Neo, my friendly brain conversationalist who engages with Mrs. Dr. C, inquiries about the Parkinson’s disease (PD) self-management toolkit. “It seems overwhelming.” Mrs. Dr. C suggests, “Would a review of the ideas, one by one, help?” Neo nods and gets comfortable. “I’ve read all the columns, but I do…

Conductor brain training has made living with Parkinson’s disease easier for me. The most amazing thing I discovered while using what I call “the conductor” is that signals coming into my brain are sometimes distorted. This distortion can take place in the form of signal amplification or suppression. If…

A man walks into a store and asks for a map. The storekeeper responds, “We have lots of maps. Where are you going?” The man snaps, “Anywhere but here.” The shopkeeper says, “Sorry. We don’t have a map to ‘anywhere but here.’” When I was first hit with a sudden…

Wellness is the map of actions and thoughts that we use to guide us toward a higher quality of life — one with more well-being moments. Our wellness map is tailored to meet our individual needs and must be flexible and adaptable. Life throws out frequent curveballs, and human…

It has been rough going recently, after I acquired a “legally blind” diagnosis on top of Parkinson’s disease. It has been a month, and part of the reason I am back to column writing so soon is because of the compassionate support I received, which was freely…

There are quite a few articles that talk about caregivers supporting a person with a chronic illness, and that caregiver is usually the spouse. But what is it like when both people in the relationship have a chronic disease? There is a lot less information out there about…

My previous eight columns addressed the CHRONDI Creed, a plan anyone can put in place when seeking to live better with a chronic disease. The CHRONDI Creed is challenging to put in place as a way of life. It takes courage to face life honestly and to…

Death, the “D” in the CHRONDI Creed, refers more to the death of our self-identity than it does to physical death. As we endure the long battle with a chronic disease and deal with a gradual progression in symptoms, a loss of function occurs. I touch upon…

The “O” in the CHRONDI Creed stands for “others” — the other people around us who support, teach, and love us, and who pray and care for us. Other people can also provide a mirror that helps us to see how others perceive our actions. If we…

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The H in the CHRONDI Creed refers to happiness. Happiness can be an elusive thing when battling a chronic disease like Parkinson’s. So many things can get in the way of experiencing happiness: pain, deep fatigue, irritability, the…