How do we all cope?

We are, where we are, so lets share our individual coping strategies:

Mine is "distraction":

Obviously as a man my favoured distraction would be to have sex all day, every day but fatigue and a lack volunteers make that an unrealistic strategy!

So realistically:

Work as much as I can.
Be alone as little as possible.
Keep busy.
Try to help others whether PWP or not.
Be gregarious.
Be passionate about everything and anything.
Fill my head with my favourite songs.
Sing......................

Whats in my head this morning:

Do me wrong, do me right,
Tell me lies but hold me tight,
Save your goodbyes for the morning light,
But dont let me be lonely tonight.

Say goodbye and say hello,
Sure enough good to see you, but its time to go,
Dont say yes but please dont say no,
I dont want to be lonely tonight.

Go away then, damn you,
Go on and do as you please,
You aint gonna see me gettin down on my knees.
Im undecided, and your hearts been divided,
Youve been turning my world upside down.

Do me wrong, do me right (right now baby),
Go on and tell me lies but hold me tight.
Save your goodbyes for the morning light (morning light),
But dont let me be lonely tonight.
I dont want to be lonely tonight.
No, no, I dont want to be lonely tonight.

I dont want to be lonely tonight


Chris

I went through the same feelings as you when I was first dx'ed, always had to be doing something, (unfortunately with my sexual prowess that meant I needed to fill the other 23 hours and 58 minutes of the day).

As time went on, acceptance grew, and I focussed on what I believed to be important, i.e. family. I found PD to be a great leveller and I now have the ability to distinguish the important from the irrelevant.

At different times my anxiety grows and my attitude changes, but anxiety accomplishes nothing for me.

Are you on dopamine agonists and if so are you handling them all right ?

Take care,
Neil (aka Aftermathman)..

Hey, Chris, I love that Isley Brothers song but I'd rather start the day with their "Work to do"!

Coping is sometimes impossible, when so many different things pile up and combine to make us doubt whether life like this is worthwhile. But then you somehow get better and the shoulder pain you had for months disappears and your balance seems to be much better and you become optimistic again.

I find that, regardless how bad I feel, if I go to a party or some other social get-together, I always end up feeling better.

The one thing that consistently makes me happy is music and dancing. I find that my sense of balance fails me in dark lighting conditions, but at weddings, where the lighting is pretty good, I can dance for hours and I feel much better and less of a parkie the next day.

Hugs
Teresa

Ooops! I stand corrected...this song was actually written by James Taylor and the Isley Brothers' is only a version of it - but a very good one, of course.

Chris

It's been almost 2 years, since my diagnosis and
I fear I am still not coping with this awful disease!
I never thought I would be on an anti depressant,
but, after quite some time of holding onto the prescription
I was finally convinced to fill it. I must admit that I do
feel better most days and at least life isn't completely
unbearable any more.

How do I cope? I finally found some support talking
with pwp on line who have become friends (because,
alas, I am still "in the closet" so to speak. I cont.
to work and feel my job keeps me going and fear
the day that I can no longer work. I have started
a "Things to do before I die (or no longer can do)
list." I am trying and doing new things.

Love the song.....

Mary

Like you, I feel the need to be productive to the point of being compulsive. That can make me pretty trying for my friends. One thing I found that helped was when a doctor asked me about my family health history. My mother was adopted and had no information about her biological parents, and my father and I have had almost nothing to do with each other.

If you enjoy the internet you might want to start a geneology map of your family. You could get a subscription to Ancestry Online or Family Treemaker. There is also the GenWeb project in each state and county. Some are better than others and will make available the names and dates of deaths of those in cemeteries, You can order both birth certificates and deathh certificates online or if you find yourself stuck, you can find a professional geneologist in the area you are researching that will look for information on your ancestorss for a fee.

I found my mother's 1/2 sister who is living in Alaska. I contacted her and she was unaware she had a half sister, as my mother[s biological mother had abandoned all her children ( a son and a daughter, legally and my mother without out benefit of marriage.) I wish I could afford to bring them together, they are both deaf and cannot talk on the phone. My mom hates to write and will not learn how to use e-mail. I e-mail my aunt and have sent her pictures of my mother and she has sent pictures of herself to me. My children took a look at the pictures and said, "Mom, that is an older version of you. The resemblance is uncanny!"

Try joining a choir. It doesn't have to be a church choir, most communities have a community choir that sings at nursing homes or assisted living centers.

Take up a new craft or hobby. Learn to paint or make pipes. You must look at this time as being an opportunity to explore your creative side.

Try not to become introverted and look outside ou your "box" to see where in your community or family you can make a difference. If you need antidepressents, by all means take them. Muscle relaxantants should be considered as an option to increasing your dose of sinemet as, although some are addictive, the long term effects may be less than Sinemet.

Well, it is morning and time to walk the dog.

Sincerely,
Vicky

This is a good question and one that needs to be asked every now and then.
After having PD for 10 years now, I don’t “cope” with it. I prefer to live with it. By that I mean I try to live my life as normal as possible. From reading and learning about this disease, I know what is going on in my body. For the most part, I pretty much know what to expect in the future.
Just turning 50 last week, I am way too young to let this disease take over with out a fight. So I go do pretty much what I want. Sure, there are some things I can’t do anymore. There are a lot of things I should’t do but still make an honest attempt to do them. Do I have bad periods? Yes. There are days when the meds don’t seem to work. A lot of sleepless nights that seem to go on forever. Days where the muscle rigidity makes it hard to move and days that reaffirm having PD sucks.
I’ve told myself that this is the way life is going to be from now on. Get over it. I fight through it and get on with life. I just go at a much slower pace these days. I could very easily sit in a corner and rot but what fun would that be? There is too much to do and see out there. PD is a part of my life now. It’s not going to go away.

Don’t “cope” with it, Live with it.

GregD

Greg

I see you don't like the use of the word "cope", perhaps "manage" would have been better but iether way I guess your reply could be summarised as:

Fighting thro' it.
Living with it.
Doing things at a slower pace.
Not giving in.

Good reply thank you,

Chris

Vicky

You havn't heard me sing, people in Nursing Homes need help not punishment!

But thank you for your reply it was varied and constructive.

Chris

A good sence of humor works great!! I see yours is intact.

Vicky