Cerebellar Retraction / Handwriting Difficulties

[nancyann]

Hi Cathy,

Glad you wrote in, sorry it's about the handwriting issue.

I don't have that problem, thank God, got enough to deal with.

I'm writing this because I'm so glad to hear Taylor is off to college, & doing good.   I loved algebra when I took it, good for her.

I think alot about Taylor (and Chris), so young to have gone thru this.   Wonder how her facial paralysis is doing, any improvement.
I had written to others re: Dr. Michael Sachs in New York - his website shows before and after pictures of people with facial paralysis.
He does facial reanimation.  You may want to check it out if the docs don't think her facial nerve will regenerate.
Also Dr. Azizzadeh in Cal. does facial reanimation (he did Mary Jo Buttafucco)

Anyway, always glad to see you guys online.    Take care, Nancy

[Crazycat]

Thanks for the post Kathy!

    I was waiting to hear from Taylor because I remember her mentioning that she was having a problem with her penmanship. Super frustrating to be attending classes and having to take notes down - fast! I remember how it was. I used to envy people that knew shorthand back then and I didn't even have a problem with my writing. Carrying a mini cassette recorder to class would probably do the trick!
    I suppose we should be thankful that this problem hasn't clouded our abiliity to think at all.

Having healed up so much since surgery, I recently remembered how messed up I was for the first 2-3 weeks. I had to be spoon fed for the first 2 weeks - that I was actually able to even take food in - because one half of my mouth was so numb and my motor skills were shot. I had total double vision for months afterward along with balance problems that have stabilized considerably since then.

 The surgery in my case was so radical I had to have a feeding tube shoved down my gullet because they did not trust my ability to swallow. That was intensly uncomfortable and I ended up yanking the thing out on my own because it was compromising my ability to breath, never mind talk.
They didn't feed me for at least 4 days after that. I survived on the I.V. alone!


 Also, thanks for those links jerseygirl!

  Paul (Intravenus DeMilo)

   

 

[tcrnko]

Dyslexic typing I thought was just my problem since I don't write much.  Hope it doesn't change much with surgery.  I have to retype half or what I write now.

[Windsong]

My guess given the number of "bad-handwriting", deterioration etc is a result of something in the brain not sending the right signals for thought/visual/ motor/ doing it ect.... nerve passages?  maybe research is being done on that one...

It's affected me big time and i never did learn typing in school but i sure had the accuracy to write almost error free typing in my novels and stories... what i write now takes phenomenal sp checks or re-reading even in posts. A real bummer.....

I am happy to hear Taylor is  out and about. That's super!

I want to add at the risk of sounding like a "mother hen" (i can think of other words myself   ) is she wearing ear plugs during any concerts? Also, if she is falling and has back painof any kind after I assume she has mentioned this to her doctor.

I know I know..... i sound like a worry wart.. .

I think it's superbly wonderful that Taylor is doing those two courses and finished the previous two!!!! Congratulations and way to go!!!!

Good news.!!
Windsong

[Captain Deb]

I think, especially for me, some of my handwriting difficulties come from the balance nerve loss. I can no longer do any kind of free-hand perspective drawing because my horizontal and vertical lines are so off. If I paint any buildings at all, I have to work from a photograph and use an opaque projector to get my drawing right. In trying to freehand a horizon, it drops off to the left really badly. I now have to use a T-square cuz I can no longer eyeball a horizontal line. I did a pastel post op of a sky with a sailboat marina at the bottom of the picture all the masts were skewed to the left about 20 degrees. I didn't even notice it--Dr Love pointed it out. Now I use the T-square to check my horizontals and verticals. Same with horizontals and verticals in my handwriting.

Capt Deb

[Windsong]

same with me capt Deb!

i left off serious writing to take up painting and drawing....uh huh.... and then as the last few years passed on by i ...ahem ...discovered that my previous great eyeballing of shapes and lines went ..umm.. ...

d
    o
        n
            h
                 i
                       l
                            l

oops... looks like the sp and dysleixia is still there ... missed the furth letter in dwonhilllll... aieeeeee...

windsong

[Palace]

 

I can't sketch and do my watercolours yet.  I'm hoping I can improve in time.  At this time of year, I had orders for Christmas and was painting-away.  I pulled my other works from the stores and not painting right now.  I will begin to try and get back into this, when ready.  CrazyCat is my inspiration to continue with music and arts.



Palace

[Crazycat]

Thank-you Palace!

    I've been going crazy around here with the approaching holidays.
  My handwriting seems to be getting worse over time.

  Paul

[Joef]

Paul,
   have you tried to practice? .. writing your name over and over? ..  I don't practice anymore,  but I find I just have to re-learn everything .. I did not learn to write as a child overnight and it wont re-learn it a second time any faster!!

Deb,
    all the masts were off by the same amount of degrees? .. I find that really interesting .. because it goes to prove my theory that we have a hard time driving to writing because our sense of were are hands are in 3 dimensional space is different now that one of our inner ears are gone .. we just have to re-learn it .. just like a child is first walking, they are a little tipsy or their writing is bad .. we will just have to re-learn it.

[Crazycat]

Yes Joe,
             I've tried doing that occasionally. Evidently, not near enough. I hope that the damage done is not irreversible.

   Paul

[max]

Hello everybody.
My brother had 3,5 cm AN removed 7 months ago. Everything is slowly (!!!!) improving. We are very concerned for the lack of hand coordination (noticeable with the handwriting). Did the coordination with any of you get back to normal after several months? Are your physicians optimistic regarding this issue? Our clinicians are very vague regarding the hand coordination.
Thank you very much for your help and for this wonderful forum,
Max

[max]

……………….and (before I forget), is anybody aware of any specific therapy to facilitate the recovery for the hand?
Thanks a lot,
Max

[Battyp]

The only therapy I know would be occupational therapy and physical therapy.  With OT they have the patient do things like write their name on a lined paper, write the alphabet, perform hand eye coordination procedures.  It's pretty much the same with PT. 

Things you can do,
get a kids spelling book (they're cheap at wal mart) the ones that have the letters traced out and practice those, dot to dot puzzles,
perfection (game w/ timer for hand eye coordination try to beat your time)

you can pretty much use anything..jacks, catch, practice with your non dominant hand not just the dominant one.  anything to challenge your brain.

[Joef]

I did PT (physical therapy) for a few months .. it does help ..  it can be hard but you just have force yourself to do things --- and it will get better over time ...

when I first went back to work as a programmer, it was VERY hard to type ...I spent the better part of an hour just logging in for the first time it weeks .. I must of typed my password over a dozen times .. I just could not do it right.. but I forced myself .. it took a lot of time but now 40-50 hours a week of typing I am "almost" back .. and that's 1.5 years later!!... so yes -- it takes a lot of time and practice ...

handwriting is better, but it not "back" but then again I don't write that much .. (everything is on the computers) .. I hate writing checks .. they look like a 5 year old wrote them ... I suspect it will take years to come back, unless I pratice more.. (which I won't  ) ...

[Crazycat]

Hi everyone,

   Sorry I haven't been contributing; I've been in Florida for over two weeks and will be here into April. The weather's been great! Seems we escaped New England in just the nick of time!

  Well Joe, I can empathize with you. I hope it all comes back.

     Paul