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…
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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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
“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…
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 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…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
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.
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