Lord Julian Fellowes undergoes procedure to treat tremor
Downton Abbey creator Lord Julian Fellowes has been given a huge boost after undergoing a procedure to treat a neurological condition which caused a tremor.
Lord Julian Fellowes has undergone a procedure to treat a neurological condition which caused tremor.
The Downton Abbey creator, 76, has revealed the shaking in his hands was "very depressing and upsetting" because it left him struggling with every day tasks such as doing up buttons, writing and pouring drinks, but he has now undergone an MRI-guided ultrasound treatment on the brain lesion which was causing the issues.
Fellowes told The Times newspaper: "I was in denial. It takes a while before you admit you’ve got a condition that, until recently, you just had to accept. I found that quite hard ...
"Doing up buttons, fastening a tie - everything became a labour. My cufflinks would go flying off. It is very, very depressing and upsetting - and can feel quite a burden."
The writer/director revealed the tremor became so bad, it left him struggling to write scripts because his work would be "full of mistakes".
He previously tried medication, but opted for the ultrasound treatment after having little success.
Fellowes added of the procedure: "It was one of those terrifying procedures where you’re kept awake the whole time. They put this metal crown on to keep your head still, which is quite unpleasant. But the medical team were very nice ...
"It’s given me back my right hand. I’ve spent a long time pouring my coffee down my tie - and now I don’t."
He went on to conclude the condition changed his outlook on life and the way he writers his characters, saying: "I have much more sympathy than I did for people who are having a tough time.
"You never really know how you write. A lot of the time the characters acquire their own life, and you’re sort of serving them. But I don’t mind if it has changed me a bit."
It comes after Fellowes recently revealed he has undergone surgery for spinal stenosis for a second time after being diagnosed with the condition more than 40 years ago.
He told the Daily Mail newspaper's Eden Confidential column: "It's true that I do spend too much time in a wheelchair these days.
"About 40 years ago, I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, probably resulting from an early slipped disc. I had an operation and, after quite a long convalescence, I was well again, dancing, riding and the rest.
"Unluckily, a couple of years ago, I was told the condition had returned and, after another operation, I was obliged to recognise that my powers of recovery at 75 were not quite what they had been at 35. Which, I suppose, is no great surprise."
