PARKINSONS – EARLY DIAGNOSIS

Normally, words come easily to me.  I’ve spent a lifetime giving advice; yet when asked what I would say to a person newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s, my mind draws a blank.  When it comes to Parkinson’s, all the rules I lived by and all the advice I’ve given over the years is of limited value.  Parkinson’s is a life changing event that deserves its own set of rules.  It is also variable in its presentation and highly unpredictable.  The one thing you can be confident in is that it will get worse and it will ultimately decrease your ability to enjoy life.

Let’s look at what you should do in the early stages of the disease:

1.  Exercise!  I don’t care if you hate exercise or not, exercise daily.  Box!  Join a Rock Steady group.  Ride a bike.  The more active you are now, the better you’ll be later.
2. Thin out now and maintain a good body weight.  As you age and lose the capacity to exercise, you’ll tend to put on weight.  Weight is your enemy.  There are times when I have trouble walking an carrying an extra 40 pounds does not help.
3. Do as many fun things as you can now.  If possible, retire.  Exercise is a full-time job.  Travel while you can.  Spend quality time with your family and friends.  If you can’t retire, take a 4-day weekend quarterly. Empty your bucket list.
4. Keep an “attitude of gratitude” as long as you can.  Make a “blessings list and read it daily”.
5. Enroll in your local Parkinson’s group and keep up with the latest in research.  There is lots of research going on.  Maybe in your lifetime we will have a cure.
6. If you believe in prayer, pray!
7. Make the most out of every day.  When you lose abilities, concentrate on the abilities you still have, not on your losses.
8. Don’t be afraid of DBS.

Parkinson’s sucks!  Make the most out of it while you can! 

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