Myotonic Dystrophy and You

This morning, we had a presentation on myotonic dystrophy, a disease characterized by wasting of the muscles (muscular dystrophy), cataracts, heart defects, gastrointestinal problems, and myotonia (difficulty relaxing a muscle). All I could think about the whole time was the video I made with Catherine and Mica for Anatomy class in high school. Our teacher gave each group a different disease, and the assignment was to create a presentation that could be given to parents whose child had just been diagnosed with the disorder. We decided to film a video to explain the many symptoms of myotonic dystrophy, which you can watch here.

Part of our grade was patient sympathy. Needless to say, we received a 0/5 on that part of the presentation. I hope my ability to communicate with patients has improved since then.