26 years with pd
This bit is a little dated and not to all tastes, for sure. Nonetheless, here you go.
Some random thoughts on living with PD for 26 years:
1 When first diagnosed, patients are often told, "Don't be too troubled, PD isn't a death sentence." What you are not told, and something that takes a while to sink in, is that PD is a life sentence.
2 Every time you go to the pharmacist for a change in medication, you are told the same thing: "I'm afraid this new item is a little bit more expensive than what you've been taking."
3 As time goes by, your visits for regular check-ups amount to this: Tap your fingers ten times, tap your toes ten times and leave four hundred bucks on your way out.
4 Feeling lousy becomes so routine, it can almost be considered a positive; it's a kind of manifestation or confirmation that you are "holding the line" against condition symptoms.
5 It's only a matter of time before I'm "outed" as a menace behind the wheel. Visual-spatial problems have lead to difficulty in driving in a straight line, a practice that tends to attract unwanted attention from law enforcement.
6 Drool me a river. It's getting tougher and tougher to appear normal in public.
7 You never have to pick up a check at a restaurant. During the time it takes to get your wallet out of your back pocket, someone in your party is certain to lose patience and pay the bill out of sheer boredom.
8 and a half. Cognitive trouble? None that I've noticed. I was looking for something the other day, found it, then couldn't remember what I needed it for. Maybe I'm confused.
9 After all this time with no health insurance, why worry? A recent bill for a shoulder dislocation came to a paltry fifteen thousand all out of pocket dollars. That's chump change, for sure.
10 The flavor of the day is apathy. For example, I used to be pretty good at keeping up with cutting edge trends in relation to PD research. Just now, I don't pay much attention. Wake me up when there's a cure.
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slapdasch4
I enjoyed your sense of humor regarding all the many pitfalls we all face at one time or another. We might as well laugh considering the alternative!
Thea DeStephano
, what a compilation—I enjoyed reading it! Thank you for sharing it with us.
All the best,
Christina, ParkinsonsDisease.net Team
I am new to PD, and your humorous PD realities reaffirm that the disease isn’t going away. I pray a lot, and I laugh a lot. Both seem to help. I look forward to seeing some more of 26 years with PD. Cheers!
I'm glad that as someone who is recently diagnosed you didn't, as some have, take what I wrote as a nod in the direction of despair. I kind of see my purpose in PD related issues is to keep things in the middle; while I don't find myself on the "living well with Parkinson's" end of the spectrum , as you note, things such as humor and prayer can help.
To sum up, I guess in relation to having PD for 20 plus years, if the category exists, put me down as a believer in the idea of, "It a'nt what it used to be, bit it'll do."
Good ;luck and I'm pretty sure you'll find PD to be an interesting disease trat is bot best learned about ny contracting iyit is what is and I chose IT IS BY GOD
Two things a friend told me “I look at PD as an annoyance. “ And, “It is what it is “ He has had PD 30 plus years and is dong well. Every day is relished. Fill it with song and dance. Take care. A big hug from a community joyful member. Cheers
