end of year update

Just to let anyone that is curious know how AT is affecting my daily living, I thought I'd write a little about it.

Already being quite thin at 5 feet and 87 pounds, my difficulty in getting food into my mouth is keeping me model runway thin. My decreasing muscle control makes it very hard to get food into my mouth, I have been known to stab myself more than a few times, even with a spoon somtimes the food can disappear from the time the food is on the plate and gets to my mouth, it usually ends up somewhere on the dining room table. On these day my mom needs to help. My dog, Vinnie appreciates it when it lands on the floor, and becomes HIS dinner.

Opening food wrappers and packaging is very hard, my lack of dexterity and my coordination makes it hard to pinch and grasp... no more picking up M&M's for me.

When I operate my wheelchair, I can no longer use my fingers. I move the joystick with the web area between my thumb and finger. I've put many holes in the walls and scratches on the kitchen appliances and furniture. It's a good thing my dad is handy with spackle.

My tremors are increasing, they are especially bad when I am sick or tired. No one can tell by just looking at me, that my muscles are constantly twitching. If some one sits next to me on the couch, they can feel the muscles constantly going into spasms and twitching. Valium can help a little, but it makes me tired and I fall asleep. I've noticed that I get more tired easier now, if I go out for an hour or two, I'm pretty beat, and headed for the couch for a nap. I know tremors use a lot of calories, and they eat up my energy.