To my host family,
There were so many things that I was never able to tell you when I was in India—so many things that I left unsaid but that you all deserve to know. Well, I am just going to jump right into in and tell you everything.
I assume that Kakoli ma’am told you that the shaking of my hands and head are from a condition called essential tremors. If she didn’t well now you know. But I think you need some back story to really understand my whole situation. I’ve had essential tremors for as long as I can remember. Really the earliest memory I have of someone asking me about it is in grade 2. So it’s not new and Iv’e had to live with it for most of my life. Actually I’m not the only one in my family to have essential tremor—my brother,
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Dystonia is basically a movement disorder that causes painful twisting of the neck. I tried medications but none helped and I tried botox injections but they also did not help. My only other option at the time would have been brain surgery and I decided not to opt for surgery. Before I came to India I didn’t realize how much it affected me. I lived my life in the USA making small adjustments and using coping skills that I didn’t even know I was using. So once I got to India it was shocking to see how much it really affected me and others around me. I though I was over it before I came to India, I really did. But as it turns out having a chronic condition isn’t something I can just get over—it’s something I have to continually deal with. I am thankful for seeing this now and will be going back to the neurologist to hopefully improve my quality of life. There is more though to the whole situation than just being diagnosed with essential tremor and dystonia. No one in my family except my mom knows I was diagnosed with dystonia. You see in my family it’s shameful to have these conditions so my mom never told anyone and neither did I. Not even my brother or dad know I have dystonia. My mom and
When I was just seven-years old, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I’d been having small and frequent seizures my entire life without ever knowing of it until one day when I was shelling walnuts in front of the fireplace. Everything I ever knew was being stripped away from me. I no longer had control over any of the muscles in my body, my ability to speak, my actions, nor my sight. All I could do was relax and wait for my brain to catch up and regain control over my body. My life has been changed by epilepsy, but I will never let it control my life.
I will be talking about a time in my life that was not easy that i had to go through. When I was around age 5 my mom noticed a lot of twitching and blinking of my eyes she was worried and had no idea what it was, so she took me to the doctor. They said I had focal seizures, as a little kid you don’t really understand or know how to feel. But I could just remember my mom constantly worried about me. The reason behind me having these seizures, was when I was born there was a part on my lower brain that didn’t form so it left scar tissue and was causing them. But at the time we were still living in Texas the doctors tried multiple surgeries, but none of them helped so we moved to Tennessee for better doctoring. That’s when I started going to Vanderbilt and ever since then it’s been a journey.
Finding Your Dreams :Hopes and Dreams in The Absolute True Diary of a Part-time Indian
I then explained to Monique that when commanded, to tilt her head backwards, close her eyes and count the passage of 30 seconds in her head. Once the time elapsed, open her eyes, look straight ahead and advised me to stop. I then demonstrated the test for Monique. After my demonstration, Monique advised she understood. I then gave the command for her to begin. Monique closed her eyes and tilted her head back. As she was counting in her head, I observed Monique to have eye lid tremors. I also observed Monique to have a 2"-3" sway left to right. Monique then told me to stop. Monique estimated the passage of 30 seconds in 21 seconds. I then told Monique to turn around and place her hands behind her
The. “The flight to India.” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/oct/21/india.politics. Accessed 4 April 2024. Shields, David, et al.
“Holy Cow, An Indian Adventure,” by Sarah MacDonald, is a book written describing Sarah’s experience living in India. She goes through many tough times and endures life changing experiences that eventually make her the person she is meant to be. In this book Sarah relates India to western perspective several times. India and the United States do have similarities, India and the United States both are run by a Democracy, they both have very strong cast systems; both have their own “Hollywood” films, and both places have many religions mixed within.
At the time of my diagnosis, I could not speak and could only make sounds and screams. I for example would scream at the fridge and my mom would figure out that I was hungry. It got really difficult because I would scream for hours because my mom wouldn’t know what I wanted. I would also have frequent meltdowns where I would bang my head on the wall along with screaming and crying. To this day I can’t recall what made me so upset. My mom was the only person who could touch me and I would freak out if anyone else
The United States and India are very similar and different in various areas of life. These subsections describe their similarities and differences in a concise fashion. The Social aspect of both India and the United States refers to the societies within these two nations. Indian society is much more traditional, conservative, and religious.
India is a country that has always been influenced by cultures around it, the Muslim invaders from the West, the Chinese Buddhists from the East, and the European colonial powers from the Sea. (Difference, 2011) It is the second largest country by population in the world, and has a bustling economy and a liberal democracy for government. Time is fast in India, and getting faster. In cities like Mumbai, where century old neighborhoods are being torn up for new construction, and massive projects are underway to modernize the country, there is a spirit of revival and youth that drives the country
I have been closely following the news in the past months and I have noted a continuum in the coverage of the medical condition of one person who for many symbolizes the virtues of man, has been associated with the liberation of the minds of people under the communist era, has firmly supported the foundations of the Catholic faith and has been inspiration for many - the current Pope John Paul II. The newspaper photos of his almost expressionless face and the constant trembling hand which have started hindering his public activities and my deep respect to the his achievements made me look into the roots of the Parkinson's disease and its effects on behavior.
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
Essential tremors, the most common form of tremors, are prevalent at some scale in approximately 98% of the elderly population. This type of tremor becomes more severe with age, rendering simple daily tasks such as cooking and writing very difficult, due to the involuntary movement. With such a large percentage of senior citizens affected, much of the population would benefit from a solution to this issue. Therefore, this study demonstrates an experimental design that has been created to reduce oscillations caused by the tremors, thus increasing hand dexterity in tremor sufferers. To do this, a combination of gyroscopes and weight were made into a glove that patients could wear to counteract movement from the tremor, allowing the patient to
Parkinson’s disease is a disease that affects the way a person moves. Movement for a parkinson’s sufferer can be slow and shaky. There are different types of parkinson’s, multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP),normal pressure hydrocephalus and tremors including essential tremors, dystonic tremors, indeterminate tremors and atypical tremors. These tremors are all part of this disease and affect all patients in different ways.
I also felt scared and very worried about Mrs Bee, however, I mentally told myself to remain calm and composed, and gently support Mrs Bee through whatever she was experiencing. Concerns arose as I thought about what may have happened had I panicked externally, distressing Mrs Bee or had she fallen as a result of her tremor. After speaking to the registered nurse I felt a bit incompetent for not being able to identify the condition or symptoms, nevertheless I felt as though I handled the situation well and by remaining calm this eased Mrs Bee through her tremor. Lastly, I felt intrigued and curious about the cause, symptoms, and treatment options for essential tremors, and wanted to research this further.
Department of Health and Human Services, in some patients, tremor happens in conjunction with a neurological disorder, while in other patients it happens due to use of certain drugs. Nevertheless, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2012), notes “The most common form of tremor, however, occurs in otherwise largely healthy people” (para. 1). Although most tremors neither cause severe health problems nor threaten life, most patients experience many difficulties in performing daily activities. It is very embarrassing to many people, especially older individuals. Tremor may lessen quality of life, and reduce ability to perform daily life tasks such as eating, drinking, writing, and changing clothing. Some patients with mild tremor do not visit doctors if tremor does not hinder their daily life activities. Their situations often worsen over time. Tremors can rarely affect children, and there is no data on the popularity of the disease in childhood (Harvard Medical School,