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

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.