The Orthostatic Tremor Forum (archive)

Hi Denise, I feel just like you. I hope you go to Greece in spite of your condition. I think it will help you get your mind off this terrible disorder. Plus, how many people get the opportunity to go to Greece? Make sure you bring a cane if you don't already use one. It helps people to notice that y...

Hi Denise, I was prescribed Clonezapan, also and had the same results you did. I'm 59 and have been taking all sorts of drugs to manage my OT. Fortunately, when I can't get to sleep sometimes, I take a 1/2 of pill (Clonezapan) and I sleep like a baby w/ no side effects the next morning. This year I ...

In the beginning, I was in my mid forties and thought that I had Parkinson's or some weird side affect of menopause. My hands shook also, so I was told I had Essential Tremor. Three doctors (2 neurologists) didn't have a clue about my legs not working right, and one just told me to teach sitting on ...

Hi everyone, Gloria, I can relate to being out in public and people giving strange looks when I'm trying to maneuver around tight areas. Today, I was trying to go through the racks and racks of bras, trying to find my size. I finally just grabbed a pile of them and sat on the floor searching for wha...

Hi Gloria, Glad to hear that your foot is healing and that it's not stopping you from getting out for some fun. I recently had to give up my job of keeping the church kitchen clean because of my legs (too much standing). Even using a tall stool didn't stop the tremors from kicking in and knock thing...

Hi Angela, Isn't it nice to have a place where we are allowed to "vent" a bit when feeling misunderstood? I notice when I try to explain what OT is that the person I'm talking to begins to get glassy eyed after a minute or so. It's so awesome that this website gives us a place to talk abou...

Hi Lorna, I, too, love to garden and find it harder to do because I can stand only for a minute or so. I take a fold up chair outside so I can sit to trim hedges/flowers. Sometimes when I need to use the hose, I sit to water. One day, a man driving by saw me sitting and watering and laughed at me. I...

Thanks for responding, Betty. I think your explanation was good. My progression was very much like yours. I started w/ trouble standing and later noticed that my hands would tremor if I was typing, cooking, painting or anything else that required accuracy. My hands are more under control if I am sit...

Hi everyone, I was first diagnosed w/ ET because my neurologist (at the time) didn't know about OT. My hands clearly had tremors, but more so when I was standing. So I don't know if I have both conditions or if OT likes to share its tremors w/ other parts of my body. My dad is the same way. Can anyo...

Hi everyone, I have used the cane that turns into a stool, but my arms are happier if they have something to hold on to, so a chair w/ arms is best for me. I use a cane only when I am out in public because it tells people that I have a problem w/ my legs and I usually get offered a chair or they wil...

Wow, the similarities are interesting. My movement specialist, Dr. Melissa Houser at Scripps, La Jolla told me that my kids have a 50% chance of getting this disorder. I have never seen this opinion in any research that I have read, so it might just be her opinion or maybe she has access to info tha...

Hi Patty and Dwight, The weird thing about my dad having OT is that I started showing leg tremors in my forties (I'm 57 now) and I would tell my dad about it, but he just seemed to ignore me like I was just being a complainer (oh, and by the way, I was complaining because I didn't know what was wron...

Thanks for your kind words, Gloria, Yesterday, I ran into a friend who has MS and she asked me "How I was feeling?" I felt bad about my previous vent of "How are you feeling?" comment. She is really suffering w/ MS and has young children to raise. It put my complaint into a bette...

Just curious on how people with OT handle conversations with family/friends when they ask you "How are you feeling?" Maybe I'm just venting a bit, but my health is excellent, and I don't consider my tremors as a sign of poor health. I know that for some of us, there are health problems alo...