When Parkinson’s anxiety, Google Maps, and texting collide

A columnist recalls a stressful moment while traveling in Portugal

Christine Scheer avatar

by Christine Scheer |

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I’m fortunate to have two daughters who are my pride and joy. We get along extremely well, and they’ve always been supportive of me, especially during my Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2015. After I had deep brain stimulation surgery in 2021, they both came to our farm to see me, cook meals, and take me for walks every day for a solid month. They are remarkable and kind young women.

We text one another every morning, often our Wordle scores, and then again if something exciting happens during the day. And boy, are they ever fast at texting! They can get 10 texts in while I try to type just one. I know when my phone starts frantically pinging that something exciting is happening.

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Recently, my husband, John, and I went on holiday to Portugal. We rented a car so we could drive to the Douro Valley, which was spectacular. I had no idea how gorgeous and extensive it was, or how we would be driving on very narrow mountain roads with blind corners and switchbacks every 30 seconds.

I’ve always been a bit of an anxious person. Parkinson’s disease has exacerbated my anxiety for sure, but when we were driving those mountainous roads, it was like an alien had taken over my body. First of all, I started to shake. Seismically, it was way beyond my average level of tremors. I was trying to hold my phone so I could see the Google map, but I couldn’t keep it steady.

Then I started to sweat. I didn’t just drip sweat, though. I swear I was spurting it! My face, hands, armpits, and feet all joined forces, and I couldn’t keep ahead of it. I kept wiping my hands on my jeans, to no avail.

“You should be filming this. It’s so beautiful,” John remarked.

“I can’t hold my phone!” I replied. “It keeps slipping out of my hands because they are sweating so much.”

He didn’t understand that at that point, it was like trying to hold a greased watermelon.

We drove around Portugal for a week. Thank goodness for John’s expert driving skills, Google Maps, and that decisive woman’s voice that barked out directions from my phone. The voice guided us through roundabouts, city streets, highways, and mountain roads.

At the end of our trip, we were headed back into Porto, a bustling city with long and (for us) unpronounceable street names. We were completely dependent on Google to get us there. We were nine minutes away from our destination, in an area of the city that had roundabouts upon roundabouts. That’s when there was a giant snowstorm at home in Canada, and our daughters wanted me to know everything about it. The texting started.

It went like this:

Google: Take the PING! (“It’s the biggest snowstorm of the winter!”)

Google: Exit onto PING! (“I didn’t know it was going to snow?”)

Google: Then continue PING! (“I think we might get snowed in!”)

Google: Until you are PING! (“Ugh!”)

Google: Take the first PING! (“The lane is really icy!”)

PING! (snowflake emoji)

PING! (snowman emoji)

Google: Rerouting … Follow the PING! (frozen blue face emoji)

Google: When you are PING! (“So cold and snowy here!”)

PING! (“How’s the weather in Portugal, Mom?”)

PING! (heart emoji)

PING! (sun with sunglasses emoji)

John was now loudly suggesting that I “stop texting!” And I was shouting, “It’s not me!” Then I was yelling at my phone, “Stop! Stop!” Yes, it was chaos.

Part of the problem wasn’t just the pinging of the texts, but that the little text box kept popping up and covering the map and directions. We were driving blind. Add my sweaty, shaky hands trying to hold the phone, and we’re lucky we didn’t end up in a different city.

Back home in Canada, we’ve had a good laugh about the driving situation. I had no idea how uncontrollable my anxiety would be, but I’m glad we took the trip. Will there be a next time? Of course — as long as it doesn’t involve driving.


Note: Parkinson’s News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Parkinson’s News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Parkinson’s disease.

Comments

marjorie calkins avatar

marjorie calkins

Great description of the funny and not-so-funny situation. Thanks!

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Christine Scheer avatar

Christine Scheer

Thanks! I always try to find the funny in most situations.

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Rick Tabakin avatar

Rick Tabakin

Stress, whether it be from cold temperatures, fear, anxiety, etc. causes tremors to increase significantly for those with PD.

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Cynthia Terrien avatar

Cynthia Terrien

Oh my gosh, Christine!!! I really needed to read this tonight. I was giggling so hard that I could barely tell my husband your story. I was diagnosed in 2022, and I struggle with anxiety. I am in the midst of finding out what I can do about that. Thank you so much for sharing this. Hearts!

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Christine Scheer avatar

Christine Scheer

I'm glad it made you laugh!

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Luciana Oldani avatar

Luciana Oldani

I’m so glad she got to travel she’s doing well;wish you continued success

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Christine Scheer avatar

Christine Scheer

Thanks! I'm happy about that too!

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Maryjo Horton avatar

Maryjo Horton

I am an anxious person. Also this anxiety has caused me to have essential tremors. These are tremors over and above my PD. These tremors have caused me extreme difficulty with my arms and hands and especially my legs. I can barely walk with my walker. The cure for this essential tremor It’s to be less anxious. I haven’t figured out how to do that yet so I am stuck with the essential tremor on top of my PD.

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Christine Scheer avatar

Christine Scheer

I understand! It's a chicken and egg situation. I really hope you can find some relief from the anxiety.

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Kathleen Karafonda avatar

Kathleen Karafonda

wonderful expressive narration!

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Christine Scheer avatar

Christine Scheer

Thank you! My daughters thought it was hilarious how they had no idea what was going on!

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Richard Masla avatar

Richard Masla

Hi Christine,

My partner, age 55 has had Parkinson's for 10 years. She is considering DBS, I noticed in the above article you mentioned it. She is in anxiety about it, high anxiety about whether to do it or not. If you had the choice to make over again, what would you do? Much appreciation for your time and experience.

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Christine Scheer avatar

Christine Scheer

Hi Richard. It's a big decision whether to have DBS or not. Your wife needs to speak to her neurologist to see if it would be the right decision for her. My main symptom was tremor, which apparently is the easiest thing to target with DBS. So, yes, I'm happy that I had it because for me, well, it gave me my life back. It's not a cakewalk, however, and the results are different for everybody.I wrote about it a couple of years ago: https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/30-days-of-pd-2022/30-days-of-pd-deep-brain-stimulation-surgery-gave-back-my-life/
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have more questions. Both Michael J Fox and Davis Phinney have good information on their websites.

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Bette Pintar avatar

Bette Pintar

I need to print this on something small. I want to be able to hand it to people when the same happens to me. And I should post it on Facebook with no names, of course.

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Christine Scheer avatar

Christine Scheer

HAHA! I'd be honoured if you did that.

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Estelle Wallace avatar

Estelle Wallace

Hi Christine,
Today I read this post from you and enjoyed it tremendously! I was diagnosed in June 2020 with hand tremors as the trigger symptom. My husband and I (68 & 71 at the time) bought an RV and began traveling across the US to visit all the National Parks along the way. We have visited all but 3 in south Florida and Alaska. We will complete those in the next year or two. I laughed so hard at your experience with Google Maps, your phone and incoming texts ... Yes, we had many similar experiences (LOL). Then I went on to read your other very informative posts and truly appreciate you sharing your wisdom and relatable stories. Looking forward to your upcoming posts! Cheers!

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Christine Scheer avatar

Christine Scheer

Hi Estelle, Thanks so much for your nice comments! I’m happy you had a good laugh. We have a small trailer and really enjoy camping too. Happy trails to you!

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