Fighting Parkinson’s, and living life to its fullest

We are alive. That is a good thing. But are we living our lives or are we living our Parkinson’s? That is a critical question, but more important is the answer. If we are living our Parkinson’s, then we are staring at our symptoms, we are fearful that each time something appears worse on the outside that we are getting worse with the disease, and the staring at symptoms and fear of what they mean causes our faith and hope begin to dwindle. This is a recipe for disaster and does not lead to recovery. The Recipe for Recovery is a recipe for success…success with your journey toward Parkinson’s recovery, and success with living life to the fullest.

To assist me with this point, I want to share with you a post that I wrote two years ago today, entitled “Fighting Parkinson’s, having a positive attitude.” At the time I wrote this post, May 10, 2010, I still had Parkinson’s and I had been doing the Recipe for Recovery every day for 7 and 1/2 months:

“I have received very nice off-line feedback regarding keeping a positive attitude and how big a part this plays in fighting Parkinson’s or any other disease. It reminded me of an article I read months ago where the author said he noticed that if he spoke to somebody with cancer, they would refer to their condition as “I’m fighting cancer.” The author said that people with Parkinson’s would respond, “I have Parkinson’s Disease.” It struck a nerve with me when he concluded that cancer sufferers are fighters and expect to prevail over their disease, and that Parkinson’s sufferers accept the fact that they have and incurable disease and do not expect to prevail, so why fight it. This should help you understand the importance to me of the title of my blog.

On this point, I am going to explain the Parkinson’s symptom of rigidity and how it impacts me. First, here is a good definition:

•Rigidity. Rigidity, or a resistance to movement, affects most parkinsonian patients. A major principle of body movement is that all muscles have an opposing muscle. Movement is possible not just because one muscle becomes more active, but because the opposing muscle relaxes. In Parkinson’s disease, rigidity comes about when, in response to signals from the brain, the delicate balance of opposing muscles is disturbed. The muscles remain constantly tensed and contracted so that the person aches or feels stiff or weak. The rigidity becomes obvious when another person tries to move the patient’s arm, which will move only in ratchet-like or short, jerky movements known as “cogwheel” rigidity. http://seniorhealth.about.com/od/parkinsnonsdisease/a/park_symp.htm

I have rigidity in my arms, legs, and upper back into my shoulders. Last week, a friend asked me to explain my rigidity so he could get a better sense of what I am experiencing.

1. My arms — the next time you sit down to eat, pick up some food with your utensil, and while holding your utensil just above the plate or bowl, flex and tighten every muscle in your arm from your shoulder to the grip on the utensil. While maintaining this, try to get the utensil with the food to your mouth. My arms are tight like this all the time.

2. My legs — stand as straight as you can and then put a little bend in your knees. Next, flex your calves and thighs. Now, try to walk. Or do this in front of the stairs and see if you can walk up the stairs without holding on. When you add the symptom of very poor balance to the formula, you can see why leaning forward when walking and holding on when going up the stairs are commonplace among those fighting Parkinson’s. My legs are tight like this all the time.

3. My upper back — it is tight and hurts all the time. I really do not have a good example for you to emulate.

Having a positive attitude is the key to everything. My mind and body have accepted the pain, so I am not consumed by it every waking moment. Deciding every day that Fighting Parkinson’s drug free is a fight worth fighting is what keeps me going. Quite frankly, getting to spend time with Sally and the children to celebrate Mother’s Day yesterday is really what keeps me going.”

On May 10, 2010, when I wrote that post, I had no idea I would be fully recovered on June 12, 2010. How is it that the person who explained how poorly he was feeling that day could be fully recovered one month later?

I had learned to live my life to the fullest instead of living my Parkinson’s symptoms…that’s how.

Acceptance that we will have some symptoms until we fully recover helps us keep a positive attitude. Then, the symptoms can serve as nothing more than a reminder that there is more work to be accomplished on the path toward recovery. We need not give them any more importance than that.

Doing the Recipe for Recovery and deciding every day that fighting Parkinson’s is a fight worth fighting is what leads to success…success with your journey toward Parkinson’s recovery, and success with living life to the fullest.

You are so much more than Parkinson’s symptoms. Don’t you agree?

Why not put a smile on your face and live your life to the fullest. You are worth it!!!

All my best,

Howard