Wednesday, September 3, 2014

In Memory Of

When you're 23 years old, you shouldn't be thinking about your own mortality.
You shouldn't feel like getting out of bed every day is a struggle.
You shouldn't perfect that fake smile and laugh when you're really writhing in pain.
You shouldn't be wishing that your quality of life could be better.
You shouldn't be terrified of the future and wonder how in the world you will survive another day of your life.

September is Dystonia Awareness Month. 

I made this blog to uplift, provide information, support, share personal struggles, triumphs, and offer a tiny beacon of hope to those suffering. All I've ever wanted was to inform those who want to be informed and be a safe harbor where other people suffering from this horrible disorder can go.

I try so hard not to complain. I try so hard not to despair and truly live in the moment.
I have tried to count my blessings and focus on how incredibly blessed I am and focus on all the good in my life.

Don't be fooled.
I live in a constant war zone-it's just not a visible war.
I am good at deceiving people. I am good at playing the part of a normal 23 year old woman with a great job and an amazing baby girl. 

But it's awareness month, and I have to tell the truth. The honest, ugly truth. My symptoms are not visible because my Dystonia is reasonably controlled to the extent that I can hide it. But it's there. Its. ALWAYS. THERE. It is my demon and my burden and my dark cloud and I can't escape it.

The truth is, I'm tired. I'm tired every single day when I wake up and assess how my body is feeling. I'm tired when I go to bed every day and I feel the spasms cascading down the back of my head and all around my neck.

The truth is, without treatment, my head and neck bob up and down, side to side, contract without release with such force I swear my neck will break. I swear it almost happened once; before I was diagnosed; the first ER trip I had to make 6 years ago.

My heart breaks when I pick up my daughter and she is so heavy that it starts to affect my neck and I can't hold her anymore.
I'm scared when I think about what will happen to me when I become immune to one of the only forms of treatment available out there-botox injections, about 10-20 needle pokes directly into my neck muscles.
What will happen to me?
Will I need deep brain stimulation? 
Will I qualify?
Will it spread?
Will the pain I'm in get worse as time goes on?
Will I start to give up and resign myself to the fact that my body is broken and I am disabled?
Will I be able to work? 
Will I be able to travel?
Will I be bed bound?
Will I want to die?

Because that is the truth. I am disabled.

I try to ignore the war going on inside my brain and body; it is absolute chaos inside myself and I feel completely betrayed by my own body. The pressure is unbelievable. I feel so much weight and pressure from the shoulders up I can barely see straight some days. Some days I'm so dizzy from forcing my head to be straight when it really just wants to contort to the left that I feel nauseous and dizzy and cranky and mad and bitter and it changes who I am.

This wasn't supposed to happen,
This wasn't supposed to happen,
This wasn't supposed to happen.

I was only 17.

I have what my doctor considers a "mild case," which is absolutely insane to me because of how horrible I feel.

How do I describe what Cervical Dystonia feels like? It changes every day.

Right now, I feel like my muscles from the shoulders up the top of my head are dancing, but not in a friendly way. If I completely relax my body, my head is contorted to the left, sometimes right, and sometimes I lose it completely and have a random tremor and my muscles tighten and my neck takes off in whatever direction it feels like going. And it hurts. 

The pressure on my head is unbelievable. This sounds weird, but I can FEEL my brain misfiring. I can feel it. I felt it 6 years ago when my symptoms first started and I straight up told my parents, "It's my brain. I can feel it. It's my brain." 

Every time I take a deep breath in my jaw locks up and it's hard to breathe. 
 I am constantly fidgeting, adjusting, touching my face, ears, hair, using any sensory trick I can to try to feel in control.

A good attitude and a positive outlook helps; but it doesn't cure. It doesn't take away from the suffering. 

These words are not exactly inspirational, but it is awareness month, and this is what is happening. My goal for this month is to be raw and honest and not sugarcoat anything.

This is a terrible disorder. And I'm angry. No, I'm fucking pissed. 

 I'm sure a lot of people are now familiar with ALS because of the amazing advocacy done through the ice bucket challenge. 

