Essay On Dystonia

Even though a large majority of individuals do not know what the word Dystonia refers to, it is a term I became all too familiar with after being diagnosed at age seventeen. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions and spasms. There are multiple forms of dystonia that affect different areas of the body. I have been diagnosed with cervical dystonia, which is the most common type of focal dystonia. Cervical dystonia affects the muscles in my neck which control the position of my head. This causes my head to turn to one side or be pulled forward or backward. Following my diagnosis, Cervical dystonia has become my daily battle. My journey began one morning as I was on my way to school and my head began to feel unusual. By the end of the week, when the spasm and contouring of my head worsened, I automatically knew something was wrong. By the time of my first Emergency room, in addition to the spasms and contouring of my head, I was experiencing excruciating pain as my head moved in all …show more content…
This visit was exceedingly more intense than my previous visit. As my mom drove me to the hospital, I remember being in so much pain that I was screaming. Besides being given morphine to lessen the pain, not much was done at the ER that helped me. They were not able to stop my involuntary muscle movements. This incident made it impossible for me walk around. I was unable to leave my bed for three whole weeks. At this point, I’m feeling so exhausted by the overwhelming pain I was continuously experiencing. The first treatment I received was botulinum injections, otherwise known as botox. Botox is one of the only forms of treatment for Dystonia. Botox eases the symptoms and gives a temporary improvement in the abnormal movements of my dystonia; however, the symptoms never fully go away. Essentially, the toxin blocks the release of neurotransmitters that cause muscles to