity or trying to excuse my behavior. I'm not and I'm not. I've been thinking about this a lot, and I'm still not sure where to go. Any thoughts?

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