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Essay On Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy

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Muscle weakness is commonly associated with my genetic disease, but it’s more than that. Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy, or MMD for short, is a whirl of dizziness, fatigue, and frustration. The list can go on and on, but you’re not here to listen about that. I’ll start with where it all began. Just about three years ago I decided to get back into running track because I suddenly had more free time on my hands. I ran about four laps around my neighborhood track field, when I noticed that breathing began to feel heavy, so I decided to call it quits. I went back home and laid down, my breathing became slower and it seemed that it took more energy to inhale and exhale. I didn’t think too much of it, I blamed it on me being out of shape. Two days after my breathing had remained the same, heavy …show more content…

My doctor told me this disease was passed down from my mom, she got it from her mom, her mom got it from my great grandmother, and so on. When the mutation gets passed down each generation, the CTG in the DNA expands even more which causes the symptoms to be more severe. When my doctor saw fear in my face, she reassured me that there are therapies to treat the disease even though there isn’t cure. Ever since that day, two hours of two days out of each week has been dedicated to helping me cope with this disease. On Mondays, I attend physical therapy which helps me retain and build my strength in specific muscles, hands and arms. Thursdays, I attend occupational therapy which builds on top of physical therapy by helping me use my learned skills and apply them to everyday things such as chores. There are therapies to help with physically but not emotionally. Over time my face has become droopy due to the weakening of my facial muscles. I am comfortable with myself, however when people see me, I can’t help to notice that they stare at me. Everyday with MMD seems to be an obstacle, but I know I’ll overcome

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