I am aware that I have a few new readers so let me give you some basics. I am 55 and female. I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1998 at the age of 39. I exercise a lot. This is my story, but I avoid using other folks' names. However I want to tell my story to inspire others ... Especially when it comes to exercise!
I have mentioned before the importance of a positive attitude. The past week or so has been an interesting exercise in this. My symptoms seem to be more apparent in the past week. Notice I don't say that I am getting worse or that I am suffering a bad period. It simply is more difficult to move these days. (I am slow, my toes curled three times this week, my balance is way off to the point that I am more comfortable sitting down --- just a few examples.) But I find myself thinking .... I can live with this. That is so much easier than thinking I have a degenerative disease that needs to be treated by whatever it takes to get me as close to normal as possible. The meds I am on now work sometimes. Sometimes I feel as if it is harder to move well so perhaps the meds aren't fully effective. But I am not in pain and I am not going to damage anything by just putting up with it.
Another benefit to the I-can-live-with-this attitude is the living part. I am not suffering from PD . .. .I am living with it. As the symptoms progress slowly, I seem to be able to adjust to each new stage , making it straightforward to just live with it. So I will just live with it.
And it is not going to go away. I can live with that.
I have mentioned before the importance of a positive attitude. The past week or so has been an interesting exercise in this. My symptoms seem to be more apparent in the past week. Notice I don't say that I am getting worse or that I am suffering a bad period. It simply is more difficult to move these days. (I am slow, my toes curled three times this week, my balance is way off to the point that I am more comfortable sitting down --- just a few examples.) But I find myself thinking .... I can live with this. That is so much easier than thinking I have a degenerative disease that needs to be treated by whatever it takes to get me as close to normal as possible. The meds I am on now work sometimes. Sometimes I feel as if it is harder to move well so perhaps the meds aren't fully effective. But I am not in pain and I am not going to damage anything by just putting up with it.
Another benefit to the I-can-live-with-this attitude is the living part. I am not suffering from PD . .. .I am living with it. As the symptoms progress slowly, I seem to be able to adjust to each new stage , making it straightforward to just live with it. So I will just live with it.
And it is not going to go away. I can live with that.
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