Mary Beth Skylis

Samantha,

it’s interesting you say this. I’m an athlete who’s based out of Colorado. And I recently decided to explore a CBD tincture option for muscle recovery. And, I swear, the effects have been almost immediately. As a climber, I occasionally get tendinitis in my forearm. And regular CBD tincture doses help me relax, but they’re definitely…[Read more]

Sara Beth,

that sounds like a particularly confusing journey. Sometimes I’m still surprised at how complex and unpredictable the human body is. My Dad (diagnosed in 2013) noticed his sense of smell going too. And he always thought it was because he had polyps, which were eventually removed. But the removal made no difference. Years later, he…[Read more]

Thanks for your feedback!!

Well, and I’m curious about what my Dad said about shaving it off too. He’s convinced that if you shave your hair, it’ll grow back thicker. And that did happen, in his case. Since his surgery in September, his hair seems like its back to normal. I wonder if it’ll stay that way.

Hey Ephren,

My Dad (diagnosed in 2013) had DBS this Fall. After the second surgery, he came home feeling really distraught. He wondered if he had made the right choice. Since coming home, he has seen some changes. I wrote a full column a bout it recently:…[Read more]

Ah! My Dad (diagnosed in 2013) did 23 and me as well. I hadn’t thought about using that in relation to Parkinsons.

Have you enjoyed your experience with those studies?

Tina,

I’m glad to hear from lovely people like yourself. It gives me alot of insight into my Dad’s challenges. He doesn’t ever complain, so sometimes I don’t realize that he is struggling with nausea or other PD symptoms. So, in short, I appreciate you and this place as well. How else are we supposed to understand something as complicated as PD?

Tina,

you have such a great attitude. I have a tendency to lean towards type A behaviors too, so I can relate. It’s pretty tough for me to slow down and pat myself on the back too. But it sounds like you’re doing a great job of it, and recognizing your progress. I think attitude goes a long way when we’re facing challenges.

Hey Toni,

Yeah in my Dad’s case, he had small patches of hair that wouldn’t quite fill in. For the most part, it was thick as ever. But I think it was mostly behind his ears where hair struggled to grow. And I was always curious about why. He has had this big, fluffy head of hair for as long as I can remember.

And, now that he shaved it off for…[Read more]

I’ve moved around alot over the last few years, and I do find the changes to be scary. Sometimes you have to get to know a new grocery store. We accumulate so much stuff while we’re in the same place. And having to go through your belongings to determine what should stay and what should go is really hard! As grateful as I am to have been able to…[Read more]

Hey Don, my Dad was diagnosed with PD in 2013. And his progression is slow but evident. This is the first time I’m hearing about Benign Tremulous Parkinsonism. But I’m really interested to hear more.

I’ve really come to value this forum as well. Though I don’t suffer from PD, myself, my Dad does. And he feels as though sharing too much about his diagnosis can be burdensome. I think that I like to listen to what everyone has to say on this forum because it gives me a window into his life, but I don’t have to pry.

I had no idea that nausea was…[Read more]

Lou,

that’s crazy! I’ve never heard about this impulsivity before but it makes total sense. My Dad manages his impulses so they’re not particularly extreme. But he certainly has them. I can think of a few times when I was in the car with him, thinking I was headed to one destination. And then without hardly an explanation, he would change gears…[Read more]

Have you tried yoga to manage the stiffness and soreness? My Dad (diagnosed in 2013) does a little stretching routine every day, and he finds that it helps to manage the stiffness.

Tina – it’s interesting you say that. I’m a coffee/chocolate addict myself. And after a digestive upset a few weeks ago, I stopped eating chocolate (because I only wanted bland foods). And since removing it from my diet, I haven’t had a hankering at all. I don’t have PD, but sometimes I wonder about the addictive nature of certain kinds of food.…[Read more]

Phil,

Humor is one of our defense mechanisms too. When we’re struggling, we’re still making jokes. That’s how my Dad’s diagnosis went too. Once they labelled it, he realized the symptoms were there for much longer. Smell, especially, was his big indicator. And he stooped too but our whole family has poor posture so he didn’t think anything of it.…[Read more]