Shaking hands

Farm Gal

Very often my husbands shake really bad before or after a meal.  This has been going on for most of the year but now it happens more often.

Tonight was typical -- he came to the table and his hand were shaking when he sat down.  They quit shaking in a few minutes and He ate his meal. Then went to his recliner and once again his hands were shaking.  This isn't a little shake but his hands move up and down about 4-5 inches.  Sometimes he says he doesn't feel well but more often he says he doesn't know what's wrong.  Then he falls asleep in his chair or closes his eyes like he is sleeping.  After a bit he wakes and is fine.  

Anyone else seeing this behavior.  

Quilting brings calm

my guess would be low blood sugar. The meal has enough carbs that his blood sugar raises and then the shaking stops.   Try giving him just 2-3 ounces of orange juice or a few Hershey kisses about an hour before his meal.   Or change your meal prep so that he eats more often throughout the day

Lorita

Hi Farm Gal,

 First, I love your avatar - what pretty chickens.  I know the black and white one is a Speckled Sussex but not sure about the other one.  Thought it might be a Buff Orphington but not colored quite right.  Do you raise chickens?  My husband and I raised 125 day old chicks years ago and sold eggs - ours were White Leghorns.  We had one white rooster that could spur us through our jeans and another big black one - his feather were so black, they were greenish colored in the sun.  Don't know his breed.

 About the hand shaking - I think Quilting has the right answer.  My husband had hypoglycemia and vascular dementia and his hands would shake if his blood sugar got too low.  My mother had alz and I remember her hands shaking really badly - not in relation to meals though.  I could put my hand on hers and it would stop but the minute I removed my hands the shaking began again.  It didn't happen all the time so I think it may have had something to do with being apprehensive about something or anxiety because it usually happened when we were away from home.

Farm Gal

Quilting,  I will try the bit of Hershey's or juice but I doubt that is the problem because his hands stop shaking before he ever starts eating a meal.  He wouldn't be able to get food to his mouth with them shaking the way they do.  Then after a meal they often start shaking when he gets to his recliner.  

Lorita, I too have noticed they have stopped shaking if I hold his hands.  

It's not such a big problem because it doesn't last but for about 30-60 seconds but he sure looks like he doesn't feel well.  

I'll get some little chocolate pieces or OJ and see if that helps.  Sure appreciate your help!!

Iris L.

Read about "essential tremor". 

I'm not saying he has this but it is something to discuss with his doctor.

Diabetics need a consistent diet of carbs, without spurts of carbs.

Iris

NylaBlue

I doubt it’s Essential Tremor (ET). ET is a motion tremor, so for instance the tremor may occur when picking up a glass or using utensils but not when one’s hands are at rest. The tremor would definitely not go away once the person started eating. 

ET is most common in the hands but may affect any part of the body, including the vocal cords. It’s also known as familial tremor as 50% or more of cases are genetically related. I have ET as do several members of my family. It is often dismissed as a minor issue since it does no physical damage (provided one is careful about using sharp objects, lol), but it makes many routine daily activities difficult, if not impossible, as it becomes progressively worse. 

harshedbuzz

Farm Gal-

Initially my mind went to the same place as Iris- Essential Tremor. It runs in mom's family; her mom had it, her sister and she both do too. Then I wondered about Parkinson's as hand movement- shaking/pill rolling is common. But given the range you describe and the circumstances under which you see it make me wonder if it's a stereotypic motion- aka "stim". Stims are repetitive motions when excited or bored. They can calm and help a person settle. We most often think of them in terms of people on the autism spectrum who flap, but neurotypical individuals also stim in the form of tapping a foot, smoothing their hair, etc. My own dad seemed to develop a vocal stim in the later middle stages of the disease.

I would make a little video clip of the behavior and send it via the patient portal to his doctor and see what they think.

HB

Ed1937

Here's another vote for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). I have hypoglycemia (I'm not a diabetic). You should really have him checked by an endocrinologist. They can have him diagnosed in as little as a day. Low blood sugar can be dangerous, and needs to be taken care of. Hands shaking, and not feeling right are symptoms that are common. Please don't disregard this possibility. You don't want him passing out, and being hospitalized.

M1

I think I'm with HB re: possible Parkinsonian features.  All of these are possible, but I wouldn't expect hypoglycemia to recur so soon after a meal, from what you're describing.  I think the video clip is a good idea.

Farm Gal

HB,  thanks so much for the info -- I have never heard of stimming.  My DH used to drive me nuts in the car when he would be tapping his fingers on his leg.  He doesn't go out much anymore because it is too nerve wracking for him. When he tries to stand up from a chair he often taps his foot 15-20 times then finally stands up.  This morning I noticed his hands started shaking for a few seconds when I got him into the bathroom to start taking a shower.  

After reading your post I would bet his hand shaking is a way to relieve stress or to settle down.  I also did some reading about stimming and it is sure seems a possibility.  One article said that there are correlations between autism and dementia.  

I will check his medical portal online but I believe he had a complete workup just last summer.  The doctor said nothing about diabetes.  However I will follow up with his doctor.  

Thanks everyone!