Catie's Story
by Catie Osborne

Since I was 3, I've wanted to be an actress. And not the Broadway star kind, either. I remember telling people as a 7 year old that "being a star would be nice, but I just want to be able to make a living doing something I love". I have stood by that statement for the entirety of my adult life, taking every chance and trying my dandiest to live that dream.

Flash forward from 7 to 22, February 2010. I'm in a musty gym and sweating my butt off, rehearsing for an intensive physical theatre production of Oedipus Rex. For the first time in my collegiate acting career, I have a significant part: I am Jocasta, Queen of Thebes and I am bent on proving myself worthy of this honor. Our director assigns us a "movement piece" to be completed at the end of rehearsal. To those not familiar with theatrical terms, think of a dance number that tells a story or expresses a certain emotion. That's what this movement piece was for: to represent captivity.

For some reason, I was in the zone at that rehearsal--I was totally in it, completely committed to what I was doing, until I slipped and fell. I thought nothing of it, until later that night when I began what I can only describe as "twitching" uncontrollably. My boyfriend took me to the hospital where they said I probably just had a sports injury and to take it easy.

Three days later, I was still twitching. I visited my family doctor who prescribed physical therapy and sent me on my way. Another three days, another doctor, this one sending me for x-rays which came back normal. Another week, this time to a neurologist who told me I had a twitch. Thank you, doctor. He had me go for an MRI and several other tests.

In the meantime, my life was slowly being destroyed by this mysterious twitch. I was (am!) constantly fatigued and in pain, and the twitching got to an unbearable point if I sat or stood for long periods of time.

I began missing more and more class until I had to drop half of my course load and arrange to complete the rest at a later date. And then my hands started to freeze. At first it was just a fluke, but then more consistently--my hands would ball up into claws and stay that way for hours. And then my ankles started to twitch as well.

Another week, another doctor, then another three weeks and a visit to the University of Iowa where the idea of a movement disorder was first raised. Until then, I had never heard of a movement disorder, but suddenly at least there was hope. I poured over every resource I could find, and everything fit together and finally made sense.

The doctor who originally suggested the possibility of a movement disorder sent me away that day for yet another series of tests, and as of yet I still remain a medical mystery. However, I refuse to give up hope and I am looking forward to July when I will hopefully be told officially what I have and a way to treat it. So far, the worst experiences have been with the doctors who think I'm making things up or exaggerating, and the best with my friends and family who have come together to support me while I deal with this. I am so very, very lucky, and I believe the world is too glorious a place to be particularly downcast about a little twitching. I remain positive that someday, I will be able to manage my movement disorder and live a normal life.

If you'd like to know more about me or follow my story, check out my website. I am also recording my journey with this movement disorder on Youtube.

Catie Osborn is a writer and actress searching, living and thriving in the middle states.