Welcome

I found the following letter whilst surfing for information on PD, it is an excellent description of what it is like to live with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Dear friends “I have Parkinson’s disease. It is not catching or hereditary. No one knows what causes it, but some of the dopamine cells in the brain begin to die at an accelerated rate. Everyone slowly loses some dopamine cells as they grow older. If the cells suddenly begin to die at a faster rate, PD develops. It is a slowly progressive disease usually occurring, as people get older.
Medicines can help. I’ll take newer, stronger kinds over the years.
Some make me sick and take lots of adjustment to select the right dosage.
Stick with me. I have my good days and bad days.
Sometimes I cry and appear to be upset and you think you have done something to hurt my feelings. Probably not. It is the Parkinson’s.
Keep talking to me. Ignore the tears. I’ll be O.K. in a few minutes.
You expect me to shake. Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Medicines today takes care of some of the tremors. If my hands, feet or head are shaky, ignore it. I’ll sit on my hand or put it in my pocket.
Treat me as you always have. What is a little shakiness between friends?

You think not to entertain me anymore because I’m not grinning or laughing. If I appear to stare at you, or have a wooden expression, that’s the Parkinson’s. I hear you. I have the same intelligence. It just isn’t as easy to show facial expressions.
If swallowing is a problem, I may drool. This bothers me, so we’ll mop up.
When we are ready to go somewhere and I get up, I can hardly move. Maybe my medication is wearing off. This stiffness or rigidity is part of Parkinson’s. Let me take my time. Keep talking. I’ll get there eventually. Trying to hurry me won’t help. I must take my time. If I seem jerky when I start out, that’s normal. It will lessen, as I get moving.
I need to walk each day. Two or three miles are good. Walk with me. Company makes walking fun. It may be a slow walk, but I’ll get there.
Remind me if I slump or stoop. I don’t always know I’m doing this. My stretching, bending, pushing exercises must be done every day. Help with them if you can.

As my deeper tones disappear, you’ll notice my voice is getting higher and wispy. That’s the Parkinson’s.
Listen to me. I know you can talk louder, faster, and finish my sentences for me. I hate that! Let me talk, get my thoughts together and speak for myself. I’m still there. My mind is O.K. Since I’m slower in moving, my thoughts are slower too. I want to be part of the conversation, let me speak.
I may complain that I can’t sleep. If I wander around in the middle of the night, that’s the Parkinson’s. it has nothing to do with what I ate or how early I went to bed. I may nap during the day. Let me sleep when I can. I can’t always control when I’m tired or feel like sleeping.

Be patient, my friend. I need you. I’m the same person; I’ve just slowed down. It’s not easy to talk about Parkinson’s, but I’ll try if you really want to. You must know that I need my friends. I want to continue to be part of life.
Please remain my friend!

Love Your PD friend