Possibilities with Parkinson's - a Column by Dr. C

Sellers tore up the contract for our bid on a new home in Illinois. They wanted to accept a “better offer.” My wife and I are now homeless. Well, almost. We have a committed sale of the home we are in and we had started thinking of the Illinois place…

My chronic disease has forced me to stay home for a week after an exhausting recent trip to St. Louis. When my symptoms force me to curtail engagement outside the home, I become a “shut-in.” Many are entering voluntary home confinement due to COVID-19. People also are experiencing mandatory…

Travel beyond our homes is eerie right now with the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic. We feel as if we’re living a dystopian sci-fi film, with people in masks and gloves waving apocalyptic messages from the World Health Organization and U.S. federal and state governments. My immune system isn’t like…

Sobbing, she throws her arms around me. “I just can’t take one more thing. I’m totally overwhelmed. All the things I need to attend to are flying around me, and as I try to grasp onto one, I come away empty.” She rests in my embrace and the storm slowly…

“Hey, Doc, you don’t look so good. Like a walking zombie,” Neo says with genuine concern. (Neo is my brain’s neocortex. I’ve mentioned him in previous columns.) I let out a bigger sigh than usual. “This move to St. Louis, Missouri, halfway across the country is unusually difficult. The…

For my PhD research, I wanted to examine in more detail the processes by which humans move from traumatic injury, like traumatic brain injury, to a place of well-being. My clinical experience led me to consider two things that people drew upon. I found that, firstly, they drew upon cognitive…

“Oh, poor me. I have lost so much,” I moan, hanging my head down and shuffling my feet. My partner looks up from her book. “Did you say something, dear?” “Just another rough period,” I say with an affect as flat as the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport. It’s a personal…

“What? You’re moving again? Are you insane?” Neo exclaims. (Neo is my brain’s neocortex, which I’ve mentioned in previous columns.) “I’ve been called many things, yet still retain my sanity. I hope to do so through this very stressful process of moving,” I respond. “How do you plan to…

At my last presentation to a support group for Parkinson’s disease (PD), one attendee said, “My husband wobbles a lot when getting up from the sofa. I’m afraid he will fall. What can we do about that?” I asked her husband to stand, which he did with grace. A slight…

“Oh my gosh! The presentation was amazing. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your partner.” It was my first presentation about my experience with Parkinson’s, and it flowed smoothly. It had been a long time since I was in front of an audience, reaching out and connecting. Time…