Latest news with #neurologicaldisorder
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Eric Dane issues major ALS battle update as he promises fans 'I'm fighting as much as I can'
Eric Dane has given a huge update on his battle with incurable degenerative neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 'I'm fighting as much as I can,' the 52-year-old Grey's Anatomy alum told Good Morning America 's Diane Sawyer on Tuesday. 'There's so much about it that's out of my control.' Eric is currently taking medication to slow the symptoms and he's also participating in a research study. 'I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if [doctors] told me that that would help,' Dane stressed. 'I'll assume the risk.' The SAG Award winner was joined by his neurologist Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, who admitted: 'It's a hard diagnosis to hear, but I want [patients] to hear that there's hope. I never want anyone to hear that there's nothing to do because there's a lot to do.' 'That's what I got from Merit when I met her. There was a sense of hope I didn't get from other doctors that I met with,' Eric noted, adding prior doctors were just 'there to monitor my decline and that's not very helpful.' There are currently 5K people diagnosed with ALS annually, according to the CDC. 'But those numbers are going up moderately fast,' the Chief of Neurology at Mass General warned. 'It's really predicted by, like, 2040 [that] the numbers of people with ALS in the world will be increased by about 40%.' Dr. Cudkowicz listed off some of the ALS risk factors including plastics, bacteria in lakes, head trauma in sports, pesticides, military service, and 'there's many more we don't know about.' 'There's people all over the world working on this,' the Harvard Medical School professor encouraged. 'Between artificial intelligence and other imaging technology - to really be able to to subtype people - that's what gets me excited. That's all coming in the next, I think, one to two years, if not faster.' Back in 2014, the viral ice-bucket challenge raised $200M for ALS research 'in the US alone and it was spent quickly.' 'I'm very hopeful, yeah, I don't think this is the end of my story. I'm pretty resilient,' Eric beamed. 'I just don't feel, like in my heart, [that] this is the end of me.' Dane first experienced weakness in his right hand one year ago, but he 'thought maybe I'd been texting too much or my hand was fatigued' until a hand specialist eventually referred him to a neurologist. 'I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if [doctors] told me that that would help,' Dane stressed. 'I'll assume the risk' 'That's what I got from Merit when I met her. There was a sense of hope I didn't get from other doctors that I met with,' Eric noted, adding prior doctors were just 'there to monitor my decline and that's not very helpful' There are currently 5K people diagnosed with ALS annually, 'but those numbers are going up moderately fast,' the Chief of Neurology at Mass General warned 'I have one functioning arm. My left side is functioning. My right side, [which is my dominant side], has completely stopped working,' the San Francisco-born silver fox revealed Monday. '[My left arm] is going. I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months and I won't have my left hand either. Sobering. I'm worried about my legs.' Luckily, Eric has the love and support of his wife Rebecca Gayheart, who dismissed her divorce petition in March following seven years of estrangement, as well as their 15-year-old daughter Billie and 13-year-old daughter Georgia. 'I talk to her every day,' Dane emotionally said of the 53-year-old Jawbreaker alum. 'We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. And I lean on her.' On average, ALS patients live two to five years following their first symptoms, but FDA-approved medications and physical/speech therapies might slow down the progression of the disorder. Audiences can next catch the Bad Boys: Ride or Die action star as Special Agent Nathan Blythe in Derek Haas' new 13-episode crime drama Countdown, which premieres June 25 on Amazon Prime Video. On April 14, Eric began reprising his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the third season of HBO hit show Euphoria produced by and starring Zendaya as Ruby 'Rue' Bennett. Sam Levinson's drug-fueled drama will welcome newcomers Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, and Kadeem Hardison in season three. But Dane got his big break portraying plastic surgeon Mark 'McSteamy' Sloan from 2006–2012 on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane‘s emotional first TV interview since shock diagnosis
Eric Dane is slowly losing function in his body amid his 'sobering' battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Grey's Anatomy alum discussed his struggles for the first time since being diagnosed with the aggressive neurological disorder with Diane Sawyer on Monday's episode of Good Morning America. 'I have one functioning arm. My dominant side, my left side, is functioning,' he said. 'My right side has completely stopped working', per Page Six. The Euphoria star, 52, expects that he only has 'a few more months' before his left arm and hand give out as well. 'It's sobering,' Dane said, adding that he is now 'worried' about losing function in his legs. The actor recalled first noticing symptoms of his disease, explaining that he felt weakness in his right hand. 