Having Parkinson's Sucks
I have Parkinson’s and would like to enlighten the public on things you may not know about the disease. Most people know that this illness causes tremors, but it is much more than just shaking.
I was diagnosed in 2017. I knew something was wrong because one day I did not have tremors, and the next day I did, literally. Today I have tremors on both sides of my body and am now in the beginning of stage 2 out of 5 stages. Thank goodness the illness progresses slowly.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s can start years before the tremors begin. Loss of smell, constipation, tiny handwriting, poor posture, and voice changes.
Parkinson’s is a neurological disorder, meaning the problem is in the brain. Dopamine is produced in the substantia nigra area of the brain, and depletion of these cells is the problem.
Dopamine controls body movement. Once tremors are present 60 to 80 percent of dopamine is gone, causing muscle stiffness, slow walking, shaking, and balance issues, and more.
Other problems include a blank stare, falling backward, failure to move arms while walking, shuffling of feet, trouble swallowing, reduced eye blinking, anxiety, depression, flaky skin, sleep issues, and memory issues.
Finally, there are treatments to help relieve stiffness, tremors, and gait. I am grateful for the medications. However, medications only relieve symptoms because there is no cure. I have good days and bad Parkinson’s days. I am grateful for the good days. Thank you for reading.
