Columns

Bad pain day. Trying to keep my mind distracted. Perhaps a good show is on television. Or maybe a movie. The “off” cycle will kick in within a few hours. Pain gets worse. Last medication before bed. Time to be quiet and contemplative, but the pain intrudes upon this space.

Can you believe that August is already here and ticking away even as I click the keyboard keys? Yes, Christmas is just around the corner (although that is not what I was going to say, even if Hobby Lobby already has their shelves filled to the brim with greens and…

Not all people with Parkinson’s disease experience the same symptoms. For example, I am most affected by bradykinesia, poor fine motor skills, incontinence, and fatigue. I was inspired to write this column based on my personal experiences after I read Sherri Woodbridge’s column, “What to Say to Someone with…

I get angry if he does and frustrated when he doesn’t. “He” is my husband. I am getting rather self-conscious about going out in public. Sometimes, I feel like people who don’t know me perceive me as being a little drunk because I’m off balance when I walk. …

Second in a series. Read part one.  Pain attacks me every day, and I set aside much of my time to manage it. Chronic pain management is now a significant part of my wellness map. Pain management techniques are rooted in the conceptualization of total pain as suffering plus…

Although I received my diagnosis almost five years ago, people don’t usually pick up on my symptoms in everyday circumstances. I’m an advocate for exercise as medicine. I work out regularly and feel that it has helped me to delay progression of my disease. So, what should I do…

More than 10 million people are living with Parkinson’s disease around the world. While this number seems shocking, it also means that we have a lot of people fighting for change, relief, a cure, or a solution to some of the difficulties that Parkinson’s yields. Research and interest in…

Twice in the past month I have had what I am calling panic (anxiety) attacks, which are something I had never experienced before. I had shortness of breath and my heart was beating much faster than normal. Since the only activity I was involved in at the time was trying…

I began taking Rock Steady Boxing classes about nine months ago. The exercise program is tailored for those with Parkinson’s disease, and if you’re like me, you’ve dragged your feet and refused to go for any number of reasons or excuses. Maybe there isn’t a class near you. Or…

Pain and suffering are not the same. An internet search for “difference between pain and suffering” yields dozens of sites for writers and practitioners, like Ashley Pennewill and Ann Marie Gaudon, who extol the benefits to be gained from this conceptualization. The repeated message is that pain is…