Coping With Essential Tremor (et)

Have you ever seen people in public whose hand or hands shake?
Have you thought to yourself, they must have Parkinson’s or
maybe they have had too much to drink? Sometimes you may even
make fun of them or try not to be around them
Each day “you” get up and brush your teeth, button your shirt,
tie your laces, and can hold a cup of coffee, but people with
advance tremor can only do this with great difficulty Most
people with ET don’t have a social life and go to great lengths
to hide their shaking They avoid having to hold anything and
will often use two hands when they do In public or around
strangers most will avoid eating and drinking until they can do
it unobserved
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF ET?
Essential Tremor is the most common form of tremor ET was
called benign tremor but there is nothing benign about it It is
often mistaken for Parkinson’s, and can affect people of any age
The disorder will usually get worse with age Today, there are
more than 20 different kinds of tremor, so people suffering with
ET must be diagnosed carefully
ET can be involuntary, oscillating, wobbling, rhythm tic, or a
movement or shaking of your head, arm, hand, or torso or a
combination of these
It can occur on one side, or both sides of the body Common
types of tremor are: Resting, Postural, Task Specific, Essential
and Parkinson’s
A family history will be present but not always Millions of
people are affected by tremor in the United States alone ET is
a neurological disorder that is more common with aging but can
be present at any age, even in the teen years
Postural tremor occurs in the arms and hands during movement and
no action or drugs are known to cause the problem Head, voice
and neck tremor may or may not be present
ET causes uncontrollable shaking of the hands, voice, torso,
head, legs and other parts of the body and will increase in
severity when trying to perform an action of any kind
If you have the disorder or know someone who has, seek out a
neurologist who has training in this field
WHAT IS THE TREATMENT FOR ET?
Many different drugs are available to treat ET, such as
Propananol, Primidone, Sotalol, Atenolol and various others
Before much was known about the disorder, even valium was
mistakenly prescribed as a treatment While the different drugs
may help, they are not a cure They will not completely do away
with the symptoms of the disease, but will help to improve the
lives of those affected Many individuals with ET find that drug
treatment eventually becomes ineffective and other forms of
treatment may be required (surgery)
When all else fails to control the disorder surgery may be
required Brain stimulators are used which interfere with or
block the bad signals sent by the brain This type of surgery
has fewer complications than other surgery and is also
reversible
While surgery may sound like a scary procedure, the results can
make it all worthwhileno more drugs, a social life, a job you
have always wanted, and no more trying to hide the symptoms of
the disease
With a little knowledge and persistence most people suffering
from ET can learn to live a normal and productive life

Tags | benign, coffee, disorder, drugs, essential, family, kinds, laces, neurological, neurologist, parkinson, rhythm, torso, tremor, voice