Hey, it's Dystonia Awareness Week!

Pretty much everyone who reads my blog knows me so also knows what dystonia is but I thought I'd put something up about Dystonia Awareness Week, anyways. This common neurological disorder negatively impacts something most of us take for granted every day... the ability to move.

National Geographic is airing an episode of Extraordinary Humans that talks about dystonia. Here is a preview.

I am stupidly lucky. I maybe have a few days a month where I am symptomatic. I go from being able to bust my butt in the gym to not being able to do up my bra without help (seriously, there's something about figuring out how to get that little clasp together that gets me every stinking time... so annoying). There are many others with dystonia who are symptomatic every waking moment. Personally, I don't know how they do it. As Dunn said in the preview, dystonia is the most annoying thing EVER. It's like your body turns into a recalcitrant toddler having a temper tantrum. You tell it to do one thing, it does another. Then there is the fatigue and fog and the feeling of being trapped.

Treatment options for dystonia suck. We've got Botox (yep, we're to blame for the development of the drug that has immobilized the faces of half of Hollywood) and a bucketful of antiParkinsons meds that sort of work but not really (don't get me started on side effects - my memory has never come back properly post Artane) and there's always the super fun option of deep brain stimulation (hey, lets drill a hole in your skull!). We're kind of the red headed stepchild of the disorders when it comes to research dollars so a donation to the DMRF (DMRF Canada, DMRF US) would be awesome. That or you could just be understanding the next time you see someone moving in an odd way down the street. One of the hardest things about dystonia is how isolating it is. Part of that is logistics (it isn't so easy to get around) but mostly it's how we're treated when we're out and about while symptomatic. I think if more people knew what dystonia looked like, we'd feel more comfortable being seen that way.

And one of the bestest ways you can recognize Dystonia Awareness Week? The next time you're in the middle of a WOD (for any non CrossFitters, that's what we call a workout) and you want to die or are getting frustrated or you're not happy with your performance or whatever. Remember that it's just cool that you can do this stuff. It's just good, plain FUN!