Parkinson’s Awareness Month is Fast Approaching

Every April is Parkinson's Awareness Month. It doesn't get much attention even though approximately 500,000 people are living with the disease. We do hear about PD when a celebrity comes out with their diagnosis but other than that it is mostly unnoticed.

Most people, when they think of PD think of someone shaking or having tremors. Many of the people with Parkinson's that I know do not have tremors. I am also non tremor dominant. When people see me they say "oh you must be doing well because you do not have tremors", or more than likely, "you don't shake, you must have a mild case".

This could not be further from the truth. Just today, I hade to go to the DMV. I made my appointment to make it smooth and easy. When I got home, my arms and legs ached. Especially my thighs. I was very anxious (another symptom of Parkinson's). When you have PD life is an effort.

I'm 67 years old and workout five to six days per week. Exercise is the only "medicine" to slow the progression of Parkinson's. Yes, it is a progressive neurological disease and yes, I will get worse. This is why I exercise. I want to say out of a wheelchair for many years and think I will accomplish it, but if not, this is my journey.

Parkinson's is like an iceberg. The visible symptoms are just the tip . PD is a whole body disease. The brain is losing Dopamine, a chemical necessary for the body's neuromuscular system to work. Meds just treat the symptoms. My symptoms? Muscle rigidity, muscle weakness, loss of balance, extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, an extreme apathy.

All I knew about PD before my diagnosis was that Michael J. Fox has it. Oh, and people have tremors. You probably don't know much about it either. This is why my mission is to bring awareness to the disease.

Thanks for reading my blog, now you know a little more about Parkinson's disease.