TREMOR GIRL

Did you know that March is Essential Tremor Month?  Well it is.  And I know this because I have it.  I was diagnosed with it years and years ago.  I noticed that my hands would shake when I was doing something like writing or holding something in my hand.  I remember I was at a run with Andrew and I was walking across the room with a cup of beer in each hand (one for me and one for him) and my right hand began to twitch so much that I spilled a bit of beer - I was concerned and made a doctor's appointment and he eventually sent me to a specialist.  It didn't take him long to diagnose Essential Tremor or Familial Tremor as it is also known.  I thought for a while that I had Parkinson's.  We discussed medications for it but I decided that the side effects were worse than the actual tremor.  It didn't bother me that people thought I was nervous or had the shakes from the night before.  Besides, alcohol abolishes the tremor for a short time but unfortunately it can't be used as a treatment. :o(
Katharine Hepburn suffered from Essential Tremor but it also caused her head and voice to shake.  I don't think I will be that bad but I am aware of any new twitches.
It really doesn't bother me much in my life - I do have some problems tying knots on the river or stream - it's like threading a needle in the dark - difficult but not impossible.  And I have learned to raise my soup and cereal bowls up to my mouth when I am eating to avoid spillage.  It does get worse when I am excited, as some people have noticed.
With everything else that I could have that affects my health and life, this is minuscule.

That's why I call myself Tremor Girl.