Rock Steady Fighter

I jest.  You have to keep a sense of humor when you are living with a condition like Parkinson's.  I am actually very thankful for new treatments even if they aren't pink and pretty.

Closing in on two weeks with my pump and we have already had some wonderful times together. And we have had some really not so great times. I have had a couple of days when that old feeling of "normal" peeked around the corner and made a swift fly by. I have had many days of frustration, symptoms that won't stay under control, injection sites that burn and sting, skin that is swollen and sore. Those moments of near normal are enticing enough to put up with the bad side so far. Near normal is such a very good feeling. I am still early on in the process and have lots to learn. Praying the good times increase and the hard days be tolerable. Near normal...I'm coming after you.   #fueledbyvyalev   #vyalev   #parkinsons  

  I finally got my Vyalev pump. Like anything else with Parkinson's, the road has been bumpy. I started in the clinical trial about four years ago. That only lasted a month or so because of the skin bruising, swelling and medication pooling. At the end of last year, the FDA approved the pump and recently Medicare started covering it. I was anxious to try again. So now I am on day 6 and here's the good, the bad and the ugly: I am having much less off time. I am still in the phase of getting my rate adjusted and anticipate that this will improve even more. On occasion, I still use my Inbrija to get me over a rough patch but I'm not using it much and I anticipate I will need to continue to have it on hand in the future because life with PD, well, life in general, is unpredictable. I have had some trouble with the medication pooling and my skin bruising and looking bumpy and swollen. Thankfully, there is an online community of wonderful people sharing tips and tricks for dealin...

 If only we could live in a world where everyone put their innate talents and gifts together and worked to solve problems, we might have a world with  less illness and suffering.  It would also be a world with less multibillion dollar companies.   I understand that people need to make a living and I also understand that competition between companies can sometimes spur new thought and development of ideas. I understand the need for regulations and standards for safety. I understand that all of this costs money.   But when you are living day in and day out with a degenerating illness that has very few treatments, and no glimpse of a cure, you really don't give a darn about any of that.  You just want to get better.  You want to be able to trust that you are being given the best advice about the best treatment and you don't have time to wait for it.  I will continue to dream about my ideal world but I  expect that it will just stay a dream....

I live in a lovely home in Orange County, California. My gated community is designated 55 and over, and the houses sell for well over a million dollars. Recently, I received an email from my HOA letting me know that one of the outdoor common areas was going to be refurbished and they were going to be spraying Lifeline Herbicide. The notice included the warning, "While the park will be taped off, we want to remind everyone to not enter the area for safety reasons."  After doing some research, I notified my property manager that the herbicide, whose active ingredient is Glufosinate-ammonium,  is  actually banned in over 30 countries due to health concerns.  I mentioned the increase in Parkinson’s cases and that researchers believe most cases are environmental in origin.  I said I was concerned that the toxins would get in our water supply and asked if there wasn’t some other way the task could be completed.  The response I got back was onl...

  At the end of a year, it is common to look back and take stock of what has been working and what needs to change.  This past year, 2024, marked the eight-year anniversary of my Parkinson’s diagnosis and the seven-year anniversary of being a dedicated, passionate, leader in my local Parkinson’s community. It also was my most difficult year living with the symptoms of Parkinson’s.  I ended the year exhausted, sick with Covid, and beyond frustrated with the status quo of Parkinson’s treatments, and our current healthcare system. People with a neurodegenerative condition like Parkinson’s should not have to fight so hard to get treatments they need. Even with all the research being done, and money being spent, Parkinson’s remains the fastest growing neurological disorder. It is still progressive with no cure. We are still having to fight to ban substances that we know cause Parkinson’s.    The scale has tipped for me this year. In 2025, I will spend more ...