Is there Anything good About Parkinson's Disease?

Having promised to give notice when the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation published a new post written by me for their Community Blog, I would be remiss if I didn't point out this, in which I 'fess up to a bad attitude toward PD.

Exciting News for the Homer Area: A Support Group is Forming at the End of the Road

Hey Peninsula Parkies, give it up for Jolee Ellis!... I said, give it UP for Jolee Ellis!... I can't HEARRRRRRR YOU... Whoops! Sorry. Of course I can't hear you. Making noise is not our strong suit. Nevertheless, you should get in touch with Jolee, and let her know you would like to participate in the Homer Parkinson's support group when it gets off the ground in January or therabouts.

Jolee is starting from scratch so if you have knowledge and/or energy to help, I am sure she will appreciate it. To reach her by email send a note to  jellis24@gci.net  or phone her land line,  (907) 235-6349  or call her cell phone,  (907) 435-7551

There are many advantages to attending a support group. Among the benefits: exchange of information, the comfort in seeing people dealing well with PD, and the fellowship of people who get what you are going through from their first-hand experience. This has the potential to be big for those of you who take advantage of it. Contact her and let her know you want in! Kudos to Joleee for working to make this happen.

Going With the Floe

 
Warning: life is habit-forming. Side-effects include: drowsiness, nausea, anger, anxiety, complacency, boredom, headache, indignation, crankiness, all the ills to which the flesh is heir, up to and including certain death. But I still wake up in the morning glad to be here another day. Yes, I'll choke a bit on my saliva and cough and drool here and there. Yes, I'll thrash and maybe shake for good measure. Perhaps I'll fall and break my arm again. I suspect that it's only a matter of time.

What can you do in a messed-up world except mess up? We hop from one shrinking ice floe to the next, reeling, slipping, stumbling, pumping adrenalin, panting for breath that we never completely catch. Meanwhile, the hounds have our scent. We fall to fitful sleep with them baying in the middle distance, and awake to hear them unmistakeably closer. So we must be away again, making it up as we go along.

The young, healthy and strong may fool themselves about the terms we agree to each day. But if you've been tagged with a diagnosis like Parkinson's Disease, that is not an option. In a defective universe, we're extra-botched, super-screwed, bungled-plus. But still. Please sir, can I have some more?

The old cliche says there is nothing certain in this world but death and taxes. Well, I'm here to tell you that this is not just a cliche, it's also wrong. In fact, there are numerous other certainties that I will stand behind. I guarantee the sun will rise tomorrow in all its fiery magnificence. The light from this merely middle-sized star will shower down on us from millions of miles away, yet still so bright we can't look directly at it. This glow will flood the world, making broken glass shine like a polished diamond, and picking out every golden leaf on every tree. At night the stars, many of which are actually entire distant galaxies, will continue to send their brilliance across the light years, beyond our reach, but not beyond our imaginations.

Under our medium-sized star, we will continue our dogged battle against entropy. Yes, haters gonna' hate. But builders gonna' build, dancers gonna' dance, painters gonna' paint and healers gonna' heal. I guarantee that the arc of the human drama, with its predictable failures, unexpected triumphs, its giddy slapstick, and moments of transcendence, will play again tomorrow to standing-room-only crowds right here on the third stone from the Sun.

We don't want to miss that. Each of us has a major role in this drama. There are no bit parts, we're all the hero of our own story. You can surrender to the senselessness, or you can build a campfire, pool your vulnerability with your companions, and hold the demons at bay for awhile with your shared strength. In the flicker of this tiny fire, this borrowed sun, you will find meaning enough among your comrades to make the trouble worth the going. Absolutely guaranteed.

That's a Hell of a promise. What makes me so confident? Because we're simply built that way. We are pattern finders, and meaning makers. We can't help it. Where there is no meaning, we create and impose it. And what other choice do we have? (Hint: none.)

So, while I'm at it, let me offer one more guarantee. If I'm wrong, and the Sun does not rise, the stars fail to shine, if the whole thing were to be called off, hounds, breathlessness, Parkinson's and all, I guarantee most of us would be disappointed. We are happy, even lucky to be here because we get to hear the next chapter. It may be "a tale told by an idiot", but we still have to know what happens next.

Parkinson's Events in Southcentral Alaska for October

With an eerie sense of deja-vu we look into the upcoming PD events and find that once again there will be a Telehealth conference about Parkinson's disease to which you are invited at no charge. Spooky!  The interactive broadcast will take place Monday, October 13, 2014 at 1:00 PM. You can find the Alaska broadcast by going to the Providence Hospital oncology wing on Piper St. Go to the second floor, walk down the lonnnnnnnng hall that stretches South from the cafe and look for room 2401 pretty much at the end of the hall on your right. Presentation Titled: Tools to Aid in Daily Living, especially for those affected by Parkinson’s Disease. -What kind of financial support is available to help pay for needed equipment? For more information contact : center@spokaneparkinsons.org

Our regular support group meeting will follow on the 18th at our usual time, 3:30. Oh, did I say "regular"? My mistake. An extraordinary meeting of the support group will occur on the 18th when Dr. Ryder Gwin, a neurosurgeon will come all the way from Swedish Hospital in Seattle to give us the latest info on how they are handling Deep Brain Stimulation surgery there. He will be joined by Keely Dailey of Medtronic, the maker of the device most commonly used in the procedure. If you are considering this operation, or have always wondered what a brain surgeon looks like, or are just curious about the amazing practice of treating Parkinson's and other neurological problems by inserting electrodes into a person's head you don't want to miss this meeting.

I hope to see you there,

Peter

Life in Slow-Mo, Legs That Won't Quit