'I didn't really think anything of it at the time,' he noted. '[I] thought maybe I had been texting too much or my hand was fatigued, but a few weeks later I noticed it had gotten a little worse.' Dane visited multiple hand specialists and neurologists for nine months until he was ultimately diagnosed with ALS. 'I will never forget those three letters,' he said of the acronym for the disease. 'It's on me the second I wake up.' Dane turns to his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, when things 'get too hard.' He and the actress — who share daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13 and wed in 2004 — separated in 2018 but called off their divorce this past March, just weeks after his ALS diagnosis. 'I call Rebecca. I talk to her every day,' Dane said, getting choked up. 'We have managed to become better friends and better parents and she is probably my biggest champion and most stalwart supporter and I lean on her.' The actor remains optimistic about his fate. 'I don't think this is the end of the story,' he said through tears. 'I just don't feel in my heart like this is the end of me. I'm fighting as much as I can.' Still, Dane said that there is so much about the illness that is 'out of [his] control.' 'I'm angry because … there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls when they're very young,' he said, revealing one of his children recently rescued him from the ocean when he 'realised [he] couldn't swim.' In April, Dane announced that he was diagnosed with ALS, which is a 'nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord,' leading to 'loss of muscle control,' according to the Mayo Clinic. There is no known cure.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Emotional Eric Dane reveals his right arm has lost function amid ALS battle
For the first time ever, Eric Dane publicly spoke about how he's physically doing two months after revealing he was diagnosed with the incurable degenerative neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 'I have one functioning arm. My left side is functioning. My right side, [which is my dominant side], has completely stopped working,' the 52-year-old Grey's Anatomy alum told GMA 's Diane Sawyer on Monday. '[My left arm] is going. I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months and I won't have my left hand either. Sobering. I'm worried about my legs.' Eric first experienced weakness in his right hand one year ago, but he 'thought maybe I'd been texting too much or my hand was fatigued' until a hand specialist eventually referred him to a neurologist. Dane welcomed two daughters - Billie, 15; and Georgia, 13 - during his 14-year marriage to wife Rebecca Gayheart, who dismissed her divorce petition in March following seven years of estrangement. 'I talk to her every day,' the SAG Award winner emotionally said of the 53-year-old Jawbreaker alum. 'We have managed to become better friends and better parents. And she is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter. And I lean on her.' A few months ago, Eric - a former competitive swimmer and water polo star - joined his youngest daughter on a boat trip, but when he jumped into the ocean he 'realized I couldn't swim and generate enough power to get myself back to the boat.' 'She dragged me back to the boat,' Dane recalled. 'I was, like, breaking down in tears. So I made sure [Georgia] got back in the water with her friend and continued on with the snorkeling [excursion] with the guide. But I was just heartbroken.' The San Francisco-born silver fox is 'angry' that ALS could take him from his children since he was only seven years old when his father William Melvin died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 'I'm angry because, you know, my father was taken from me when I was young,' Eric explained. 'And now, you know, there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young.' On average, ALS patients live two to five years following their first symptoms, but FDA-approved medications and physical/speech therapies might slow down the progression of the disorder. 'I mean, I really, at the end of the day, just, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can,' Dane said. 'I don't think this is the end of my story. I just don't feel like, in my heart, I don't feel like this is the end of me.' Eric welcomed two daughters - Billie (M, pictured January 5), 15; and Georgia (L), 13 - during his 14-year marriage to wife Rebecca Gayheart (R), who dismissed her divorce petition in March following seven years of estrangement A few months ago, the SAG Award winner - a former competitive swimmer and water polo star - joined his youngest daughter on a boat trip, but when he jumped into the ocean he 'realized I couldn't swim and generate enough power to get myself back to the boat' Dane is 'angry' that ALS could take him from his children since he was only seven years old when his father William Melvin (R) died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound The San Francisco-born silver fox said: 'I'm angry because, you know, my father was taken from me when I was young. And now, you know, there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they're very young' Eric continued: 'I mean, I really, at the end of the day, just, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit if I can' Dane added: 'I don't think this is the end of my story. I just don't feel like, in my heart, I don't feel like this is the end of me' On April 14, Eric began reprising his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the third season of HBO hit show Euphoria Audiences can next catch the Bad Boys: Ride or Die action star as Special Agent Nathan Blythe in Derek Haas' new 13-episode crime drama Countdown, which premieres June 25 on Amazon Prime Video. On April 14, Eric began reprising his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the third season of HBO hit show Euphoria produced by and starring Zendaya as Ruby 'Rue' Bennett. Sam Levinson's drug-fueled drama will welcome newcomers Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, and Kadeem Hardison in season three.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Restless legs syndrome: A common sleep disorder you may never have heard of