To me, Dystonia feels like the opposite of ALS. The muscles contort, twist, tighten, and move with no mercy and without permission. More people have Dystonia than ALS. 
 300,000 people in the US and Canada are known to have Dystonia. That's only a fraction of the real number. And that doesn't include the thousands that are misdiagnosed because doctors don't know what Dystonia is and that doesn't include all the kind souls from across the globe who I know are suffering. 


Where is our ice bucket challenge? Where is our knowledge and awareness and research? Why am I not screaming from the rooftops that something has to be done??

I'm sick of having to explain to DOCTORS what Dystonia is.

To be honest, I cannot imagine living another 10 years like this.
And that is the honest truth.
I am not suicidal by any means, but I cannot wait for the day where I enter those pearly gates with a healed body and know no more pain.
I can't wait for all of this to some day make sense.


I don't let Dystonia stop me from living my life but the facts are what they are.

There is no cure.
And it is progressive.

How do I wrap my head around that?
Is that even possible?
God, where are you?


I hurt. 
Dystonia doesn't discriminate. Babies are born with it. Children develop it way too young. It effects teenagers like it did me, and it effects the elderly and the middle-aged. 

We need help. We need research. We need awareness. We need funding. And we need to tell the truth.

We are in the process of trying to petition to the White House to OFFICIALLY make September Dystonia Awarenes Month.

Anyone who reads this-could you do one thing for me?
Click on the link. Sign the petition. It takes 5 minutes.

https://www.facebook.com/makeseptemberdystoniaawarenessmonth




I will be posting more of my truths throughout this month, as every day is different and that is the terrifying part of Dystonia. Maybe next week I'll feel great. Maybe I won't. 
And that my friends, is the problem: WE DON'T KNOW.

I wish I could remember what I was like when I was 16, before all of this happened. A part of me died when Dystonia came to life and I feel like I have a commitment to the girl I was before this happened to make the best of the hand I was dealt. I think I smiled a lot. I had a lot of all-nighters with my best girl friends. I was happy. Rebellious. Always on the go. In love. I had a dream to go to college down South but instead I spent the better part of my senior year of high school bed bound, stuck in a contorted position with my head being pulled to the left with indescribable pressure. I had around the clock care; I couldn't walk and I couldn't get my own food and I was completely dependent on my family and my then-boyfriend. 
I lost 25 pounds in 3 weeks and got down to 92 pounds.
I was on so many medications I couldn't tell you my name.
I cried all the time. All.the.time.



And that is no way to live. That IS NOT a quality life. 


And that is what I am realistically facing if a cure is not found. 

Dystonia, you're a mean, cold-hearted bitch, but I will continue to learn to make friends with you and not let you win.
What's the fun in going down without a fight??

That is but a fraction of my truth. I'm suffering but I'm pushing on. Giving up would be so much easier but that is simply not an option.

In case you are a newbie and don't know what Dystonia is :

Dystonia causes involuntary repetitive twisting and sustained muscle contractions. These result in abnormal movements and postures. The symptoms usually begin in one body region, such as the neck, face, vocal cords, an arm or a leg, and then may spread to other parts of the body. When dystonia affects children, it often starts in a leg before spreading to other limbs and trunk. In adults, dystonia tends to remain localized to a body region and frequently affects first the upper body.

Dystonia usually occurs or worsens during voluntary movement. It may also happen with movement of other unaffected body regions or when the affected body part is at rest. Dystonia may lead to sustained fixed postures potentially causing permanent contractures. The symptoms of dystonia typically increase during stress, emotional upset or fatigue, and decrease during rest and sleep. Many people living with dystonia can temporarily suppress their symptoms by using “sensory tricks”. These are a unique feature of dystonia, consistent of touching the affected or an adjacent body part to decrease the pulling or posturing.


I have heard stories of people that have committed suicide because they could not take the pain of Dystonia.
That shouldn't be a reality anyone has to live or die with. 
But it's terrifying, and I understand it.

When I start spiraling into my pit of despair and pain and fear and I start to ask "Why Me?" I then ask myself..."Why not me?" I got this.
I think.

 I keep moving because God blessed me with the perfect reason to keep moving. He works in strange ways. 









Keep smiling, friends. Or try. 







