Biography

I first suspected something was wrong in 2010. I was 50 years old at the time and studying welding at a technical college. Manual welding requires a high level of manual dexterity. I noticed that I was not steady enough to be a good welder. In all other areas of my life, I was unaffected and would have been unaware if not for my experience with welding. It took me a while to get to a neurologist because I was one of the many Americans who had no health insurance. By 2014 my tremors got so bad that I couldn’t write and it was taking me a long time and lots of effort to do things like tying my shoes. In 2016 I was able to get some insurance and was finally able to see a neurologist. I also made an application to be seen at a movement disorders clinic, however, I had to wait about six months. In the meantime, I received my diagnosis and medication from the neurologist with a local medical group. He sent me off with a prescription for Mirapex and that provided some welcome relief from stiffness, slowness of movement and tremor. I also suffered the side effect of drowsiness. When I got to the movement disorders clinic they changed my medication right away. They reduced the amount of Mirapex and introduced carbidopa levodopa into my regimen. That made a big difference, however nothing really removes my tremor completely and so I’m still unable to engage in my favorite hobby which is welding. Other than that I’m fairly healthy. I exercise regularly taking long walks with my canine companion, my blood pressure is perfect I don’t have prediabetes or obesity.