Essential Tremor

[FrauTremor]

Hello, everone...
So I am hoping that anyone (and everyone) can answer a few questions for me

1. Age when tremors started
2. How long have you had them, years-months
3. How many doctors did you have to see, before getting a correct diag.
4. Does anyone feel as if there life is no longer theirs?

i ask these questions because I am 40 and still have no idea why me... although it may be a dumb question I cant help but ask... I am heathly (on the most part) with a 3yr old boy, and it is so sad when I see him looking at me during a tremor.

any advice or wisedom helpful...
thanks
Eva

[macacoza]

Hello Eva!
To answer your questions...
1. I am now 55 and the tremors have been with me for about 20 yrs or so..maybe longer. At first they are so minor you hardly notice..and then..they grab your attention. thsi also answered your 2nd question..
3. Actually it was the 2nd Dr . I changed Dr's about 13 yrs ago and by then tremors had gotten very noticeable. I went to this DR and he had me try the wine experiment. IT worked on me exactly the way he thought so TADAH...ET...a few years later as tremors worsened he did send me to a neurologist to see if more could be done. The only thing he did was to up the dosage of my meds a lil bit and told me YES..ET was definatley what I had. OVer the yrs the meds has had to be increased and changed. Now I take a combination of propronol and primidone to lesson tremors. IT si nto working as well as it did here lately . My tremors are gettign worse..sighhhhhh..BUT..live with it I will!!!
4. I used to shed a lot of tears over this ET thing...my DR helped me to see that I can live with it. I am nto sayign I dotn get frustrated at times..or sad...effecting my voice saddens me deeply as I can not sing any more. As I said in another post..I have many friends or family with MS..so i do not think i am so bad off when I see their daily struggles!
Chin up hon...life can still be gtreat with ET! ohhhhhhhhh...if you get comfortable with ET it makes it easier for those around you...just say on those days..'HEY, IT IS A BAD SHAKING DAY"..and go about your business!!
deb

[FrauTremor]

I thank you for your input Deb.
My biggest issues these days is wondering if I will be able to find a job, I recently lost mine(nothing to do with ET) and am not sure how to go about explaining to anyone how this could/will effect my ability to work... You see I do customer service both in person adn over the phone. I can hardly stand with the temors, but at the same time I am afraid to move and fall! The other things that bother me is that if I am holding my son William, and the tremors start, I tell him to get down, so that I wont drop him. The jerking in my hands and arms are just there, like breathing, but when my uppoer body starts I have no control, my head hurts, my neck seems to be going on for hours, one side then the other, and both arms at the same time. I have so much I want to do, but cant and I am so dman scared all the time. Today was a good day, but I dont know how I will get through another tremor, at times I wish I was someone esle without the tremors, like I was not so long ago. Like most the more I get upset the more the attacks come... I am having such a hard time. and the past two years have not been easy for my family, last jan (07) my father in law past, in june (07) my husband was diag, with Marfans, and had to have open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve and in mar(08) my oldest brother past. Currently we are waiting for a vist to our doctor for an eval on our 3 yr old William to confirm that he too has Marfans. there is plenty to do, but will I be able to do it. Sorry for ramobling on like this but it feels good to heave someone to talk/type to...

thank you once again for helping me
Eva

today was a good day, I pray you the same

[macacoza]

Sweet Eva,
How horrible it has been for you recently! I pray that things get better and your tension will ease. ARe you taking any meds for ET? Without the meds I can barely function..cna not think..cant write name..and my typing sucks because of ET..haha...Bear with me on the backasswards spelled words..most time I do spell check, but I will leave them this time so you can see what I mean...haha. I am a Realtor, Eva so I deal with folks on a daily basis. On the phone and in person. We go over contracts. I help them to make imporatnat decisions and still I DO IT!! Soem days are better than others...I try to surround myself with positive people even in hard times. 3 yrs ago my sister passed away at 49 of a heart attack..HEart problems are very prevalant in my family...so I also deal with that..I guess Eva what I am trying to say is that you can only do what you can do. Soem days you will find that you breeze thru the day...soem days you will find that you shake most of the day. And there is no rhyme or reason to it soemtimes. Be up front with telling folks tha tyou have a condition called ET..I find most people woudl rather knwo that than to think you are scared or nervous being with them. Read all you can read..and talk to people..we all are different..BUT also we are the same!..i am ehre if you nee dto talk!
Sweet dreams my new firend with ET
deb