Aunt Bean -

I am always hot hot hot! The heat and the sweating that come with it are the physical manifestations of PD that I hate the most. Once I start sweating, I can't stop - it pours from my head, drenches my hair, and can take hours keeping still in a cool area to dry out and cool down. One neuro I talked to said we lose the ability to sweat from our hands and feet; through head and trunk only; this is true for me!

What do I do for this? Number one - live in the Pacific Northwest, land of mist, drizzle, showers, sprinkles, straight-out rain, and forever-gray skies enlivened by the occasional "sun break" for 9 months of the year. And despite the water-laden nature of our atmosphere, our summers (3 months; July-September) are sparkling, breezy, humidity free and rarely top 80 degrees.

I have learned to deal with it by 1) always traveling with a hand held electric fan, and also a hand-pumped one with a water bottle attached, 2) keeping a bandanna around my neck or in my pocket for quick absorption, 3) keeping my home as cool as possible, 4) keeping hydrated, 5) avoiding the South and Midwest (I am already anxious about a meeting I have to attend in North Carolina in late February).

In the winter, I rarely wear a coat - maybe a sweater - I was actually in need of one last week during an unusual run of several days below freezing - like a true Seattleite, I never carry an umbrella - just walk between the drops. In the summer it's sandals, shorts, skirts and t shirts. I stay out of the sun, unless I'm doing something refreshing like boating or swimming (it was so hot at the Unity Walk in NYC last spring that I ditched the walk and sat in the shade of the PDF booth with my water spray fan).

Not only is it uncomfortable, but my extreme sensitivity to heat interferes with my desire to exercise, because it occurs no matter how hydrated I am. And it increases with anxiety when I worry about "what will I do when I start sweating in this very important meeting?" etc etc etc. I hate it.

For any of you out there who happen to have an interest in astrology, my chart burns with fire (2 grand fire trines), so my woo-woo, metaphysical side sees an archetypal, universal, destiny loaded with possibilities to walk a fiery path; a spiritual challenge to master and overcome; my scientific, rational, academic side sees someone with Parkinson's disease and an unbalanced metabolic system that is a physical challenge to master and overcome.

I am always looking for tips to keep cool if anyone has them.

Oh, and did I mention the possibility of menopause?

Happy New Year Everyone (yikes! the days are getting longer; the light is good - but I dread the accompanying heat!)