By Brian
In my late 50’s I changed dental practices. While working on my teeth my new dentist’s hands shook so bad I feared his drilling would miss my tooth and hit flesh. Looking back, I regret silently criticizing him at the time as an alcoholic or severe caffeine addict. Now, after learning about essential tremor (ET), I understand that he was likely a sufferer. Today, having ET myself, I think we all worry that others may misinterpret the symptoms of our disease to be something other than an uncontrollable medical condition.
My own symptoms didn’t appear until I was in my early sixties. During a root canal, my jaw started trembling so severely that it was uncontrollable. This became a typical routine every time I visited the dentist. Additionally, as a computer programmer, I spent long hours at the keyboard. Over time, my left ring finger would start “bouncing” whenever it hit a key, inadvertently typing an unwanted string of characters – I was so frustrated that it was out of my control.
My “at rest” tremors are minimal, but, over the years, their severity has slowly progressed. Initially they were worse in my left hand and arm, but eventually they started to affect my right side, as well. I tried all the standard medicines, and not only were they ineffective at controlling the tremors, but also their side effects were debilitating. Today, doing any work that requires fine motor skills is nearly impossible: typing and writing has become difficult (often unreadable), and eating can be challenging. I have to be careful, especially in public, not to allow my utensil to touch the plate or it will tap it like a bell. Helping in the kitchen is a musical experience as plates clatter together when washing, drying or stacking! I am also an amateur guitarist, and there are times when the tremors make it difficult to fret notes with my left hand. I’ve also discovered the tremors can cause unwanted vocal “vibrato” when singing, and make it impossible to maintain a steady, smooth air stream when playing the flute.
The severity of my tremors seems to vary; there are times when I barely notice them, other times when they interfere with my routine. Being tired often worsens the tremors, but that is not always true. Occasionally, even my sleep is disturbed by a feeling that my entire body is vibrating. I’ve often wondered if other medical conditions are related. In my case, I have hypothyroidism, double vision (which also developed around the same time as my first ET symptoms), and, in the past, peripheral neuropathy (which I eliminated with B12 supplementation). As with Parkinson’s, I also wonder if there are hereditary or environmental exposures at the root of ET!
For the present, my neurologist is maintaining me on a “wait and see” status since the meds are not an option. She said the verdict is still out whether or not I have full blown Parkinson’s (because of kidney problems she doesn’t want to risk a diagnostic MRI with dye). At 76, I’m thankful that, unlike many, much younger, unfortunate sufferers, ET is not totally debilitating. However, I am concerned since it is getting progressively worse with time.
Considering that ET is such a common, recurrent disease, it is my hope that the medical profession is soon able to identify its cause and develop effective, non-invasive treatments.