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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic What's your most bizarre symptom? in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 1 month, 2 weeks ago
I never thought of this as a PD problem. Like you, Charles, I have many health issues and lots of daily medications. I was diagnosed with PD over 10 years ago, and for many years this was also part of my reality. Even had to have a plumber in on one occasion. The plumbing solution was to find a very long shoehorn and slice up the stool (of…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic Have you taken virtual exercise classes? in the forum Parkinson's Disease and exercise 2 months, 2 weeks ago
I have been taking virtual exercise classes since last spring, when the exercise classes (yoga, t’ai chi, general exercise) I had been taking at my local hospital stopped having our regular classes. These classes are given by the same instructors at the same time as we had previously had our classes, and I find them to be excellent. I also have…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic What's your most bizarre symptom? in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Shelly, I also have chest tremors on occasion. mine are not as bad as yours – my entire torso does not vibrate, and they have never woken me up – but they definitely are disconcerting, much more so than the tremors in my right hand.
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic What do you do to prevent yourself from falling? in the forum Living With Parkinson's Disease 4 months, 2 weeks ago
I was diagnosed with PD about 10 years ago and am 73 years old. During the first couple of years I had a couple of really bad falls. Then I signed up for a T’ai Chi class at my local hospital. That helped me focus on the steps I take, first starting on the heel and moving toward the toe. What had been happening was that I was putting my whole…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic What's your most bizarre symptom? in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Jo, you struck a chord when you spoke of yelling and screaming some nights. I do that too on occasion. Usually it is in early morning, and often my husband is already up, so I don’t scare him, but he can hear me from the kitchen. I am invariably dreaming about teaching, something I did for about 33 years and loved doing. My dreams usually…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic Do you worry about performing local tasks? in the forum Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Parkinson’s 7 months, 3 weeks ago
I’m from NJ, and we were hit hard in March and April. At that point our daughter did our grocery shopping because both my husband and I are high risk individuals, he with heart issues and me with asthma and heart issues besides PD. We have been doing much more online shopping, and my daughter cuts my hair. Now that things have calmed down my…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic What's your most bizarre symptom? in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 7 months, 3 weeks ago
I understand about how two illnesses can complicate things. I have fibromyalgia as well as PD – there is always pain, but from which one? I gave up trying to match the symptoms with the illness and just look to treat the symptom as well as possible.
As for my most bizarre symptom, I call this my PD perk. I have lost my sense of smell, but not…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic How has your exercise regimen changed since quarantine started? in the forum Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Parkinson’s 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Mary Beth,
The first class I took was T’ai Chi Chih, which is one of the many forms of T’ai Chi. Parkinson’s disease had caused me to take a couple of really nasty falls, and what I found was that this class gave me my balance back and essentially eliminated further falls. Then I tried Yoga, and that continued to help with my balance along with…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic How has your exercise regimen changed since quarantine started? in the forum Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Parkinson’s 8 months, 3 weeks ago
For the past couple of weeks I have been taking two different Chair Yoga classes besides the Qigong class. I found it really interesting that they were so different from each other, one definitely more gentle and the other more physical. I tried two different Zumba classes, but they were both too much for me! I have been using my computer,…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic How has your exercise regimen changed since quarantine started? in the forum Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Parkinson’s 8 months, 4 weeks ago
Just this past week I received the magazine from my local hospital, letting us know of the classes that will be offered as of the last week of July. My expectations were correct; all classes will be provided through Zoom, none will be in person. I was very happy to learn, however, that I could sign up for the same classes I had been taking for…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic How has your exercise regimen changed since quarantine started? in the forum Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Parkinson’s 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Mary, I have a feeling that online sessions will be our new normal for quite a while to come. I live in New Jersey, and with our dense population we were a hot spot for the virus since the end of March. We are just in Phase 2 of things reopening, and I think, with the possibility of a second wave, the classes that I took will not be meeting in…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic How has your exercise regimen changed since quarantine started? in the forum Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Parkinson’s 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Previous to COVID-19 I attended Yoga, T’ai Chi, and an exercise class each week at my local hospital. These classes did much to improve my physical health as well as to provide wonderful social experiences. Once we needed to stay home I became much more sedentary. I knew I should exercise but just could not make myself do it on my own. I…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic Has Covid-19 changed your doctor appointments? in the forum Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Parkinson’s 10 months ago
I have had online appointments with my neurologist, my allergist, and my primary care doctor. All of the appointments very well. I was surprised with how through each appointment was. My neurologist watched me walk and do other things that I would have done in the office. My primary care doctor had me check my temp. and my blood pressure (I…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic Meds for PD & Stress not working too Well in the forum Parkinson's Disease Medications 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Hi Steve,
I’m sorry your mom is having such a rough time. I was diagnosed in Jan. 2011, and the summer of 2013 was absolutely my worst time, so I hope my response will provide some encouragement. I see that your mom is on anti-anxiety meds (so am I), but I don’t see an anti-depressant in your information. I started taking the lowest dosage of…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic Apathy in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 1 year, 1 month ago
Having been diagnosed over nine years ago, I find that apathy is not connected with depression (on Venlafaxine and doing well), poor sleep (I’m very lucky to sleep very well!), or fatigue (often tired even though I sleep well). It comes and goes for me, though usually it is hard to get up any morning. I find that the best medicine for me is to g…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly replied to the topic Realism about the future and MJF in the forum Using our forums 1 year, 4 months ago
I found all of the above comments on target, especially Dan’s and Tina’s. I take to heart the concept of acceptance, attitude, and gratitude – it certainly puts things in perspective for me. I have had PD for over 9 years, and I found that my second and third years were probably the roughest – symptoms were increasing and I hadn’t yet started d…[Read more]
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Marlene Donnelly became a registered member 1 year, 5 months ago
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hi marlene
Welcome to the forum! I am one of the moderators, diagnosed in 2015 at age 61. If there is anything specific you would like to see discussed on the forum, feel free to post a new topic in any of our forums or jump in on an existing topic:This article has descriptions with direct links to each…[Read more]
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Marelene-
I think my Dad likes the accountability of having regular class sessions too. There’s something about getting into a routine that seems to help the habit. I’m glad to hear that you’ve started to explore some virtual options. Do you know when your local businesses might start opening again?