Every once in a while I watch an old episode of “House.” The television show is about a cynical, genius doctor (Dr. House) who mentors three other physicians. They all work closely with one another as a team to solve the most complex of cases. The last…
Journeying Through Parkinson’s Disease
— Sherri Woodbridge
Sherri was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease over 15 years ago. She can be found working in her garden, going for walks, taking pictures, or reading books to her three favorite grandkids. Sherri is taking life somewhat slower, and perhaps with guarded steps, but she’s not giving in.
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How do I start this? What do I say? A few years after I was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease, I went to my movement disorder specialist for my routine, three-month checkup. We chatted for a while and then he brought up the subject of work. How…
Sherri Woodbridge -- Journeying Through Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson’s disease. I live so near to it that sometimes writing about it feels like living through it all over again. But if people didn’t share their stories, there would be no empathy on this journey called Parkinson’s disease to help us through the struggles. The other day,…
Necrophobia: The fear of death or dead things. Thanatophobia: The fear of dying. Everyone, at some point in their lives, thinks about death and gets a little nervous, if not downright scared. It may not be death that people fear so much as the prologue of suffering they…
Many people aren’t aware of how wide the range of Parkinson’s disease symptoms is. For example, looking at the motor symptoms alone, a patient can have any, or all, of the following: tremors, muscle rigidity, and difficulty walking. One symptom that is not common knowledge outside of the…
It feels like I have no purpose. Ideas climb inside my head and instead of taking root so that I can grasp them and hold them captive in hopes of putting pen to paper, they disappear like dead leaves lying on the ground; crisp, full of beauty,…
My grandson fights naps. Or, I guess I should say he used to. My other grandson loved his naps and bedtime so much he would ask if it was naptime or bedtime yet. And needless to say, they both awoke happy and rested. When my grandson awakens from…
I think I have lived long enough to learn (although it’s an ongoing process), that as hard as I may seek, no one or nothing but God can fill the hole inside my heart. I believe I was born with this hole. Broken at birth, so to speak.
“It’s gonna be 40, 60 degrees today.” That was the weather report given this morning by my 3-year-old grandson. Well, he almost got it right. It was supposed to get up into the 80s. We went to Boingo’s, the bouncy house playground, to work out some wiggles and…
One day, I wrote about grief. It was a good day, and so it was easy to talk about. You can do things like that on good days. You can leave the grief behind and take the joy instead. However, on bad days, as I said in…
The other day, my friend Jeanette shared a Facebook post stating that having Parkinson’s disease had changed her personality, thinking, and decision-making skills. Having Parkinson’s disease causes her anxiety and depression. And besides, she said, she liked her old personality. How true this statement is for people having…
Steven Curtis Chapman said it best: ”I don’t even wanna breathe right now …I don’t even wanna be right now I don’t wanna think another thought …I don’t wanna feel this pain I feel [but] right now, pain is all I’ve got.” It was…
If you’ve flown on an airplane from here to there and the weather was bad and visibility nil, you likely didn’t see much more than a layer of dark, gray clouds. However, every once in a while there is a little hole — a pocket — in which…
Patients with Parkinson’s disease have pet peeves they loathe, treasures they love, and things they want. Following are some of them. Feel free to add to the lists in the comments section below. 10 things Parkinson’s patients loathe: A doctor who obviously couldn’t care less. Trying to do something…
One of my grandson’s favorite things to do when we go for a walk is to follow his shadow or to chase mine. It brings out the giggles in him. One of the hardest things for those who struggle with a chronic illness such as Parkinson’s disease is…
It’s not uncommon for spouses to decide to leave when the other gets sick. I think it could be a matter of “having had it up to here” and then finding out the one you’ve “put up with” for so long now has a condition that will most…
In my last column, “I Have Parkinson’s Disease and This Is How It Affects Me, Part 1,” I shared what having Parkinson’s disease is like, according to those who live with it on a daily basis. This is second in the series. It’s my body, but I’m…
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