12 comments:

  1. Hi! So I started out researching Dystonia for a class I am taking right now, but am so glad I was able to stumble upon your blog and read about your story. I just wanted to tell you that you are heard, and seen, and that I can relate to you in the sense of being trapped in your own body. However, I can not imagine what Dystonia is really like. I wanted you to know I clicked on your link, liked the Facebook page, shared some info on my wall, and will be letting everyone know about the petition, which I definitely signed! I hope you continue to fight, and I hope this blog can bring you peace and happiness. You deserve it. Keep fighting girl! I'll do my best to support you and Dystonia Awareness. <3

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  2. I believe I have this too. Not diagnose . Get yourself hooked in with a chirapractor that does massage therapy. It helps the tight muscles. I believe this has to do with neck and upper back being out of adjustment. Once in the tremors and pain is less.

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  3. As a sign of gratitude for how my husband was saved from ALS, i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
    My husband was diagnosed of ALS in 2013 and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, he always have trouble swallowing , and he always complain of Weakness of the body . we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony by someone who was cured and so many other with similar body problem, and he left the contact of the doctor who had the cure to ALS. I never imagined ALS has a natural cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my husband will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my husband used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life. ALS has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony.

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  4. For as long as i can recall i have been told to fix my posture, did PT trying to fix my posture. Im 45 yrs old, i have had 2 cervical fusions, been in a wheel chair learning to walk again and when the tremors began they told me i had anxiety disorder. I havent been able to turn my neck to the right for so long i cant remember when i could. Now my arms and hands go numb when i sleep and when i called my surgeon he sent me for an EMG for carpal tunnel. Thankfully, this new doc told me i have CD and can get botox injections. I say thankfully because I am so tired of doctors pushing me aside and trying to treat anxiety. Im afraid to ride a bike because i cant turn my neck, its so hard to drive in heavy traffic because im afraid i wont see someone changing lanes. My muscles hurt so incredibly bad. My head feels heavy, my arms feel heavy, holding this phone is heavy and burns so bad. I used to love swimming and i cant do it without a life jacket, i feel like a moron. So when a doc offers antianxiety and i get pissed, they point their finger and tell me my reaction isnt normal. Im laying her with a miami j collar on hoping tonight this will help me sleep.
    Im not thankful to have CD but i am thankful to know im not alone.

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  5. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE GREAT DEED HE HAVE DONE FOR MY DAUGHTER?
    My daughter suffered from dystonia for more than 7 years which we started experiencing in her when she turned 4 year and 5 months we all thought it will end but got even worse as days went by. We tried all several treatments and therapy prescribed by various doctors we met but to no avail, she lost total concentration and always complain of neck discomfort . She usually tells me she haves jerky head movements . This were steady disorder that disrupted her entire life, even at night she slept less because of this.It was during a casual conversation with a friend that i learned about Dr Williams herbal medicine I was able to contact him on his email address. and give him all the necessary information that he needed,few day later he sent me the herbal portion and his medicine was able to restore her back to normal and she is very okay now without any side effects whatsoever. If you have dystonia , do not hesitate to contact him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product. I hope this also helps someone out there.

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  6. I am Shelley from Los Angeles,California, I want to testify on how i got cured from cervical dystonia, I have suffered from cervical dystonia since the year 2011 with so mush pain,that i have to spend so mush money getting pain relief in the hospital, and I have visited several doctor ,but all to no avail, my world was gradually coming to an end because of the constant muscle contractions and pain , until i saw a post in a health forum about a herbal Dr Williams who use herbal portion in curing people from different kind of diseases including dystonia, at first i doubted if it we be able to cure me, but i decided to give it a try, when i contacted this herbal doctor via his email, he prepared a herbal portion and sent it to me via courier service, when i received this herbal medicine, he gave me step by step instructions on how to apply it, when i applied it as instructed, i was completely free from dystonia just for 1 months of usage,i we recommend this to all my friend family in the world today who still suffering from dystonia you can contact him through his email on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help.

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  7. Thanks to Dr Williams I am so mush happy today, I have been suffering from dystonia for the past 8 years now, and i have spent a lot on western drugs which has all proved abortive, i have tried all means in life to become dystonia free , but there was no answer until i decided to try herbal solution and i found Dr Williams online and i contacted him and after I took his medication as instructed, i am now completely free from dystonia within one month of usage, i am so much happy, thanks to Dr Williams for helping me get my life back again without any form of crisis, i promise to tell your name and good deeds to the whole world,if you have dystonia you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product.

