richard gitschlag

I have personalized this disease by using the term “Parkie” as my enemy and burden, as when, in a particularly bad day I can blame “the Parkie is riding my back harder today.”  That seems to lighten my attitude at least a bit.

I don’t refer to myself as a ‘parkie’, but I reserve that for the disease itself, as in “The Parkie riding on my back”. That seems to keep it a bit lighter.

I have a reasonably open ability to discuss most issues with my Neurologist, but even with that, it was a bit difficult opening up about the sexual malfunctions at first. It is still a bit hard to go into specifics, but at least broke the ice there and we were able to discuss it, at least in general. She has been very professional in bringing up…[Read more]

Here’s the link: https://forms.gle/rKZAmkQtM9HqqrQ19

Finally! Someone is thinking about a smart phone usable by a Parkie! Not just a tracking app, but an actual, usable phone.

I would think about a ‘clickey’ keyboard, and a screen that can be calibrated for sensitivity. I am really tired of the multiple hits due to my tremors, and unintentional apps starting up after a lazy finger has the…[Read more]

Not all that much. My dad was Plant Manager of a weed killer manufacturing plant, making 2,4-D and MCPA, not to mention 2,4,5-T in earlier years. We used those as I was growing up. y dad lived into his high 80’s, as did my uncle, who worked out in the plant. We lost Dad to dementia, with only a slight Parkinson’s toward the end. I think this may…[Read more]

I’ve noticed that when particularly stressful (especially emotional) events occur, it can be like “Hey, who turned off my meds?”  Even at the peak “on” time of my Rytary schedule, it’s like a light being switched off.  It’s just gone, and the PD is on in full force.

It’s hard to pinpoint my “first symptom”, as there were several seemingly unrelated things that had been developing over the months before my official diagnosis.  In no particular order, there were:

My sense of smell had long departed.

My wife started asking why I looked sad or angry when I didn’t feel anything like that at all (masked…[Read more]