Perks of Parkinson's

[SuKas]

Yup u read that right....Dealing with Parkinson's or PD since the last 7 years, I have realised that they are several perks...well benefits of having PD....

Drunken Walk.... Yup... Being a Parkie enables me to do the drunken sway, or walk, or stumble as the case may be, without imbibing even a drop of alchohol... and yeah no acting either

Practice running...and learning the art of trying to find a clear path... You know when people see me stumble or fall, it is their natural instinct to come and hold me to help me walk, and when I brush them off, they are bewildered.... well another joy of PD is that once u start ur walk, u better have a clear path to where u are going... and if I have to stop because of some obstacle then I freeze and sway and have to go through the process again....this is what I do.... I pull myself up, get on my knees, pull up and run like a sprinter. only thing is instead of running i do a really mean fast shuffle....my kids and family, now know to move away and leave a clear path for me

Electrifying...yup seriously one needs to learn and harness some of the electricity and heat we Parkies generate...when I am shaking sometimes...I am vibrating, and feel like there are electric impulses all over my body, and yeah heat as my body is working overtime

Shaken, Stirred and Frozen? Sounds like an oxymoron, rite? and no it is not a drink, al la Bond style.... but this is an amazing feat... where your body is shaking and jittery and a mass of movemen, but still u are frozen as in unable to move... even to roll over on the bed.... and no this trick, as far as i know is not taught anywhere...thank god!

Slurred soft, raspy, fast or low voice or speech.... Hmmm have always been a talkative kinda person, and a person who loves to be the center of attention, yea, I do, anyways have done radio for the longest time and have always been complimented on my voice, so now I can add to my repertoire of talents yup can do a lot of different things with my voice..jeez I am talented:)))

Contortionist....Oh yeah Idid learn a few tricks .... when my eyes close shut, my voice slurs, my face contorts...well this might sometime look scary....so

Heady Cocktail...am in the high/twilight zone...Thanks to the heady cocktail of .... hmm na not drinks but the wonderful mind altering drugs that I get to take, whose list of side effects run to literally reams of pages, that when I look at it, technically I shud be puking my guts out, be dizzy, etc etc etc.... which makes me wonder...hmm is it really me out there or OMG god knows...>

And of course the ultimate in perks BOTOX.... See as I am special I have this condition which happens to only 5 % of YOPD (Young Onset of Parkinson's Disease) people which again happens to only a very small percentage again....what is that...well it effects my eyes...yup my eyes, droop close and refuse to open, and I literally am like a blind person as I have to pull apart my eyes to see.... well thank god there is a solution....BOTOX yup...though several time more potent than cosmetic botox and that many times more dangerous...but yea atleast it lets me see the world as it turns So I get to go every three months for lifelong to get my eyes injected...about 10 shots per eye..and yeah I have a deal with my doc...that I will get extra shots whenever wrinkles show up on my face...Shhhhhh our secret

So yup, I am the lucky, chosen, talented and yup as the docs shaking their heads say am Special:)))

Please do not envy me:)) I cannot take it LOLZ

[jillannf6]

hi

i have psp a rare type fo parkinsons and 1 lof the main synoptoms leading to diagnosis is the eye problems

my eyes shuT

i do not blinik

and am hoping to get some boxox 2 keep mye eyes open

My vision is poorer!

I have a small loss of veritcal downgaze etc etc

jill

[SuKas in reply to jillannf6]

oh.....I actually developed this symptom probably 4 years into my diagnosis...which they told me cud be a result of the meds I take...I take 10 shots per eye every three months and they seem to help....Botox shud help...I know how it is to have ur eyes closed

[Joealt]

PD is a Sad Disease. I'm still in The Early Stages, but last night my wife and I teared up while watching a PBS program about The Brain that featured somebody who was in an advanced stage of PD.

[SuKas in reply to Joealt]

You know I firmly believe one can deal with it by being positive...I am 7 years into the diagnosis...diagnosed at the age of 36....

sukas-myworld.blogspot.com/

youtube.com/user/creatvprod...

I have been doing these inspite of PD....DO not give up

[Paul_Dineen]

SuKas,

That's quite a lot you have to deal with. I'm impressed that you can remain buoyant and positive through that.

For me, I'd say weak sense of smell is an advantage. Of course, that goes both ways, but overall there are more times that I'm glad that I can barely perceive a bad smell than I'm missing out on the fullness of a good one. If I had to lose one sense, smell would be first and sight would be last.

> their natural instinct to come and hold me to help me walk, and when I brush them off, they are bewildered

I'm confused about why you'd brush off people who are offering help. Maybe "brush off" isn't the most accurate characterization. Maybe it's more that you're demonstrating to them that you're strong and more in control than they may believe.

[SuKas in reply to Paul_Dineen]

Thank u...it is a challenge, it all depends on how u want to look at it

i totally agree with the smell issue:0

as for brushing off people I meant during the time that ur legs refuse to obey u but u still need to get somewhere, is when I need clear pathway for my "shuffle' walk, i do not like anyone to hold me...i just am off ...

it is not fun but gotta deal with it