Prior to the procedure my hand most affected by ET was my right one. By the way, I am right-handed. The procedure was aimed at improving the tremor in that hand and was therefore done on the left side of my brain.
It worked remarkably well. At the conclusion, I was able to hold out my right hand without shaking. I can now hold a cup, eat, write, etc. with my right hand without shaking at all. Prior to the procedure, I had tended to use my left hand or both hands as a coping mechanism. Even though I had heard from others that it would be difficult to readjust to using my right hand, I have found it somewhat difficult to use just my right hand. However, I am adjusting fairly quickly.
The side effects of the procedure for me were numbness in the lower lip, problems with gait/balance (I tend to go to the right) and being tired. All of them have improved since, and there soon will not be any lasting negative effects.
I was already very pleased with the results. Then I was in the meeting of the Silver Spring support group when Dave Pollack said that my voice had improved. Since then, many people including family members have said the same thing. As my voice tremor has caused me so much trouble in my life, I am ecstatic! Let me caution you however that the procedure is meant to improve only the tremor in the hand and arm. As I have said many times before, everybody’s ET is unique so there is no guarantee that someone else will see an improvement in their voice.
Overall the improvements resulting from the procedure were a lot better than I expected.
— Peter
Thank you for your website. I had Focused Ultrasound on April 11, 2022. Three weeks after the procedure I developed numbness on the left side of my face including lips, gums, tongue, and throat; numbness in my left hand; and gait issues. It is now January 10, 2023. Will the side effects disappear or not?
On October 15, 2022, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Drug treatments of Levadopa and Propranolol have made my tremor almost disappear.