Exercise, education and social interaction help individuals fight PD symptoms and build a resilient quality of life. Parkinson’s Fitness is dedicated to providing the tools for doing it!
There was intention in our theme for this year’s September 14th symposium, and for those who attended (and for those who couldn’t but have read or heard about the event), we wanted to instill the importance of building and maintaining resilience to Parkinson’s challenges.
Coincidentally, in this week’s Parkinson’s News Today, columnist Sherri Woodbridge (diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s over 15 years ago) focused her subject material with a similar emphasis.
Click here to read her latest reflections about giving up not being an option, and her reminder about seeking purpose…NO MATTER WHAT!
Surgeries requiring general anesthesia pose complicated risks for anyone. For people with neurologic disorders such as Parkinson’s, the potential risk of postoperative issues rises. Fortunately – while understandably unsettling to read certain medical information – it is far more important to have as much prior education as possible about the side effects of general anesthesia should surgery and hospitalization afterward become necessary.
We encourage you to read, save and share the important information about undergoing general anesthesia presented in this article from the August/September issue of Brain and Life Magazine. This is a subject that should be discussed with your medical team: general practitioner, surgeon, and neurologist. Click here for the full article
“Healthcare providers say that hallmark signs of nOH, including dizziness, lightheadedness, blurred vision, and feeling faint after standing, can occur at any stage of Parkinson’s disease. People may believe that their nOH symptoms are part of their Parkinson’s and something they have to learn to live with. It’s only once a healthcare provider connects the symptoms of being lightheaded or faint after standing to a drop in blood pressure that an nOH diagnosis may be possible.”(https://www.nohmatters.com/how-neurogenic-orthostatic-hypotension-occurs/parkinsons-dizzy)
Keith and Linda Hall’s lives are affected by Keith’s nOH symptoms. Read here about what’s happened to them and what steps they’ve taken to live with a difficult but manageable diagnosis.
Lifestyle changes for Keith and others include:*
Drinking more water
Adjusting the amount of salt in your diet
Avoiding carbohydrate-heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol
Wearing compression stockings or an abdominal binder
Elevating the head of your bed
Slowly rising when standing
Using caution when walking or changing positions if you feel dizzy
Getting regular exercise (*Ask your healthcare provider for guidelines and advice on lifestyle modifications that would work best for you.)
Sherri Woodbridge was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s disease over fifteen years ago. Her column, “Journeying Through Parkinson’s Disease” appears regularly on the Parkinson’s News Today website (click here), and we often share her first-hand wisdom in our own blog updates.
Sherri can be found working in her garden, going for walks, taking pictures, or reading books to her three favorite grandkids. Taking life somewhat slower, and perhaps with guarded steps, but she’s not giving in…a warrior role model who “gets it”!
The Parkinson’s Foundation has a free library with the latest Parkinson’s disease (PD) related information. To view the following topics and many more – Seeking a Specialist, Physical Therapy, Depression, Intimacy, Impulse Control, Non-drug options, Anxiety, Fatigue or Apathy – click here.
Let’s say you’ve noticed recently that your hands have developed an unexplained tremor. You may start prematurely worrying and begin asking yourself or others, “Could I have Parkinson’s disease?” For some, the answer may be yes and should be addressed by a doctor. But for others, hand tremor can be caused by medications prescribed for conditions completely unrelated to Parkinson’s.
An August 9th medical article by Dr. Sharon Orrange, an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Geriatric, Hospitalist and General Internal Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, provides this insight about how drug-induced tremors differ from Parkinson’s symptoms.
The National Parkinson’s Foundation offers important insight into the many reasons for mood changes when coping with Parkinson’s. Their recent publication – “Mood: A Mind Guide to Parkinson’s Disease” – is available for on-line download and also in printed editions. Click here for details
Emotional and behavioral changes are common in people with chronic diseases, but these changes are even more common in PD. The same neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine) that regulate movement also regulate our mood. Therefore, the same processes in the brain that lead to the more classical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can cause depression. When dopamine-producing cells in the brain die, movement AND mood can be affected. In this case, depression is actually a symptom of PD, not a reaction to the diagnosis.”
