Essential Tremor

JcMack

JcMack

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I am reluctant to write of this but illness and aggravating disease are often discussed on this forum, so please bare with me. I have something called essential tremor and it has over the years advanced from a mild disturbance, to aggravating and is now a genuine PIA. I'm told by my Neurologist it's not Parkinson's I have but shares the tremors/shaking hands associated with that disease. Also it seems to run in families and I remember my father had symptoms lighter than mine. But I'm 74 and he died at 64 and there's no way to know how he would have done with it. I've been given Primidone to relieve the symtoms and it works well. The trade off is I can't sleep and when I do sleep I get nightmares from the depths of hell. Anybody else got this ****?
 
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I've dealt with back issues for years; surgeries, etc. In the last year I've developed essential tremors, especially in my right hand. An annoying issue. If I lift or am holding something with some weight, I don't shake. But something light like an eating utensil or coffee cup, it's more noticeable :confused:
 
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Bag dreams no, tremors yes.

Mom had them so I inherited, started at 60 a couple of years ago with minor twitching then shaking when holding utensils.

I can still write and don’t see any issues with shooting handguns yet, but I plan to adapt as best I can without meds.

FWIW coffee seems to increase symptoms for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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I have it. It started in my early 50's and I am 66 now. My Mother also had them.

My right hand is worse than my left, so I do more and more with my left hand. I tried the medication, and didn't like the side effects, but I don't remember exactly what it was I didn't like because it was several years ago that I tried medication.

Sometimes the shaking is much worse than others.

I can still shoot pretty accurately, even though I shake quite a bit.

It does seem to be getting worse, and I may reconsider medication at some point.
 
I thought my father had it the last time I took him pistol shooting. His shakes were sad to see. However, the paranoia that he began to show during that and subsequent visits to the US indicated his issue was somewhat more serious. Eventually some kind of fullblown dementia quickly set in and he passed in 2011.
 
Mine started in the late 90's when I was about 50. It has progressed over the years (I'm pushing 74). I was diagnosed with BET at age 55 +/-. They call them Benign Essential Tremors because it's not Parkinson's. People with PD generally shake when they are at rest where BET happens when you use your muscles, like holding your head still or doing something with your hands. I retired from aviation (and any thing else for that matter) at 59. No one wants a pilot with the shakes. My head would start to shake on final approach after a five hour flight from the west coast.

I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV, but alcohol does help BUT only temporarily. When the juice wears off the tremors come back. Drinking is out of the question. I do drink coffee, but I have found no appreciable difference with or without. Touch screen phones, tablets and computers are a NO-GO for me. I can't touch what I'm aiming at.

Drugs I was given, with their ever increasing dosage only worked until a tolerance developed, calling for higher dosages.

To JcMack and tbrock (and any one else out there), hang in there. A good wife to write the checks, fill out forms, etc. is a must for me.
 
My brother-in-law had essential tremors and I know from his experience that it was very uncomfortable and can be debilitating ..... I pray that your experience will be better and that you will be able to rest comfortably at night and cope with it during the day. God Bless!!

Don
 
Yup, started for me about ten years ago when in my late 50s. At the time I was sometimes doing internal iPhone repairs, and dealing with tiny screws that make a pin head look big caused me to come up with some bracing techniques that I now use unconsciously. It's gotten slightly worse over time but still not too bad.
 
I have it in my right hand and arm. I have learned to eat with my left hand.
My daughter does all of my heavy writing and signing like all of the forms at medical facilities. The shake is better when I am relaxed.
What is strange, even when my right hand is shaking, I can with a two hand hold aim my pistol with no problem.
 
Thanks to all for advice, commiseration and experiences on my problem. My problem is exacerbated by the fact I take a dual purpose BP/HEART RYTHM med. One of it's side effects is "shakiness". I'm dead set against taking pills that are for problems I can live with.
 
Had a bad case of Phantom Vibration Syndrome from carrying my phone in my back pocket all day. After researching,and not carrying the phone,the vibrations stopped after a couple weeks
 
I've had the problem since the late 90's. First noticed it when using a computer ,,,I couldn't push the mouse around smoothly and stop where I wanted to. I would push it in quick jerky motions.

Then I started seeing and feeling it in my engraving work. Holding the chisel in my left hand, was not a problem untill I placed the point onto the work.
Then my hand would start to shake. It got so bad that the other end of the chisel handle was wobblng around so bad that my hammer strikes were glancing and at times even missing.

I found if I could rest by left wrist holding the chisle on the vise edge or work piece it self while engraving,,no shaking. But you can't always plan on that being the case.
Then I used a rolled up towel against my chest to press my left wrist against.
That worked,,kind of.

Medications,,several. Even Botox shots given to nerves in that arm to deaden them (which is what Botox does).
That worked for a while, then the Botox wears off and you are back to your old shakey self again.
More Botox,,you can't re-take the stuff too soon or the effects decline.
You can't use it forever either.


Drinking helps a alot, but wears off as mentioned.
Lots of engravers were known to have part-taken quite a bit. Maybe that's one of the reasons.

Now it's catarac surgery time later this month.
 
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A friend of mine has ET pretty badly. Shooting at this point is kind of pointless as he can only hold off the shakes a short time by pressing both arms together very hard. Without doing that, shooting one or two handed is pretty sad. I have a laser on a couple of my guns and watching it dance in sort of a figure 8 at 30 feet is just strange. He did take somethings for it, but he had all kinds of side effects and I don't think he takes anything now. He can't write well, or use a soldering iron, but he can still type OK. My hands are rock steady, but they hurt all time, and the last couple of days have been brutal. I don't know what set them off.
 
JcMack;14132901 I'm dead set against taking pills that are for problems I can live with.[/QUOTE said:
Me too! Take a pill and it has a bad side effect. Doc gives you a pill for side effect and it has a different side effect. Doc gives you a pill for that side effect and before long you have a hand full of pills. Larry
Click to expand...
 
JcMack both of my parents had essential tremors . My mother was much worse than dad.
I guess I have inherited it as I've had tremors sense about 18 years old. I learned to live with it but at 66 1/2 years old it has gotten really bad to the point it is very hard to eat without wearing half my food .
As for shooting I've given up !!
My main home defense gun is now a 12 ga. shotgun loaded with buckshot.
When I was still working some of the guy's used to bust my chop's and called me shaky Bob.
I feel for anyone that has it as I've delt with it most of my life.
 
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