Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall

Do you find that your conversations with friends are dominated by medical complaints, queries, and experiences? The older I get, the more frequent the medical topics arise. Even when someone in the group points out that our maladies are monopolizing the conversation, and we switch to our latest book club pick or Netflix binge, the talk seems to drift back to healthcare. The latest bestseller is hands down more interesting than the latest suggestion to help constipation, kidney stones, neuropathy, fatigue...the list could go on forever. I venture to guess that if our health issues were easily solved, there wouldn't be a reason for so much discussion.

But as so many of us know, many illnesses have no clear resolution. Our doctors recommend different treatments hoping that something will help. They want to help, but even some admit, it really is "practicing" medicine in the truest sense of the word. I liken it to throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. What works for one, may or may not work for another. If you are desperate enough to feel better, you can spend hours online looking up alternative solutions to your ailment and will quickly find yourself throwing theoretical globs of spaghetti at the wall at home.

When I look back over the past seven years of living with Parkinson's, I have tried traditional treatments, and many, many alternative treatments. Most people I talk with who live with chronic conditions are doing the same thing. We are on a desperate hunt to find something...anything...that might help just a little bit. I will likely continue this as long as I am able, or until a cure is found. So if you come visit my home, please don't judge the spaghetti stains splotched on my walls. They are an attempt to find something that will bring a sense of wellness back so that my next chat with friends can be about blockbusters and bestsellers.

Now...what should I make for dinner? I'm thinking pasta.

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