Behavioural changes and medication could help if you have restless legs syndrome, experts say. AndreyPopov/iStockphoto/Getty Images/File via CNN Newsource Karla Dzienkowski's daughter was 11 when she started coming into her mom's room at night saying she couldn't fall asleep because of a stabbing feeling in her legs. She had to walk to make it stop. The preteen became cranky and tired. Her grades started to slip, and she even fell asleep on a bench during a family trip to an amusement park, Dzienkowski said. It took three years, but Dzienkowski's family finally got an explanation for the girl's condition: restless legs syndrome. One study estimates 4% to 29% of adults in Western industrialized countries have restless legs syndrome. It is a condition that too few people can recognize in themselves, and many doctors don't know how to manage properly, said Dzienkowski, a nurse who is executive director of the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. Here is what experts want you to know about restless legs syndrome. What is restless legs syndrome? 'Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder that is characterized by a need to move that is oftentimes associated with an uncomfortable feeling,' said Dr. John Winkelman, chief of the sleep disorders clinical research program at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The uncomfortable feeling — described as crawling, aching, tingling or throbbing — is often in the legs and sometimes the arms, he added. Restlessness frequently happens when people with the condition are sitting or lying down, and it is relieved with movement, Winkelman said. Symptoms are more likely to occur when a person is at rest, most often at night, and because the syndrome interferes with sleep, it is classified as a sleep disorder, Winkelman said. In moderate to severe cases, people experience restless legs syndrome several times a week, and in the most extreme cases, symptoms can delay sleep for several hours, said Dr. Brian Koo, associate professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine and director of the Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome. Who gets it? Two strong components play a role in who gets restless legs syndrome: genetics and iron levels. Restless legs syndrome often runs in families, and genetic markers make up about 20% of the prediction of who will get it, Winkelman said. Those with an iron deficiency are also more likely to get restless legs syndrome, including people who are pregnant, on dialysis, who are menstruating, who have anemia, or who are vegetarians, Winkelman said. Those on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants may also be vulnerable to restless legs syndrome, he added. The condition is twice as common in women as in men and much more common as people get older, Winkelman said. However, as Dzienkowski learned, children can have restless legs syndrome, too. Treatment with lifestyle changes To treat restless legs syndrome, a good first step is to look at what might be making the condition worse, Winkelman said. Alcohol, other medications and simple sugars may contribute to symptoms, Koo said. If iron is low — or even borderline low — oral iron supplements or intravenous iron infusions may help, Winkelman added. Dzienkowski also recommends having a 'bag of tricks' to manage symptoms, such as hot or cold packs, massages, walks or some mind-stimulating activity. 'For some reason … if you keep your mind engaged, it helps to keep symptoms at bay,' she said. Medications that can help There are medications that help if lifestyle changes and iron supplementation don't work. Many doctors will start with a class of drugs called alpha2-delta ligands, such as gabapentin or pregabalin, Koo said. For a long time, dopamine agonists were the first line of medications. But they are now prescribed infrequently because they can worsen restless legs syndrome over time, Winkelman added. The medications for the most severe cases are low-dose, long-acting opioid medications, Koo said. Talk to a doctor If you have discomfort that motivates you to move your legs at rest — particularly if doing so disturbs your sleep — talk to a doctor, Dzienkowski said. Not all medical professionals are well versed in restless legs syndrome, so asking for a referral to a sleep specialist may be helpful, she said. You should also get your lab work done, especially an iron panel with ferritin, a blood test that looks at how much iron your body has and how available it is for use, Dzienkowski said. 'The sooner you do it, the better, because you're just delaying diagnosis and treatment, which can be detrimental to your life,' she said. 'You don't realize that that sleepiness that you're feeling at work or the crankiness or you're not wanting to get out and do things could be the RLS bleeding into your daytime. … At least go have that conversation.'
