I have asked myself on a fair number of occasions if I had inherited the condition over the years.
Times when I have decided that I must have inherited the condition are when I've been walking along and managed to 'trip up' on an otherwise perfectly flat surface. Effectively I've not been picking my feet up as much as I should. I think that I've been doing this on occasions since about the mid 1990's.
Times when I have decided that I've definitely not inherited the condition are when I've spent all day climbing or walking, or if I've been cycling and I've been really active.
Looking further back into my past, I've found it uncomfortable sitting on the floor with my legs crossed, and this has been the case since I've been at school. Also, I've never been able to touch my toes.
This blog records my journey to Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP, also known as Familial Spastic Paraparesis or FSP). I was diagnosed with SPG4 in 2009 when my wife became pregnant with our first child. I currently wear insoles, do daily stretches and weekly Pilates. I take medication for my bladder. I tweet about HSP, RareDisease and other things @munkee74.
Pages
▼
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
My History
So, HSP is hereditary. My mum has it, and she inherited it from her mum. Her two brothers, my uncles, also have it. Our family has contributed to HSP research, and we know that the gene mutation in our family is one of the ones that can be tested for.
I have known that there has been a chance that I inherited HSP from my mum and a chance that I have not. Up until recently I had been quite content knowing that the longer I went without showing any symptoms, the more likely it was that I had not inherited the condition.
As a boy I went to scouts and enjoyed walking in the hills, particularly the Lake District, and cycling has been one of my regular forms of exercise, enjoyable as well. I had had the opportunity to go walking most years, and went to the Lakes most years between about 1989 and 2003. Quick plug for the Coledale in Braithwaite.
I got married in 2007, and we found out in the summer of 2008 that we were expecting a baby.
I have known that there has been a chance that I inherited HSP from my mum and a chance that I have not. Up until recently I had been quite content knowing that the longer I went without showing any symptoms, the more likely it was that I had not inherited the condition.
As a boy I went to scouts and enjoyed walking in the hills, particularly the Lake District, and cycling has been one of my regular forms of exercise, enjoyable as well. I had had the opportunity to go walking most years, and went to the Lakes most years between about 1989 and 2003. Quick plug for the Coledale in Braithwaite.
I got married in 2007, and we found out in the summer of 2008 that we were expecting a baby.