Looking frantic, Neo, my brain’s imaginary neocortex, sighs. “I can’t handle all of this,” he says. “Tips on how to live better with a chronic disease, tips on managing chronic pain, tips on depression and putting on a new face. I get overwhelmed just thinking about it…
Possibilities With Parkinson’s — Dr. C
Dr. C is the familiar pseudonym for readers who visit “Possibilities with Parkinson’s.” The love of writing has spanned his careers as a research theoretician, brain rehabilitation clinician, and college professor. Dr. C was first diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s disease in 2014. His interest in how Parkinson’s disease can manifest itself in other body and mind symptoms has become a focused area for his research and writing. His goal is to share current medical research on how Parkinson’s can be diagnosed in early stages, and to help other early-stage Parkinson’s patients manage their disease process in a holistic healing approach.
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You can’t walk around with a doctor in one pocket and a therapist in the other. In fact, you can’t even walk around with your hands in your pockets if you have Parkinson’s disease because you need them to prevent you from bumping into things and falling. Nobody…
The image of Parkinson’s disease I called a caricature in a previous column about depression does not match how I see the illness, nor does it match what most people experience. We need a new face for the disease that reflects how people experience it, and that offers possibility…
When everything was at its worst, the darkness engulfed me. I yell out, “I hate my life.” In 2017, an estimated 7.1% of all U.S. adults had been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives. It is much worse for those with a chronic…
I bit my tongue hard enough to draw blood, releasing that unique rusty-iron taste. This wasn’t the first time. When I have had multiple teeth removed (leaving open spaces for a few weeks while artificial teeth were being made), my mouth muscles had difficulty adjusting. The consequences are quite painful.
My previous columns about pain and chronic pain seem to have fallen a bit short for my liking. So, following are some commonsense tips that I use when medically appropriate. I hope they help you as they’ve helped me. Tip 1: I exercise. It may seem counterintuitive…
For 15 years, I have been a failure at managing my chronic pain. I was prescribed oxycodone with gabapentin, and after my Parkinson’s diagnosis, I was put on levodopa. This decreased my pain to the point where oxycodone was no longer needed. I also tried alcohol and marijuana in a…
I hate facing the effort it takes to start daily exercise. I hate the way I feel the next day — like I have been pummeled with nunchuks. But ever since my Marine Corps training I have enjoyed the benefits of exercise. I know it is hard to get…
Sirens, flashing red and blue hazard lights, and Dr. C slumped in a gray felt recliner with the pallor to match. A greatly worried Neo (the neocortex of Dr. C’s brain mentioned in previous columns) exclaims, “What is going on here?” Mrs. Dr. C pokes her head out from around…
Hell on earth, that’s what it was. I was shocked by becoming legally blind in addition to worsening Parkinson’s symptoms, including what I call SEM (surges of exaggerated mood) attacks, chronic pain, and fatigue. People used to say, “You don’t look like you have Parkinson’s.” But recent…
“I’m still not feeling well. I should go to the doctor,” said Mrs. Dr. C with a pained look. I gave her a quick glance and without even a hesitation in garden shoveling, said, “OK. It’s important you attend to your health.” She asked if I would like to go…
“Be one with the moment.” Hogwash! I can’t be one with the darkness. Yet, I do understand the power of the darkness for shaping my behaviors. I see the darkness as pure survival and protection against possible threats. It is a hyper-focus on self-survival along with unhealed battle wounds…
Neo, the neocortex of Dr. C’s brain mentioned in previous columns, exclaims, “That was amazing, Dr. C, to watch Mrs. Dr. C apply the healing relationship, and poof, you’re all better!” Neo was referring to last week’s column, in which Dr. C emerged from a long period of darkness…
“Yuck! It peed all over me,” my granddaughter exclaimed as she released the toad back into the forest. “That’s just his natural defense mechanism,” her father replied. Like the toad, we also have our natural defense mechanisms. They are automatically called upon when a threat is perceived, real or not.
In the book “Talking to Strangers,” author Malcolm Gladwell posits that we are lousy at knowing the intent of strangers. We have no better success than chance in determining whether someone is lying or telling the truth. One explanation is called truth default theory. Simply stated, when meeting…
My wife and I left our New England home on April 4 and moved into a St. Louis home on the 22nd — a total of 18 days in the dark, cramped quarters of various motel rooms. We have almost 50 years together and communication is one of our strong…
I miss my support groups, the warm handshakes, and the genuine greeting, “How have you been?” Most of all, I miss hugs from my granddaughters. There is no technology that can replace their healing hugs. We are social beings, and to thrive rather than just survive, we need healing contact…
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