Just Diagnosed and Looking for Support
Hi y’all, I’m posting here because I was just diagnosed with ET earlier today, and I’m really struggling with worrying about it and its (possible) progression.
A little context:
I’ve had very minor tremors in my hands for as long as I can remember. I was also born with Cerebral Palsy, which has greatly affected my ability to use and control the left side of my body, which I think has greatly contributed to the severity of my symptoms on that side of my body. I’ve noticed over the past few years that they seem to have gotten worse. I am an artist, animator, and photographer, and I’ve been noticing that I’m unable to keep my hand still enough to draw a straight line, nor hold a camera still for long enough to get a clear shot. My only saving grace is the fact that I’m trained in digital art, so I’m used to drawing on a tablet and having access to pen stabilizers to smooth everything out while I’m working. Traditional drawing is a completely other story and where those issues I mentioned earlier come into play. But I digress.
Fast forward to today:
I finally got in with a motion disorder specialist, and was diagnosed with ET. My symptoms are still not horrible, but are annoying enough to impact me and my work. However, she was leaning into how it gets worse. I’m an extremely anxious person who also has OCD and MDD (life really nerfed me, lol) so I’m currently stressing about my future and worrying about my career already, when my symptoms aren’t even that bad.
What is the best way to cope with this news, and calm myself about the future? Also, what resources and treatments are available to me? My doctor is having me take Propranolol as needed to make my craft easier, but what else can I do if that does work for me??
Edit: 21 y/o if that matters here