FAQ: Do you have symptoms of Huntington's Disease?

I'm writing this in December 2016, and don't know when I'll update it. So if it's 2021 and you're reading this in a flying car or something, you should find out some other way.

The short answer: I think so, but not so's most people would notice. HD results in emotional, cognitive, and movement problems, but the order, kind, and rate of progression of these symptoms is different for each person. It normally progresses over a number of years. The medical community doesn't know how to identify the earliest symptoms or predict when they'll start. I'm part of the PREDICT-HD study to help them figure it out. If you have the genetic mutation but no or few symptoms, you should consider joining the study. They'll fly you and a companion to one of the testing sites once a year for a day or two - Barb and I go to San Francisco and make it a nice getaway. 

In May 2011 my mood suddenly dropped and my temper got a short fuse (I crunch bags of potato chips when I feel like hitting someone or breaking something - cheap, satisfying, and it's not really food anyway). Since then I've started seeing a psychiatrist, taking antidepressant meds, working mostly from home, and meeting with a counselor. Though there's no way to know for sure that these mood changes come from HD, I can't identify any other likely cause. Two or three neurologists have said they couldn't make a definitive diagnosis from their observations of me moving.

So thank you for asking. I'm usually doing pretty well and am more productive than ever. Each individual's case is unique so we'll just see how it goes. One day at a time with heaven in mind.