Living My Best Life - a Column by Christine Scheer

I had deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for Parkinson’s disease in August 2021. I felt it was the best choice for me at that stage of the disease. My tremors were barely controlled by round-the-clock frequent doses of levodopa, and I was exhausted. Parkinson’s News Today describes…

Many years ago, I wrote a food column for our local newspaper. I called it “Cooking with the Seasons” and told people how to grow and cook with food from their gardens. One year, my husband, John, said, “We should try tapping a few maple trees and making our own…

A few years ago, my husband, John, and I purchased a teardrop trailer. It really is cute. The back opens into an outdoor kitchen; inside, there’s a double bed, a chest of drawers, some great under-the-bed storage, and a teeny-tiny bathroom. It is the perfect trailer for minimalists. We had…

Grief has a way of slipping in when you least expect it. Generally, I am a cheerful person, but lately I’ve felt a bit … sad? Apathetic? Angry? The correct answer is all of the above. Is it because I have Parkinson’s disease? Or was it triggered by the…

During the time in my life when I was busy and always rushing around, with no idea what Parkinson’s disease even was, my husband, John, and I “peaked” on pets: 12 chickens, five cats, two sheep, and two dogs. When I got home from work, I’d rush over to…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with marijuana. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I am part of a Parkinson’s walking group that meets every Tuesday. We walk for 30 minutes, then sit down for…

A couple of years ago, one of the Parkinson’s organizations asked: “What good things have happened to you because of your Parkinson’s diagnosis?” I found this question really interesting, because I think most of us with this disease think that if anything good happens to us, it’s despite our…

Do you ever feel like screaming? On the inside, I scream fairly often. Usually, the theme is “You don’t understand!” and it’s in conjunction with some incident where it’s very clear that 1) the person doesn’t know me at all, and 2) all they can see is a shaky, slow,…

A friend told me recently that she was very fearful about what the future held for her with Parkinson’s disease. This got me thinking about how I feel about the future. Was I afraid? After some soul searching, I realized that, at this point at least, I’m not afraid.

Last in a series. Read part one. Recently, I had terrible abdominal pain in the middle of the night. It was so bad that I was doubled over and couldn’t sleep. I thought it was appendicitis, or kidney stones, or maybe diverticulosis. I tried to walk it off and…