Hi, and I apologize for intruding. I tried to make a catchy topic to make up for my invasion here. I will try and provide the best information possible, so that hopefully someone could give me a hand. I thought this would be the best place to post for assistance, as I am sure everyone here is a lot more knowledgeable than I am regarding this, and probably most doctors.

I had initially planned to post this in the thread already made which talked about Lyme and PD, as it did mention hand tremors and the treatment of. However, I don't know if my tremor started before or after my first infection - so I am deciding to treat it as if it's just always been a part of me (my hands, for that matter).

As a teenager, my step-father thought I was the R-word. My mother is an Occupational Therapist and thought something else was going on. However, how they managed healthcare back then, meant same day diagnosis and no follow-ups! She took me to her place of employment and had a co-worker do a Sensory Integration Test on me in which I didn't do perfectly, but I certainly didn't fail horribly.

The first thing noted was my hand tremor which apparently would get worse the more I'd try to to something; like grasping small objects, pointing, tapping one finger while rest of hand was flat, writing, etc. Since my father also has these hand tremors, which they said his were from alcoholism - they called them (I think) familial hand tremors. Another doctor later gave them another name, but I forgot what it was. It just meant my hands shake really bad or move from side to side when I'm trying to focus to do something.

The only other things I didn't do well on were vision and walking. The vision was hyposensitive where I had problems controlling my eye movement, tracking objects, losing spot reading and so on. The walking was called proprioceptive dysfunction and I was over-responsive. It basically meant I was clumsy and ran into everything versus having the ability to walk BY it. My eye doctor last year who ripped me off for vision therapy said that I just have a severe midline shift to my right and possible vestibular problems. Then again, she claimed sitting in a room staring at crazy lights for an hour would cure me, but alas, I still randomly fall while walking.

I have lived this way to the point I was capable of adapting to my not-so-normal ailments. When I am walking, I walk an extra step to my left to avoid hitting things on my right. I got some extremely expensive glasses that help me focus better. The only thing I can't control are my hands, which is now a huge problem for me.

I couldn't complete my college classes in the past because of a hand tremor (Phlebotomy). I am pretty sure no-one would want someone giving them a shot while seeing their hand shaking terribly. I really want to go back to college and get my masters before I am 40. I'm still not feeling confident about it, I got straight A's before, but now I can't even remember how my microwave works sometimes and have to take 5 go's at it before I remember. I am just praying that something goes back into sync in my head and I can go back to being smart. If that works, I will still be left with my hands this way.

I should also mention 'limb resting'. I avoid it at all costs. Like how people will sit in a chair and then kind of tip-toe their feet on the ground. If I do this, my legs will go bonkers! The same thing happens if I try to rest my elbows on a table with my hands on my chin (I don't care if it's polite or not, hah). I'm OK with that though, as I can just not do it and be fine. Heaven only knows if it's normal or not.

Anywho, a new doctor is now checking my father for PD - although I honestly do think it may be alcohol related. He was a really bad alcoholic for as long as I can recall. Heck, I didn't start talking to him until a few years ago when I found out he was clean. It seems like it would make more sense though if it were simply genetic, he has it - I have it. And I do NOT drink alcohol unless I am cooking with it, and in that event the most is a few tablespoons.

My question is, I am 30 years old. Is it safe to assume this isn't going to go away? Are there any home exercises I can do to try and simmer it down? I wish it had a name so I didn't have to keep calling it 'it' like I have my own alien or something. Furthermore, are there any medications specifically for a hand tremor like mine? If so, are they really expensive and so expensive I'd rather keep my tremor?

I honestly would keep it and not mind if I didn't want to go back to college because I am feeling 'stupid'. Heck, deep down I am not confident my brain will work on my side to let me do as well as I have in my past. But based off of the providers I've had in California, I can only assume they are all D students. Seriously though, I want to go from LVP->RN, then RN->BSN, then BSN->MSN/NP. I maintained straight A's and perfect test scores throughout my entire duration in college, granted I had to brainwash myself - but whatever. I guess it sounds stupid, but I am not doing this for money or anything. I'm doing it because I can't get past the idea of starting this and not finishing. And I want to help the people I know around me who can't afford healthcare.

My goal here is as realistic as saving the world, but I'd like to at least give it a try.


I would greatly appreciate any advice on what this may be, how to treat it or better yet, eliminate it. If I can't get rid of it, if there's a way to just make it stop a few hours a day that would even be fine.


Thanks so much for reading and I apologize for babbling for so long. It may not be as long as I thought but my word placement skills are lacking so I spent a good 10 minutes now hitting the backspace key!

I had a hand tremor for 6 years before I finally took it to a doctor when I was 41. That doctor happened to be my gynecologist because that was the only doctor I had at the time. He said to me "There are drugs that can get rid of that." I said, "Fine - but I'd like to know what is causing it before I treat it."

He set up an appointment for me with a neurologist - thinking, but not telling me - that it was Parkinson's all of the time. As soon as I walked into that neurologist's office, I was diagnosed (I waited 1 month and several tests later to rule other things out to confirm the actual dx), and was given medication to calm my tremor - still works, almost 9 years later.

Point is - yes, there are drugs to control your tremor. But what are they worth unless you know the underlying cause? I don't know any reputable doctor who would prescribe to you unless you get a good diagnosis for the cause of your tremors first.

Best of luck!

Carey,

Thanks for the reply. I guess I've never gone in specifically for the tremors which is probably why they weren't ever addressed. I have seen several neurologists (and an epileptologist); but for my Seizures, Trigeminal Neuralgia and BAM's/Headaches. On a few occasions I have mentioned the tremor, and that I've had it for a long time and on a few other occasions I've had them point it out to me, but not appearing to be concerned, "Oh, you have a tremor?".

I always try to stress my concerns more towards my memory, word gathering, and gait problems yet they seem to want to focus on my seizures which are, the least of my concerns (due to them not being as frequent as something that lasts all day, every day). Somehow the tremors are never a topic of discussion that lasts longer than one simple sentence. They just want to give me new, more, or stronger AED's and stick Botox in various places of my head and send me home.

I just lost my insurance, so hopefully if I'm not rejected for a new carrier I will have better luck. I'd entertain asking my Gyn but he's on my S-list until I find a new one.

I understand the entire concept of finding and addressing the root of the problem versus treating the symptoms. It's kind of weird and maybe I have some bad omen, but every time I go to get that done they find a new problem. I think I have some bizarre diagnosis phobia or just a general bitterness for my health care providers. Once I've learned more about insurance and rejection, I'm terrified if they name anything because it always increases my chances of rejection.

Just as an example, in May I went to have a single cyst removed. During that procedure they found 7 more and a 'mass' on my liver. I went to get the liver mass checked out and they found my ureter regurgitates into my kidneys (or something of that nature), then I go to have that checked out and they find a small bowel obstruction. It got to the point I was laughing like a maniac because it didn't even seem to be real. It was almost a relief to lose my insurance because I didn't want to find anything else out anymore.

I probably need therapy.

Anyway, if I get insurance I will try to find the correct person to try and resolve the hand tremors. It's nice to know there's something out there that can treat them, and I'm hoping that would work for me. It would be nice to stop dropping my dishes!

Thanks again for your reply. It is very much appreciated.