Skip to main content

Rx For Hope

 


I heard it again today.  I hear it every day lately.

"My doctor said I have PD.  I left with a prescription for meds that I know little about and go back in three months. I'm shattered and don't know what to do from here."  

This happened to me too almost a year and a half ago.  I get it now.  The doctors don't seem to.  I'm praying that the neurologists out there somehow get the message.  What we need is a prescription for hope.  I'm not asking for false hope but even just a glimmer of something that we can do to fight back.  Just because today is miserable doesn't mean every day will be miserable or worse.  Having PD means something has gone wrong in your body.  Not everything, but something.  The day of diagnosis is the day you should be given the resources to optimize your health.

My Rx for hope:

You are about to go into battle.  It is time to arm yourself.  You need to be strong.  Take care of your body...exercise.  If you never have, now is the time to start.  Move a little more each day. Don't try to do it on your own.  Find a PD group to keep you motivated. Take a good look at your diet...with a professional.  Your food is your fuel and your medicine.  Treat it as such.  It might not be fun but fighting is hard work.  And of course, don't forget your meds.  We might not like them but they often help.

Arm yourself with knowledge.  A good soldier knows his enemy well.  There is so much to know and it can be overwhelming to try to do it alone.  Build a healthcare team that will work together to do what is best for you, the individual.

It's hard to fight a battle with little motivation.  Keep focused on the good things in life. Faith. Family. Friends. Joy. Love. Laughter.  Life is going to continue whether you have PD or not so don't sit out.  Stay involved.  Get inspiration from what you see in the world and inspire others.

You CAN do this.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diagnosing with Compassion and Hope

  My hackles are raised, my feathers are ruffled, my … I’m not sure I can find the words for how I am feeling.   This morning, I read a recently published article called “ Delivering the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease-setting the stage with hope and compassion.”   I am not upset that the article was written.     I am glad that the authors have brought this to the attention of others. I am upset that it needed to be written.     I just think it is common sense that when someone is given a life-changing diagnosis, it should be given with hope and compassion.     The authors note that some say the moment of diagnosis is “almost akin to a traumatic event such as the loss of a loved one.” Of course it is!     The person receiving the diagnosis is losing their future self.     Everything they thought their life would be from that moment on has now drastically changed! I would count that as traumatic.       I was...
Post a Comment
Read more

Missing Tom

I recently lost a good friend. Never would I have imagined that I would become such good buddies with a man old enough to be my dad. I met Tom over seven years ago in a Rock Steady Boxing class. I entered class as a shy, teary-eyed, newly diagnosed mess who didn't like to sweat and had never boxed. Tom quickly took me under his wing, introduced me to the movers and shakers in the local Parkinson's community and eventually recognized a potential in me to further help the community. Within a year, with the encouragement of Tom and others, I became a certified Rock Steady coach. Tom and I would go to the same conferences and seek out the newly diagnosed. Ever the salesman, Tom would ask me if I "closed the deal," meaning, did I convince someone to come to an exercise class or attend a support group. Tom knew the benefits of attending these groups and he wanted everyone else to know also. He just wanted everyone to live the best life possible, even while living...
Post a Comment
Read more

Birds of a Feather

The saying, "Birds of a feather flock together,"  dates back to at least the mid-16th century.  In nature, birds are known to stick together in groups with their own feathered kind for protection.  There is safety in numbers.  Larger flocks are safer from predators.  The saying has come to mean that people with similar likes, tend to band together.  As a society, we form many different groups based on similar interests or qualities.   I find the saying to be relevant also in the Parkinson's community and I am sure it is true for other conditions as well.  I am more comfortable hanging out with others who have Parkinson's.  They get it.  No one else truly understands what it is like to live with Parkinson's except those living with it.  Care partners probably come the closest to understanding what it is like, but they also have their own flock. One doesn't truly know what it is like to care daily for someone with Parkinson's unless y...
Post a Comment
Read more