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  8. It was during my research on HIV/Herpes that I stumbled upon the Hiv/Herpes information; information which is quite easy to find when doing a search for STD on google. I was into conspiracy at the time thought of HIV/Herpes Cured' being a conspiracy was something Ignorance though,I found pretty interesting about herbal medicine. I asked questions about the Herbal cure's on official HIV/Herpes websites and I was banned for doing so by moderators who told me that I was parroting Hiv/Herpes propaganda. This reinforced my belief that there is a cure for Hiv/Herpes Then i found a lady from germany name Achima Abelard Dr Itua Cure her Hiv so I send him a mail about my situation then talk more about it and send me his herbal medicine I drank for two weeks.And today I'm Cured no Hiv/Herpes in my life,I searched for Hiv/Herpes groups to attempt to make contact with people in order to learn more about Hiv/Herpes Herbal Cure's I believed at this time that you with the same disease this information is helpful to you and I wanted to do the best I could to spread this information in the hopes of helping other people.That Dr Itua Herbal Medicine makes me believes there is a hope for people suffering from,Parkinson's disease,Schizophrenia,Cancer,Scoliosis,Fibromyalgia,Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva.Infertility, ,Epilepsy ,Diabetes ,Coeliac disease,,Arthritis,Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,Alzheimer's disease,Adrenocortical carcinoma.Asthma,Allergic diseases.Hiv_ Aids,Herpes,Inflammatory bowel disease ,Copd,Diabetes,Hepatitis,I read about him online how he cure Tasha and Tara,Conley,Mckinney and many more suffrin from all kind of disease so i contacted him . He's a herbal doctor with a unique heart of God, Contact Emal..drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com Phone or whatsapp..+2348149277967.

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  9. I am Karen from Canada, I once suffered from cervical dystonia,for more than 30 years , the doctor told me there was no permanent cure i was given medications to slow down its progress, i constantly felt my health was deteriorating as i constantly had jerky head movements and muscles contract ,this ailment was really terrible especially when am going out with my friends, i have this constant disorder for about 30 years, this was really a terrible ailment ,on thin one day that i was going through the internet,and i came across a post of Mrs Jessica on how her daughter was been cured from cervical dystonia through the help of Dr Williams herbal product, I contacted this herbal doctor via his email and explain everything to him and make purchase of his product,few days later he sent me the herbal medicine through courier service, when i received the herbal medicine, i used it for 1 months as prescribed by Dr Williams and i was totally cured within those week of usage,on thin now i have not experience any sign or characteristics again for more information you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help .

    ReplyDelete
  10. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE GREAT DEED HE HAVE DONE FOR MY DAUGHTER?
    My daughter suffered from dystonia for more than 7 years which we started experiencing in her when she turned 4 year and 5 months we all thought it will end but got even worse as days went by. We tried all several treatments and therapy prescribed by various doctors we met but to no avail, she lost total concentration and always complain of neck discomfort . She usually tells me she haves jerky head movements . This were steady disorder that disrupted her entire life, even at night she slept less because of this.It was during a casual conversation with a friend that i learned about Dr Williams herbal medicine I was able to contact him on his email address. and give him all the necessary information that he needed,few day later he sent me the herbal portion and his medicine was able to restore her back to normal and she is very okay now without any side effects whatsoever. If you have dystonia , do not hesitate to contact him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product. I hope this also helps someone out there.

    ReplyDelete
  11. ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS WITH HIS HERB MY WIFE WAS COMPLETELY CURED FROM DYSTONIA.
    Is my pleasure to comment on this site and i thank the admin of this site for his/her great work so far.one of the happiest moment in my life was when the doctor confirm that my wife is been free from this illness. this awesome moments makes me the happiest man on earth, I really don't know how to thank DR WILLIAMS for helping my wife get cured for over how many year of suffering from dystonia. i came across DR Williams contact through a headline news on internet about how DR Williams help a woman to get cured of her dystonia and so many other with similar body problem ,i contacted him and he told me how to get his herb,few day later he sent me the herbal portion which my wife take every morning for 28 days, and his medicine was able to cure her completely from dystonia. and now she very mush okay without any side effects whatsoever, If you have dystonia, you can contact him on his email address drwilliams098675@gmail.com for advice and for his product.

    ReplyDelete