I rarely post on this message board, although I've been around for a long time. With a bit of a gulp, I'm stepping out of the shadows (and my comfort zone) to share my current situation, with the hope that it will help someone somewhere.

I was diagnosed with PD 8 1/2 years ago and for the first few years it seemed to be progressing rather quickly. At one point, I couldn't walk to my mailbox and back, needed help getting up from a chair or the floor, and once fell face first on pavement. I was depressed and in pain most of the time and couldn't care for my house or do much except sit in a chair all day long.

It's a long story about how I improved, but I feel that a big part of it had to do with finding the right doctor (a movement disorder specialist) and the right meds (including an antidepressant and pain meds for a while), finding a "passion" in life, and adopting an attitude of adaptive thinking and letting go of things I can't change.

This week I had a checkup with my neurologist and things have been going so well for me that I thought it might be worth sharing my report with all of you. Although I know that we are all different, I hope you will find something helpful here. (What follows is my written report to the neuro. Note, the italics were added for this post and were not part of the original report).


On the one hand, I feel very fortunate that my progression has been slow. However, I also feel that I am working hard to help myself. My doctor said that, according to research, the single most helpful thing in slowing progression is exercise and staying as active as possible. I also think it helps that I have things to do that I love and that keep me busy and focused on something besides myself.

Thanks for letting me share with you. I wish you all well.

Judith

PS: Note: I forgot to mention that if you were to see me today, you would never guess that I have PD. Most people aren't aware of it.