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Woman, 21, forced to 'glue eyelids open' just so she can see due to rare condition - but doctors say there's no cure
A woman who thought she had bad hayfever was diagnosed with a rare condition that means she sometimes has to use glue and tape just to keep her eyes open. Tia-Leigh Streamer, 21, from Dorset was baffled when she woke up in May 2023 with a drooping eyelid. Initially assuming it was seasonal allergies, it wasn't until months later that she was revealed to suffer with a disorder - blepharospasm - which causes muscles around the eyelids develop an involuntary spasm and cause the lids to twitch, flutter or blink uncontrollably. Doctors at Royal Bournemouth hospital trialled Botox injections in her eyelids in March last year, and since then she hasn't been able to open her eyes without the jabs. When the Botox wears off, the only way she can see is by taping and gluing her eyelids or holding her eyes open with her hands. Even when the jabs are effective, sunlight, car headlights and computer screens can trigger Tia-Leigh's eyes to close. In severe cases sufferers may be unable to open their eyes due to excessive eyelid spasm. Doctors do not have a cure but are continuing to trial different volumes of Botox in her eyelids. 'I have the same level of sight as a visually impaired person but I've got nothing wrong with my eyesight,' Tia-Leigh, who was an aspiring trainee accountant, explained. 'I know it's neurological but they don't know what causes it which makes it worse for me, because if they could say it's caused from this, I think it would make me feel slightly less in the dark. 'To be told I've got this for the rest of my life and not know why is a hard thing to deal with.' She admitted she's 'not been coping very well' and was prescribed antidepressants half-way through the ordeal. 'I didn't get along with them,' she continued. 'I tried therapy, I've tried hypnotherapy but nothing was helping. 'The longer it's gone on I've gotten used to it but there are still days where I get really down about it. Especially as the Botox runs out.' Tia-Leigh added that the longer she grapples with the condition, the more her body will get used to the injections and 'it won't work anymore'. 'I have them done every eight to 10 weeks at the moment. It was 12 weeks. But I only get about three to five weeks where it actually takes any effect,' she remarked. 'The rest of the time I have to physically hold my eyelids open to be able to see anything. 'When I glue or tape them open I can't blink at all. The doctors have said the longer I do that for then I've got more chance of actually damaging my eyes and then possibly losing my sight, which I don't want to do.' Tia-Leigh has even had bruises on her eyelids from the tape before. 'It's hard,' she admitted. 'Because I've either got no sight or one hand essentially.' Tia-Leigh was training to become an accountant, but has had to stop working because of her condition - ruining the plans she had for her life. 'As soon as I got ill I was basically told that this was something that I could never do because of the computer screens,' she explained. 'It was awful to be honest, I had everything planned out. I was training to do that and I was saving to move out and get married and have children and it was all taken away from me. What is blepharospasm? According to the National Eye Institute, blepharospasm (also called benign essential blepharospasm) is 'blinking or other eyelid movements, like twitching, that you can't control'. 'Eyelid twitching usually goes away on its own. But people with benign essential blepharospasm can develop severe and chronic (long-term) eyelid twitching,' the site explained. Symptoms usually start with 'small eyelid twitches that happen every once in a while'. This can increase overtime and often cause the eyes to close completely. In some cases, people also get twitches in other parts of their face. It added: 'Blepharospasm happens when the part of the brain that controls your eyelid muscles stops working correctly. 'Sometimes blepharospasm runs in families, and women ages 40 to 60 are more likely to develop it. But in most cases, doctors aren't sure what causes it.' Treatment options include Botox injections and in some cases a surgery called a myectomy - where muscle nerve tissue is removed from the eyelid - can be recommended to alleviate symptoms. The NEI recommends seeing an eye doctor if: Source: NEI 'It's the stress of it as well that makes it worse. Anytime I'm really stressed it will make my eyes closed and accounting, I found it really stressful.' For her, the biggest struggle is loss of freedom and independence. She can't go out by herself if her eyes are closed, unless someone can drop her off. Tia-Leigh avoids solo outings because she gets 'too anxious not being able to see it'. 'I'm basically inside most of the time,' she said. 'It stops me doing things I enjoy. I used to do a lot of crocheting but you need to have two hands to do that so I can't do that even when I'm at home. 'I can't go down and make my dinner because I've got one hand so I'm restricted to what I can and can't make.' Furthermore, she gas to ask her family to make her meals, and sometimes cut her food up for her. 'It's like I'm going back to being a child again because I can't use a knife and fork and see what I'm doing,' the 20-year-old added. Tia-Leigh got married in December 2024 and had to time her Botox injections to ensure she could see on her wedding day. 'I wanted to make sure that I had the Botox two weeks before my wedding because it takes my eyes about a week to open after I've had it done,' she explained. 'It was a scary day and I think that's one of the reasons that prompted us to get married so quickly. 'I wanted to make sure I was going to be able to get married and be able to have my eyes open to see what's going on.' Another future concern is having a baby in the future. 'I often have nightmares about it to be honest because even when I have Botox done, at night-time my eyes don't open,' she continued. 'Night-time is the worst, they just won't open at all. I have nightmares about a baby next to me and it's crying and I can't wake my husband up and I can't get around to help because of my eyes. 'I do know now there are things that can be put in place to help because obviously people who are blind all the time still have children.' The current solution relies on a trial and error year plan from her doctor. 'He's going to change the volume of the Botox in the top and bottom lid of my eyes,' Tia-Leigh said. 'He might change slightly where he puts the injections and he's going to be monitoring it and seeing how long it lasts. 'It's about hoping he'll be able to find a better balance so we can have some longer effects out of the Botox.' She has been documenting her experiences on TikTok, where Tia-Leigh has more than 3,700 followers.
