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Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with various medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. You know how when professional wrestlers or politicians take the stage, they’ll often play…

There’s a particular kind of fear that creeps in when living with Parkinson’s disease. It’s not the shaking or the stiffness that haunts me the most; it’s the quiet dread that my own mind might one day turn against me. Not in some dramatic, movie-style way, but in the…

Living with an incurable neurodegenerative disease can be discouraging and frustrating. While I am thankful for medications and surgeries that provide some symptom relief and control, they have limitations. And sometimes, the side effects of the therapies are worse than the disease itself. That’s why it’s encouraging to hear that…

For many, retirement is like a golden ticket promising a life with fewer problems: less worry, less work, less financial strain. You just have to make it to age 66, or whatever age you’re ready to make the shift. It’s supposed to bring relaxation, time off, and the eternal vacation…

I’ve always tried to be a pleasant enough person. Polite to strangers, going with the flow, trying to be kind when I can. But three things can cause me to lose my pleasing personality: being hungry, hot, and tired. And hot has always been the worst, because it’s harder to…

As of yesterday, my husband, Arman, and I have been married for 30 years, or 10,957 days. Happy anniversary to us! We celebrated with a rare dinner out, just the two of us. Our children surprised us by sending a delicious assortment of desserts to the restaurant, along with a…

My time with my dad is limited by geographical distance: He lives in Michigan while I live in Colorado. When I go home to see him, the Parkinson’s decline seems more obvious to me than it might to those who are with him every day. So when I find…

I took an exciting new step in my Parkinson’s disease treatment path late last month. I moved from constant deep brain stimulation (DBS) to adaptive DBS, which recently was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Medtronic, the maker of the DBS system I have…

When my three kids were small, I was a bit overprotective. My in-laws used to laugh about how my husband, Arman, and I kept a legal pad in our firstborn’s nursery to track her feedings and diaper contents. (Yes, I know, it was over the top.) While the kids were…

Recently I got to spend time with my best friend from back home. We met in seventh grade, and it was 30 years ago this month that we graduated high school together. I don’t think either of us could’ve imagined then where we’d both end up. I live in eastern…