Thursday, April 3, 2008 7:59 PM US/Western

Parkinson's disease 'depressing, debilitating'
By DON GRONNING
staff writer

ELLENSBURG [Washington] — Delores Moerer of Ellensburg has had trouble walking for several years.

“I went in to the doctor because I couldn’t walk,” said Moerer, 79. “At first the doctor said I was depressed.”

But she didn’t think that was the case and after about three months, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. People may tremble, have trouble walking or violently shake. There is no cure, although there is treatment.

For Moerer, the symptoms are controlled with the medication she takes five times a day.


“You have to plan your days around the medicine,” she said. When the medicine is at peak effectiveness, she is relatively stable, with little trembling. But when it starts to wear off, the trembling returns.

“The worst thing is not knowing what to prepare for next,” said Moerer, a retired beautician who lives with her husband, Wally. “When you are in public, these things happen, whether you want them to or not.”

READ the entire article