Parkinson’s Disease Blogs

Christmas hung in the air, smelling faintly of cheese platters and wine. Dad and I had decided to attend a Rock Steady Boxing Christmas party. On the way over, he joked that it would “be a quick Christmas party because everyone’s drugs [would] wear off in a few hours.” His attitude amazed me, as always. He isn’t one to ... read more

When my wife and I go out for date night, we tend to see a wide variety of comedy shows. Our favorite show that we have seen is Bert Kreischer. Bert is… ... read more

Has the reality of Parkinson’s disease got you feeling down? From the moment you open your eyes in the morning, you can feel the grasp of Parkinson’s pressing down on. Every limb feels heavy and stiff. You struggle to roll over in your bed ... read more

If you live in the US, there is a terrific website with current information about Exercise and about Support Groups for each state. Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance has taken on the work of identifying each PD-specific Exercise group and Support group.  They even have information about local, regional, and national organizations. Try to Google this yourself, and you will ... read more

On December 3, 2019, the FDA granted a Breakthrough Device Designation for the RightEye Vision System to help with early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD).1 Depending on how well the device works… ... read more

Some of us may think we’re a burden when perhaps our issue is pride. We don’t want to be a burden because we’ll think less of ourselves if someone has to care for us. Or, we may think others will think less of us if they have to care for us. If it is a pride issue, we will become ... read more

Saturday 18 January 2020“Alexa, what’s the weather going to be like today?”“Right now in London it’s 5 degrees Celsius with clear skies and sun. Today’s forecast is cloud with a chance of showers, with a high of 7 degrees and a low of 0 degrees.”Her voice is mellifluous, already starting to put me a good mood for the day. I ... read more

In about one month, my father’s neurologist will have my father go through his third MRI and confirm my father has Parksinon’s Plus – which I am not too convinced even the… ... read more

Researchers have said that combining acceptance with meditation works better than meditation alone. That sounds like a fantastic idea. I’ve been having trouble with meditation ever since the ruin of stagnation. Maybe if I search for and discover how to combine acceptance with meditation, it will make a difference in my pursuit of well-being. The research supports this approach. It’s ... read more

Eloquent and Poignant Descriptions Robin Morgan’s TED talk in 2015 is an eloquent expression of her poetic epiphanies from years with Parkinson’s disease. Her gentle cadence and masterful verbiage put her finger on many of the concerns, frustrations, and unknowns in dealing with a most mysterious illness. Poetry has always puzzled me. I read it—I […] ... read more

The word “hallucination” can evoke as much or greater fear than the word “dyskenesia” among those of us with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The mere mention seems almost taboo for fear of being… ... read more

  Fresh Starts Aren’t Always Necessary It’s a new year and the thought of those resolutions on the club napkin are but distant memories. Seriously, resolutions can be wonderful intentions yet only to create a burden that wasn’t the intention in the first place. If you are truly goal-oriented, resolutions are simply extensions of those […] ... read more

Respect for oneself can often be hard to come by. We can see our mistakes and failures. We recognize the missed opportunities to become who we wanted to be, and the times we fell short of our goals. Couple the inadequacies we carry with us alongside having a chronic illness such as Parkinson’s disease, and we can begin to lose ... read more

I hope you know about the many benefits of regular exercise, especially for those living with chronic conditions like Parkinson’s disease (PD). In case you don’t, this information is especially for you.… ... read more

“Grow every stem cell,search every gene,sequence every exosome,till you cure PD!”Tom Isaacs, to the tune of Climb Every Mountain, for the World Parkinson’s Congress 2016 Dear Readers, For the past 4 years I have tried to summarize for you any PD research that I have come across in layman’s terms, so that it is easier for all of us ... read more

Parkinson’s can be such a challenging diagnosis to accept because it can affect nearly every facet of your physical everyday life. This, in turn, can easily affect mood. For many, the only… ... read more

I’ve always liked attending different events, such as movies or concerts, or having lunch or coffee with friends. But I don’t get out to socialize much anymore. It’s not that I can’t or don’t want to. I merely am hesitant and for one reason or another usually talk myself out of it.  You do that when you have Parkinson’s disease ... read more

One of the earliest discoveries about PD was accidental.  A pwp rode a tandem bicycle with a doctor at Ragbrai, an annual cross-Iowa cycling event.  She was pedaling faster than she would have, because of her partner - and by the end of the week, many of her PD symptoms had improved markedly.  That experience grew into a whole series ... read more

Sinemet has been the “Gold Standard” of Parkinson’s medication for over 50 years.  But it can be like walking on a tight rope.  You must balance in many factors when trying to get Levodopa to work to the best of its ability.   This can include communication, timing, body ... read more

As we began a new decade of life with Parkinson’s disease (PD), this post is to help you to take charge and keep moving forward each day. Life with Parkinson’s can be… ... read more

My husband and I were standing in the kitchen, talking, in the weak sunlight of a Midwestern winter. Suddenly I noticed his pale hand, in stark contrast to his dark sweater, moving up and down. Because my husband is originally from Italy and our conversations weave smoothly in and out of English and Italian, I assumed he was communicating to ... read more

I was out gathering flowers, peach tulips, and blue orchids. It was a beautiful sun-kissed day. I wondered where I would discover new blooms in the garden. Out of nowhere, a chasm opened beneath my feet, and I plummeted into unknown depths. Jagged rocks and outcrops tore at me and bruised every part of me. Mind you, this was a ... read more

Living with Parkinson’s is a journey. It’s a process of learning and relearning how to adjust and live with this challenging diagnosis. We know that many of you in the Parkinson’s community… ... read more

My sister, Dad, and I waited in the doctor’s office before Christmas for his deep brain stimulation (DBS) appointment. Dad underwent DBS last fall, and it’s time for a “tuneup,” as he likes to call them. I imagine his doctor with a wrench in her hand, manipulating Dad’s brain like a mechanic fixes a car. If she works on the ... read more

I’m unsure about how I feel today, but I am certain it’s not me. I am not at my best. Tired and weary, I am running this race against time. I hope I am running it well. We all believed, at one point or another, that we had a limitless supply of time. We couldn’t wait to grow up. And ... read more