Category Archives: Medications
Hear It, Share It (Part 1 of 4): Timing in Parkinson’s Disease May be Everything
During these uncertain times, now seemed the right time to share with you some words that might be of help. As we all are at home during this outbreak, I know I’m thinking about and discovering how to get back to a routine that I can keep. It isn’t easy with constant distractions. The refrigerator constantly trying to lure me, the phone ringing with robocalls, trying to work, and timing my medications – all at once – they all pull at me!
Listen to the Audio Series
So, for the next four weeks, I will be sharing a chapter from my audio book, A Soft Voice in a Noisy World – A Guide to Dealing and Healing with Parkinson’s Disease that I think might be helpful. This week’s chapter is about dealing with timing in Parkinson’s.
Timing is Important
Timing your medicine, your diet, your exercise, your sleep, and your work are a challenge that takes some self-discovery. Click the play button below to hear voice actor/narrator, Doug Gochman read Chapter 15 of my book, to get some ideas on timing:
“Keeping up on a simple daily regimen can feel like a full-time job in itself, and the longer you have this illness the more you’ll recognize the importance of being diligent in monitoring how you’re body is reacting to your medicines.“
Karl Robb, A Soft Voice in a Noisy World
Please feel free to comment about this chapter and share your own tips on how you manage your daily timing by clicking the Leave a Comment button below. Share this post with others by clicking the share buttons on the right.
Next Week’s Chapter Hint…
The next chapter in this series deals with the dilemma of weighing the fairness of living with a chronic condition. Come back next Thursday to hear the next installment!
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Dyskinesia Isn’t A Dance and It Really Isn’t Funny!
Dyskinesia is the uncontrollable jerky movement of hands, feet, or head. Often misunderstood, dyskinesia is a side effect of the Parkinson’s disease medication. Sometimes, this side effect is embarrassing, annoying, and at times even dangerous. Besides drawing attention to you from complete body writhing, dyskinesia can be exhausting. When I experienced 1 to 2 hour episodes of dyskinesia, I would feel like I ran a marathon without ever leaving home. Small spaces, sharp edges, and anything glass or breakable was a potential hazard. Trying to hold a drink with dyskinesia is a struggle, as your hand wants to splatter everything in sight but your mind screams, “Don’t do it!”
Tremor and dyskinesia are different. Unlike tremor, dyskinesia is bigger than a rapid twitch or tremble. At times, my entire body wiggled and flailed. It still happens, but only on an infrequent basis. Dyskinesia interferes with delicate and precise movements as well as simple everyday tasks, like making a sandwich, pouring a drink, or slicing bread. Someone with dyskinesia may struggle to brush their teeth, comb their hair, or just perform normal acts of daily living. Constant care and awareness is heightened to avoid food from flying everywhere.
People who don’t know me that well, who may see a brief shake, may laughingly call it a “dance”. Calling dyskinesia a dance may be meant to lighten the severity and discomfort of the event for all involved. Dancing is by choice—dyskinesia is not. I tolerate this comment but admittedly wish that those calling dyskinesia a dance could refrain from reducing a drug interaction that affects so many, to a recreational act. Dyskinesia in public is a teachable moment! Explaining to the uninitiated that this isn’t part of the illness of Parkinson’s has been a constant challenge.
Understanding dyskinesia from the non-scientific perspective isn’t that complicated, but trying to negotiate it, reduce it, and calm it, is the hard part. Never knowing when or where it might crop up can keep you on edge. It adds more stress—not what you need! Over time, I have gotten better about finding some control with the help of meditation, yoga, breathing, and reiki.
I realize that the distinction between tremor and dyskinesia probably in the scheme of things isn’t all that crucial, but what is important is the way either symptom is accepted by the public. Educating the public and demystifying the nuances of Parkinson’s can bridge the gap and clarify just what the public should understand about symptoms and side effects related to Parkinson’s disease.
A Time For More Compassion!
Today, I have a slight deviation to my usual positive message for an expression of frustration and a plea that I strongly feel needs to be expressed. Consider this my contribution to advocacy:
Congratulations if you are watching and reading the world news and can remain calm. I for one, am unable to digest the vitriolic, bombastic, childish, unproductive, hateful, remarks coming out of our nation’s capital.
When I was a child in the 1970s and 1980s our greatest fear out of Washington was the threat of nuclear war. The fear generated countless classic Hollywood blockbusters and the story slowly faded in the background, until now. The threat was probably there the whole time, but it did not remain on the front page and now, in addition to the chaos of the Trump White House, the threat of climate change, and the shake-up celebrity marriages, it makes one ponder just what to do?
If you are dealing with Parkinson’s or any disease, this is the last thing that you need on your plate. Healthcare, doesn’t mean much, until you need to access it. Our Congress, Senate, and President are entitled to full lifetime health coverage for little or no cost. It is more than a nice perk. They don’t need to vote on a healthcare plan for themselves, they’re just fine, thank you.
As for the rest of us, who actually, could use affordable healthcare, many of us are left dangling in the wind and waiting for a solution. It isn’t pretty, sexy, or exciting, but it sure is needed. I have never seen our government at such a standstill as it is at this time. A stagnant Congress and a President in turmoil leave the millions of people in need of affordable care under undue duress and the inability to move forward.
I know of many friends and fellow people with Parkinson’s who have to make the decision to cut back on their grocery bill to be able to pay for this month’s medication bill. It shouldn’t have to be that way. Sacrificing from your already reduced food budget to eke out enough for some or all of your medications is a sad and scary trade off.
Therapy caps have created a huge problem in limiting coverage for appointments for those of us who benefit from occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and rehabilitation. These outpatient services keep many of us out of the expensive doctor’s offices, crowding hospitals, and keeping patients active in their community.
I wish I had an answer. I wish I wasn’t so frustrated. I wish someone would hear our voices!
Tomorrow, 
