The thumb danced and jiggled back and forth. It was as if an
alien was controlling it.
The alien’s name is Essential Tremor. It was a foreign
experience to this five-year-old girl. She was trying to complete a connect-the-dots picture with great effort. Yet, this experience was unusual for her. Despite being diagnosed with ET for over a year, she has remained relatively tremor free or with a slight tremor that does not seem to bother her. Yet, after a week of late nights due to her
participation in the school play, her shake emerged. She looked at her thumb in
amazement. Like why is my thumb shaking so crazy like. She held the thumb up and simply watched it.
“My thumb is shaky,” she said.
“That’s because you’re tired,” I replied and then explained she had a shake (Essential Tremor) like Daddy and it got worse when she was tired.
There was little she could do without shaking. As she ate
her bread, she shook. As she tried to complete a connect-the-dots game and a
maze, she shook. “I explained that daddy had the same shake.”
I asked her what she thought of that and there was silence
as she watched cartoons. The silence was broken by a burp. I said, “oh really!
That’s amazing. That’s what you think.”
We both laughed. Nothing else needed to be said.
Tiredness can bring out tremors.
This tremor, for the most part, is not a part of her daily life for now. It
does however show itself some times and gives a glimpse into this little girl’s
future.
The neurologist said we should be accepting and provide accommodations. So we try not to call attention to it and provide accommodations without her noticing. There will be a time in the future when we will need to discuss it and possibly treat it. For now, she is a beautiful little girl that is learning cartwheels and handstands. She is learning to read and write. Most importantly, despite her shake, she is learning to write and stay with in the lines when she draws. She takes such care and loves art. Her determination and spirit are truly quite amazing.
March is Essential Tremor month. Learn more about ET at IETF.
The neurologist said we should be accepting and provide accommodations. So we try not to call attention to it and provide accommodations without her noticing. There will be a time in the future when we will need to discuss it and possibly treat it. For now, she is a beautiful little girl that is learning cartwheels and handstands. She is learning to read and write. Most importantly, despite her shake, she is learning to write and stay with in the lines when she draws. She takes such care and loves art. Her determination and spirit are truly quite amazing.
March is Essential Tremor month. Learn more about ET at IETF.
