Out of Order

Category: Degeneration

  • Can You Repeat That?

    Information was consolidated here that used to be elsewhere on this blog, then expanded. This page is highly specific to SCA3, which I have. In the beginning… The neurons (brain nerve cells) in the cerebellum initially form at the 6th or 7th week of embryonic development, just before the fetal stage, and with SCA3, they…

  • Muddled Thoughts on a Cure

    I’ve never expected a cure for the SCA3 disease in my lifetime. Nevertheless, I’ve been thinking about it recently, especially in light of citalopram looking promising and some upcoming clinical trials. What are we talking about? Cerebellar degeneration. This is the fundamental issue with having SCA that causes external symptoms of gait ataxia and other…

  • Playing the Piano

    I started playing the piano at about age nine. At ages eleven and twelve, I won two small, local, age-graded piano competitions. Though I had some talent, I was by no means gifted, and I spent my adult life continuing to play the piano and face my limitations. I have played classical music, from 18th-century…

  • The Unholy Trinity

    There are three components of neurodegenerative diseases, namely the physical, cognitive, and emotional. With SCA3 ataxia, the common theme across all three components is loss of control due to loss of brain function: Physical loss of control results in degradation of muscular coordination, from the eyes to the toes. Cognitive loss of control results in…

  • This Is Exhausting

    SCA3 is often described purely in terms of its physical consequences and specifically balance impairment (which is slightly off-the-mark, as the root problem is coordination impairment), but my #1 and #2 issues for the last eight years of eleven years of symptoms have been vision degradation and mental exhaustion. These are outwardly invisible issues, and…

  • Bicycling with Ataxia

    Having SCA3, riding a road bicycle is easier for me than walking. I lack the coordination to walk efficiently, but I can still ride a bicycle under certain conditions, though my ability is dropping precipitously. How does a bicyclist stay upright? The bicycle does not keep itself upright in spite of the rider. It’s not…

  • Walking, Running, and Bicycling

    How does having SCA3 ataxia affect walking, running, and riding a bicycle? I will describe my own experiences. My primary physical SCA3 issue, reigning above all others, has been vision degradation, due I suppose to my sluggish eye muscles, which in turn has been impairing my vestibulo-ocular reflex, which means my inner ears (vestibules) and…

  • Progression vs. Hardship

    One of the frustrations with having SCA3 is with telling people I have it, especially in the early stages when my symptoms were not outwardly apparent. As the symptoms intensify, telling people about it gets even weirder, because it’s still not particularly outwardly obvious. I have yet to deal with the later stages. Triassic period…

  • Accelerated Aging

    SCA3 ataxia results in cerebellar degeneration, but its symptoms are not particularly unusual and not what I would call bizarre or horrific. In my family, and with myself in particular, degeneration is so slow that I see it like accelerated aging, as the issues are not much different. Cerebellar degeneration eventually causes a lower quality…