I have a few true stories that you might think worthy of a laugh…or at least a smile.

1. Those of us blessed with PD know the problem we have getting enough protein in our diets without paying a physical price for it. A while back, my weight was dropping at an alarming rate so I decided to try one of those protein drinks, thinking it might be easier to deal with . There are so many of these on the market that I had trouble selecting the right one. I quickly chose one and took it home. When I went to drink it, I looked at the can more carefully and knew I had chosen the right product, because on the top of the can were two suggestions that must have been meant for PD‘ers. The first was “Shake Well” which, is good advice, but after 25 years with PD, I think I have that skill pretty much perfected!
The second suggestion said “Do Not Freeze,” another good (although obvious) idea. But, I thought to myself, if I had any control over my shaking and freezing, I wouldn’t need your product in the first place!

2. One day I was walking down a busy street in a New York shopping center. I was quite dyskinetic and very self-conscious about it. But I wondered if my movement disorder was as apparent on the outside as it was on the inside. I noticed that ahead of me was a guy, down on his luck, asking each person as they walked by if they could spare some change. I took some money out of my pocket so that I would be prepared to make my donation with the minimal amount of difficulty. But when I approached him, he looked me up and down and then he waved me off! As if to say, “No thanks, pal. You look like you need it more than I do!” Well, I guess I got the answer to my question about my dykinesias being obvious or not!

3. This one did not happen to me, but to a family friend who had PD and has since passed. We’ll call him Uncle Phil. Uncle Phil was driving along in his neighborhood when he was suddenly struck with a nasty case of dyskinesias He was stopped at a red light, so could not pull over immediately. Meanwhile, a car full of teenagers pull up along side Uncle Phil at the red light. They looked over and saw all the activity in Uncle Phil’s car. They motioned to him to lower his window. When he did, one inquisitive teen shouted, “Hey, man. What station are you listening to?” They obviously thought he was really enjoying his music. Uncle Phil, not known for his patience or diplomacy shouted back, “I don’t even have my radio on, you $%^&#!”

You gotta laugh!