Just One of Those Things

As life moves on and I continue to grow older, certain things start changing. In my family there is a neuromuscular disorder that involves the myelin sheaths on the nerve endings in muscles. It sounds super exciting I know.

Anyway, when my dad was young, it was this condition that kept him home and away from the Vietnam conflict. He always tells us it's the one time his condition was a blessing. It's called CMT syndrome or Charcot-Marie-Toothe Syndrome. A lot of people have it. Some have it and don't know they do, some have it and are in a wheelchair their whole life. It goes across a whole spectrum of intensity.

As research continues on it, it is actually even divided up into subcategories. It's kind of interesting to read about, if it wasn't so discouraging to see the effects in my own life.

It typically affects the feet, and sometimes the hands. My dad, as he has gotten older, has had to have both his ankles fused, his feet have major issues, and his hands are numb to above his wrists. He can still use them, but he can't feel much. It's like when your legs go "to sleep" when you're sitting in the same position for too long, except, they always feel like that.

Anyway, when you have CMT and you have kids, your kids have a 50-50 chance of getting the condition. Out of the seven kids in my family I think maybe two don't show any symptoms at all. In girls if they don't show symptoms, they can pass it on to their kids because it is just dormant. If their kids don't show any symptoms, it usually ends there in that line.

Well, now to me. I have it. Have I been diagnosed, no. I could go through all the hoops I suppose, but it's pretty obvious that I have it. However, having my feet adjusted by our chiropractor really seems to help with the instability that usually shows up in the ankles. Shane says my feet don't slap the floor as much since I've been having them adjusted. So, that's good.

My hands though, my hands are another story. The tips of my hands are numb. I try not to focus on it, and I still play the piano, but playing the cello is a little more difficult. It saddens me, but I just plug along, hoping that just the tips of my fingers are all that will be affected. I have beautiful writing, and I would hate to lose that. I see what my dad struggles with on a daily basis, and hope that I don't get to that point.

As I watch my musical talent decrease it just makes me sad some days though. I used to think, well, I can still sing! After having surgeries though, even my voice has changed, and sounds hoarse and scratchy, and not rich and beautiful like it used to. I hope it I rest my voice that it will gradually come back. I guess we'll see.

I have so many other blessings in my life though. I'm glad that music is just one area and not the whole thing. Still, music has always been a pretty big chunk of my life. My family still likes to hear me sing and play though, so I'll just keep doing it, and hope that it doesn't eventually get taken away completely.