regard to treatments. there aren t many patients with these trials. they use medications that are a type of muscle relaxant. it s really the legs that are starting to tremor significantly when someone is standing. so you can relax the muscles, they even use certain medications that are typically used to treat seizures, this isn t a seizure, but sometimes those medications can be helpful as well. we may be seeing this unfold realtime, brianna, in the sense that she may have noticed these symptoms herself, this is the typical age when someone gets diagnosed. she may be going through the evaluation process, trying out different medications and seeing what works. i should point out, unlike with parkinson s disease, this typically is not something that sort of ultimately leads to someone becoming increasingly disabled. it really is a tremor primarily when someone is standing still. that is very interesting. thank you so much. it s a stunning number.
oh, my god, yeah. she had to wear a neck brace. she they put her on percocet to begin with. then they brought valium. she was on flexeril which is, apparently, a muscle relaxant oh yeah. she was in a great deal of pain all the time. reporter: for michael peterson, the trial was hard enough to bear, but the family spilt made it even worse. there was kathleen s daughter, caitlin, across the room in the prosecution s camp. and behind him the whole time, his girls, margaret and martha. they were sisters. they loved one another. they helped one another. and that s been the biggest, to me, the sadness that everything that kathleen wanted to make happen and did happen as far as the family was torn asunder. reporter: michael s story is one he says those closest to him have known for years. that information reporter: a story his lawyers were about to present to the jury. and they had an ace up their sleeve, a moment straight out of perry mason. one that would leave mouths ag
the time to someone? reporter: he is certain elizabeth ratliff died of a stroke. as for how his wife, kathleen, died years later, michael can t say for sure. but he thinks his first instinct was the right one. i guess maybe i m the last person to believe it. i think she fell down the stairs. i don t know. reporter: michael believes alcohol must have played a role in her fall, and even though her blood alcohol levels weren t off the charts, he says, there may have been another contributing factor. a few months before her death, she d suffered an injury diving into their swimming pool. and her doctor put her on several prescription meds. do you remember her being wobbly in the weeks that followed? oh, my god, yeah. she had to wear a neck brace. she they put her on percocet to begin with. then they brought valium. she was on flexeril which is, apparently, a muscle relaxant oh yeah. she was in a great deal of pain all the time. reporter: for michael peterson, the trial was
she was on flexeril which is, apparently, a muscle relaxant oh yeah. she was in a great deal of pain all the time reporter: for michael peterson, the trial was hard enough to bear, but the family spilt made it even worse. there was kathleen s daughter, caitlin, across the room in the prosecution s camp and behind him the whole time, his girls, margaret and martha they were sisters they loved one another they helped one another. and that s been the biggest, to me, the sadness that everything that kathleen wanted to make happen and did happen as far as the family was torn asunder. reporter: michael s story is one he says those closest to him have known for years that information reporter: a story his lawyers were about to present to the jury and they had an ace up their sleeve, a moment straight out of perry mason. one that would leave mouths agape in the courtroom that s a blow poke isn t it