Huntington's chorea has been going through my family for a few generations but was mostly hitting people when they were a little older (~40-50), which is later than most. When I was growing up, I heard stories about how "all the men in our family have the shakes and you do too," but everyone stopped talking about them because they all tended to kill themselves. My dad started having really bad muscle fasciculations in his arms/eyelid about 12 years ago and decided to go to the cleveland clinic to get it checked out. They pretty quickly figured it out that he had huntington's and had me tested. I was only 12 at the time and wasn't told the exact repeat count, but my dad said that his was slightly above normal but that mine was well above normal. The genetic counselers also made us aware that huntington's caused intense depression in a large amount of patients, which could explain why so many men in my family had killed themselves. When I turned 18 and was going to move to college, my dad told me that he wasn't going to die from his Huntington's, but that I eventually would. He sobbed for a long time before he left and we haven't brought it up since.
I'm 24 now and I don't know/don't want to know how much time I have left.
More than anything, I just wanted to say that I was sorry that you've had to watch people go through it. My dad has "the shakes" but none of the other symptoms have shown up for him yet, and my "shakes" are starting to come on stronger, but I've never had to watch anyone go through it. My uncle killed himself before it go very bad and he was the only other I've ever met. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to watch your mother suffer.
I'm really sorry. Good luck and I hope that they find a cure in time for you.
This is probably the worst proof ever, but it's me complaining about it before your AMA started: proof
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Huntington's chorea has been going through my family for a few generations but was mostly hitting people when they were a little older (~40-50), which is later than most. When I was growing up, I heard stories about how "all the men in our family have the shakes and you do too," but everyone stopped talking about them because they all tended to kill themselves. My dad started having really bad muscle fasciculations in his arms/eyelid about 12 years ago and decided to go to the cleveland clinic to get it checked out. They pretty quickly figured it out that he had huntington's and had me tested. I was only 12 at the time and wasn't told the exact repeat count, but my dad said that his was slightly above normal but that mine was well above normal. The genetic counselers also made us aware that huntington's caused intense depression in a large amount of patients, which could explain why so many men in my family had killed themselves. When I turned 18 and was going to move to college, my dad told me that he wasn't going to die from his Huntington's, but that I eventually would. He sobbed for a long time before he left and we haven't brought it up since.
I'm 24 now and I don't know/don't want to know how much time I have left.
More than anything, I just wanted to say that I was sorry that you've had to watch people go through it. My dad has "the shakes" but none of the other symptoms have shown up for him yet, and my "shakes" are starting to come on stronger, but I've never had to watch anyone go through it. My uncle killed himself before it go very bad and he was the only other I've ever met. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to watch your mother suffer.
I'm really sorry. Good luck and I hope that they find a cure in time for you.
This is probably the worst proof ever, but it's me complaining about it before your AMA started: proof
Text#2 because she's a great gf
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