What do you think about when you hear the word, "disease"? I bet things like influenza, strep throat, and common colds are some of the first things that pop into your mind. Chronic diseases like arthritis and asthma may also come to mind. I can bet that most diseases that you think of are physical diseases, but when I think of disease or disorders, the first thing that pops into my mind is Parkinson's Disease. It has a physical aspect, but it is actually a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking. Not many people go straight to thinking of Parkinson's, but I do.
Numerous family members of mine have something like Parkinson's Disease, although, it is not. They have something called, "Essential Tremors". This is a nerve disorder causing uncontrollable shaking usually to the top half of the body. The tremors can make easy and everyday tasks so much more difficult. These tremors can make something as easy as feeding yourself a challenge. A person with these tremors can have difficulty using a spoon or picking up a glass without spilling what is inside. It is really hard to watch a family member struggle through daily tasks that seem so simple when you are healthy.
My grandfather actually has Essential Tremors, and a few years ago he had a surgery called "deep brain stimulation". This surgery implanted wires into his brain to send electrical currents from a battery pack (located in his chest) to shock the nerves in his brain to reverse his shaking. It was a pretty serious surgery, and it is a serious condition. In addition, my grandfather had to be awake during this surgery, because he only shakes when he is awake. Being awake, the surgeons could test where to place the wires accurately in his brain, so that the electrical currents would control his tremors. Before he was diagnosed with Essential Tremors, our family and doctors full-heartedly believed that he had Parkinson's Disease because the two are so similar. During this time, I was a sophomore in high school. One day, a class of mine was in the library looking for books, and a girl came across a book that was called "Parkinson's Disease". You will honestly not believe what came out of her mouth, because I could not and still cannot. The girl pulls the book off the shelf, and proclaims, "Oh my god, Parkinson's disease is so disgusting. They should just... control themselves..." I could not believe my ears. This girl thinks that something that someone cannot help is "disgusting". Let me just say, she had no right to be ignorant after the education she received within the next few minutes from me. I was not happy. I was angry, to be honest. Angry because of the obvious, and how judgmental and ignorant people can be towards others. I included this fable to exhibit how judgmental people can be due to their own ignorance.
Parkinson's and Essential Tremors are extremely hard to cope with whether you have been diagnosed with or witnessing it. I would love for everyone to understand how these disorders affect the diagnosed and the families because it affects everyone. Hopefully, this helped educate those who are not familiar with uncontrollable tremors dip their toes into the water of Parkinson's Disease and Essential Tremors.
