Parkinson's Disease Doesn't Scare Me
I've officially been in the Parkinson's world for almost three years. I figure it was another two years of showing signs before being diagnosed.
Five years total and it's only been recently that I've started to figure it out...sorta.
I can handle the things that everyone associates with Parkinson's.
Tremors- No big deal for me! I shake a little. Spill things. I'll occasionally have people pour a drink for me. Nothing life changing. Last week I was eating a muffin while waiting to see a doctor. Half of it landed on the floor. She laughed when she saw it. So did I. We moved on.
Balance Issues- No big deal for me. Sometimes I don't walk in a straight line. I occasionally walk into a wall or a parked car. Usually I notice it's happening and I can use my hand to push off and keep going. Even if I fall, I've done that enough now that I know how to protect myself. I'm good at landing.
There are a few other things. Stiffness, joint pain, handwriting changes. Constipation and Urinary tract infections. Damn...we get it at both ends. But these things happen to people in my age range even without PD. No big deal. Nothing life changing.
But here's the thing about Parkinson's. It leaves your body and mind vulnerable to other ailments.
Did you know that some Parkinson's patients have a vitamin deficiency (I'm one of those) which leaves us more likely to get Melanoma. Now that scares me...A Lot!
Did you know Parkinson's patients are more likely to develop dementia. Some meds we take even increases that percentage. That scares me...A Lot!
Have you ever heard of DBS? Deep Brain Stimulation. They drill a hole in your head about the size of a dime. Then they'll do some wiring, not only in your head, but they'll cut open your chest and put some wires in there, too. Sounds pleasant, right? More good news. You're awake while they do this. That scares the shit out of me.
That's the thing about Parkinson's. The disease itself won't kill you, it's all that other stuff.
How depressing is that? Oh man depression....don't get me started.
April is Parkinson's Awareness Month. Last year I did a series of 30 stories in 30 days. I'm smarter and saner this year. I do have a series of things I want to write about to help raise awareness so check in starting on April 1. No fooling!
You can get these upcoming pieces sent right to you by email. Amazing concept, isn't it? Just plug in your email address, hit the subscribe box and voila. Pretty simple and it's not an early April Fool's joke.