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Parkinson’s is a condition that usually
occurs in people in late middle age or older - 55 and up. Yet there are many instances of much younger people developing Parkinson’s; twenty percent
of these individuals are diagnosed under the age of 50.
One would expect Parkinson’s to increase statistically
as our population ages. This is happening.
But the numbers also show that Parkinson’s is increasing
at a rate faster than that which can be explained by an aging population.
The reason for this is a mystery.
“Granted I was an older mom, but I thought I was experiencing the world’s
slowest recovery after Mac was born.
As things got steadily worse with a dragging foot and an arm that wouldn’t
swing, I developed a “pill-rolling” tremor. The diagnosis didn’t take long: Parkinson’s.
Our son was 18 months old.
I think of Parkinson’s as a designer disease because everyone’s progress
and response to treatment is different. My design seems to be an erratic zig-zag which, as well
as being exhausting and increasingly limiting, is tough on my family and friends.
Smiling is becoming a challenge, my ability to walk changes as the day goes
on and the drugs kick in and wear off.
From the outside it looks mostly like a balance and shaking problem, but Parkinson’s
comes as a unique package: it can include depression, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, a softening
of your voice and difficulty swallowing. My drug regimen is a dance of continual tweaking."
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Marg Meikle
Wife, mother, author and journalist |
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- On to The Challenge -
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