Restaurants will not be the same anymore.

[pdpatient]

I rarely go out to restaurants anymore. Too cumbersome, embarrassing and risky. This social distancing is nothing for me.

bgr.com/2020/04/24/coronavi...

[MBAnderson]

What do you mean by, "this social distancing is nothing for me."

Do you mean it's not a problem for you or do you mean you don't believe it works?

[pdpatient in reply to MBAnderson]

MBA, Good Morning. Sorry that I was misunderstood. Social distancing does work, no question.

I meant to say that as a Parkinson's patient, I have unfortunately voluntarily. "socially distanced" myself from others over the years because of several reasons.

Initially, it was due to embarrassment and strangely shame. Then, it just became a new normal because friends and family stopped spontaneously stopping by or calling either because they didn't want to disturb me, or see me at my worst or listen to my "woe is me" type of conversations.

Now, it has just become normal and I don't do anything without prior commitment and planning. I don't leave the house except for work and walks. My wife does all the rest with the help of the kids.

So, what's new in my life?😂

[MBAnderson in reply to pdpatient]

I hear you. It's embarrassing to eat in public. Most PWP probably feel the same. I often have to force myself to go out to dinner and socialize, when I prefer not to. I know it's good for me. I hope you will try to stay socially engaged, although that's a lot harder now. This forum however is a excellent form of/place for social engagement.

[Zella23]

It’s a shame you don’t feel comfortable with socialising, to a certain extent my husband would be the same. Until lockdown we ate out every week with a group of very close friends locally, they all love my husband and just ignore any odd movements or behaviour he exhibits, from PD. The restaurant staff and many of their customers know.

Amantadine really helped with dyskinesia but not with restless legs that appear frequently - under the table.

We now meet on Zoom every week to keep up the close friendship. Most have medical conditions not visible but they are still there. We holiday together in a villa although probably not this year.

He would, I think lose heart sometimes without our family and treasured friends

[pdpatient in reply to Zella23]

Hi Zella. Thanks for your input and I agree, socializing is good for the body, mind and soul.

However, you raised a key point: most of your friends are in an age group where they have medical conditions that are not visible. I am 55 and diagnosed at 48. At that age, most of my friends and family were healthy, visible or not. Many probably shrunk away from me because they were realizing their own mortality and were shrinking away so as not to be reminded on a daily basis.

7 years later, age is catching up with them and they are now starting to commiserate. For example, one had a double mastectomy, another lost both of his kidneys and another has heart issues.

Parkinson's is unique in that the awareness is low, embarrassment is high and debilitation is higher, especially for those of us still in the work force. When I get the good fortune to be fully ON, there's even suspicion that I am faking it. Particularly, when I am doing well several days or weeks in a row.

[Zella23 in reply to pdpatient]

Fortunately my husband had retired when most of the main symptoms of PD materialised and he was diagnosed. It must be so much harder in the workforce where PD symptoms can be so variable and changeable, and as you say awareness of the condition is low.

I realised that the unawareness is even in our relatives, when I told one of my husbands cousins that he now had PD, he told his sister and I received a text the next day saying so sorry we heard about about ..... s Alzheimer’s!

[bbc680]

I'd like to get shirts made. "Soups and Salads Suck"