Candid Perspectives: It's not Dystonia Life & the Questions of Living with a DisabilityBy Catherine Coveney
I am an 83 year old retired attorney. After college I studied occupational therapy, but never practiced. Instead, after WWII I bought a bike and rode through Europe. I took a civilian job with the Army and stayed in Austria for two years. On my return home, although I grew up on the east coast, I didn’t like New York and drove west with friends. I worked for a while in Los Angeles and married there. I drove a school bus while my husband attended law school. We soon moved to Santa Barbara and after successfully passing the bar he practiced in Oxnard. I was a “house spouse” parenting our two children through adoption, but when they made their teens, I decided to go to law school at night. I finished law school and was sworn in at 50 years of age. After my divorce, I worked for The State of California doing worker’s compensation defense. I had my first symptom of Dystonia at age 62, the day after a dental visit, when my tongue decided to live upside down. I was treated for twenty years for Dystonia with the usual drugs. I was seen at Columbia Presbyterian movement disorder clinic. I was seen at UCLA movement disorder group. I was seen by a neuro-laryngitis specialist at UCLA. All thought it had a physical basis. Then I signed up for a study of paroxysmal Dystonia at the National Institute of Heath (NIH). I was eventually called when they were using the fMRI (functional MRI) to determine brain activity on dystonic movements. fMRIs measure the oxygen usage of the brain to see what part of the brain is active. At first I had a battery of tests by the psychologist and by a neuro-psychiatrist. Those tests did not show any depression. Nor did they show any conversion. The fMRI did show activity in the limbic area of the brain, however. This area is associated with emotions. They advised I take Lexapro which affects that part of the brain. It worked like a charm.* I realize that in most of the stories one finds about people being advised to look into seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist, [the client/patient is] angry. Don't be angry. The mental health professionals at NIH certainly didn't see evidence of that part of the brain being involved in my case. The Functional MRI showed it and they gave me an answer. I have always used my skin as an indication of being upset. I have had eczema since I was a baby and it flares up when I am under too much pressure. The brain does recognize stress and pours out hormones and neurotransmitters to deal with it. Unfortunately, these hormones can cause other symptoms, too. It is usually "poo-pooed" that our body can react to outside forces. I am at a loss as to why people feel that way. I don't think it as a sign of weakness. It is a weather vane telling us to take stock. It is not a "mind over matter" deal. It is a brain chemistry deal, with stress. Nothing to fear when the doc says to see a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Recognize the symbiosis between brain and body. Candid guest writer Catherine Coveney is living in Santa Barbara enjoying her retirement.
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More about fMRI. Exciting: fMRI for use in diagnosing psychogenic MDs.
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