After getting stroke five years ago I was diagnosed with “Essential Tremor”, an injury to the central nervous system which is disabling, difficult and hard. With every muscle in my body moving endlessly, everything from twitching to shaking, I required help with most things. This also led to problems in my social life with withdrawal, isolation and despair.
In the Autumn of 2003 a lady friend of mine talked me into joining her on a Weekend Course. I had great difficulty walking. On the first day I got no lunch. The walk to the lunch restaurant and back took me all lunch time. The day after I walked in both directions and I had plenty of time for eating. Then I walked for two or three hours without problem. Not that fast, but still getting somewhere.
On a Weekend Course in February my tremor came back in full force. I felt calm about it since I felt that this was something I had to go through in order to get better. I practised daily up until Easter time and I improved step by step.
But then I got inflammation in all of my major joints and muscular insertions. The pain was terrible and once again I found myself dependent upon others to get myself dressed, get out of bed and all those practical things. The situation proved intolerable for me. Stress, anxiety and nervousness made me sink into a really severe depression.
Next: The Summer Course!
As the time of the course drew nearer I realized that there was nothing for me to do there, I would be totally left out, given the state I was in. But I had made this agreement with my friends from Trondheim and it was hard to break. We had travelled for 80 Swedish miles. I was very nervous, knowing only two people and requiring help with everything. As we arrived there I opened the door of the car and I stepped out without problem, something which I had not been able to do for several months. After two days on the course I was able to get up from the mattress on the floor, get dressed and walk where I wanted to without problem. Again, not that fast, but still getting somewhere.
For the first time in five years I can feel a balance between the right and left sides of my body. My chest and my shoulders feel light and open. I seem to forget my walking cane everywhere. My pain and my depression have disappeared.
Another thing is that I have not felt my asthmatic bronchitis for the last six months. On the February course I felt, for the first time in 45 years, an aversion to smoking. On the Summer Course I tried to smoke one last time. After 45 years smoking is the least of my problems.
Liv Aaldstedt
More stories from Liv Aaldstedt :