What is Parkinson's?
first thing I want to clarify is that although the disease is named after the doctor who described their symptoms and not their gardener who was suffering, I always write in lower case parkinson's my rebellious protest to your company.
parkinson identifies the most society with a trembling old man, but this is only the tip of the iceberg of the disease.
Unfortunately more and more young patients like me, accompanying me from 32 years and I have already 47, I was fortunate to have an early diagnosis at 36, but many patients wander-year multi-specialty consultations not get diagnosed until they manage to see a neurologist.
Why this is so, then simply because there are no clinical tests for diagnosis, neurologists as detected by symptoms in the early stages are very early, only detectable for them.
And what are those symptoms, the most characteristic is the microescritura, the stiffness that appears on the wrist keeps you from writing and drawing being gradually illegible handwriting.
This stiffness, which is the primary symptom of Parkinson's disease, is spread throughout the body, producing muscle contractures are insensibilizarte ending chronic pain, stiffness is also the face, leaving the face if it forces your expression, totally deadpan, recalling a player's face poker and is even challenging as happened to me once on a train when another passenger very offended and upset that I said look at him in "bad way."
Another symptom associated with the rigidity is produced in the vocal cords and can not modulate his voice and staying this low tone with very low volume, almost unable to speak, this in pallium my case 5 years ago with a new medicine that appeared rotigotine skin patches.
to appear before this medicine attended speech therapy classes in the association Parkinson Madrid to learn how to talk to the stomach, these classes keep a fun story, one morning, when it enters the small classroom speech sat on a chair to wait and get a close companion of 80 years, sat beside me and said, confused:
- What child, to teach us?
- .. No, no, as you receive them, "he replied.
"Well, that is for many years.
"And you see it.
He ended the conversation by the arrival of the true teacher. More
stiffness effects is the bradecinesia which is the absence of arm swing when walking.
The choking when eating, which gave me unpleasant and dangerous shocks in the time when he could not speak well.
All this is gradual, is appearing slowly, but surely, this reminds me the phrase condition of the coin of love or the medal of the mother: "Today I want more than yesterday but less than tomorrow "slightly changed, is:" Today I feel worse than yesterday, but better than tomorrow. "
And the second part of the sentence I stay, is the part that is positive this is what we are sure only to have both sick and healthy, and with this open another set of symptoms, psychological, I I had the misfortune to experience a short but deep depression and then unknown reasons before my diagnosis, but then I was lucky enough to leave me psychologically vaccinated when years later I got the diagnosis.
One of the phrase coined at that time was to help themselves "would I be wrong with how good it is still good."
I Mentalic when I get the diagnosis, after suffering depression five years ago, life had given me an extension and had to play it and get to penalty kicks and throw them all. Winning the game depends on advancing the science, I am not obsessed, but I'm thrilled.
And I have not said that is physiologically Parkinson's, well it seems that is the death of some neurons that produce dopamine in the brain which is a neurotransmitter, ie " lubrication "of the cables that connect the brain to the rest of the muscles body.
comes a time in which the dopamine deficit is such that it is necessary to provide artificial substitute pills, levodopa, in order to move, giving swings throughout the day to go as my case you can not move to play basketball or football with more skill even when I was 17.
But levodopa is the problem that your body gets used to it.
The disease has another curious aspect that puts us to shame those who suffer, so contradictory, I already en route with a cane in bad times, mate I have to take forever even in good times the way and almost Shall I take it as a mayorette in a parade, well even in bad times to reach a zebra crossing or a ladder, steps or soil stripes serve as a neurological stimulation to increase the pace, I'll translate it with the slang saying that llanea cyclist but climb.
He named some of the drugs have a scandalous price of 150 euros environment container, being the total monthly cost over 1000 euro in Spain takes over public health, but few parkinsonian no drugs for this cost from the U.S. itself until the last third world country, and current drugs do not cure but can help you live with a certain quality of life
Finally another aspect of this disease is and especially when told the others, as I said when "out of the closet," you can not do very early on that at first the symptoms are very shallow.
But you do not communicate produces tension while trying to hide the symptoms or try to explain pilgrims to questions from some incisive observer must take into account that those who are diagnosed young people waiting for us as in my case the total work disability and must contribute 15 years to be a pensioner, and not everyone has the luck that I had to be in a company that I support.
The how, in my case was gradually relatives and friends in the company where she worked, about 500 employees and I was a director, I did not think could go a day with a banner, but something similar happened to me one day with the president's support of it published in the intranet of the company the following letter appeared to them all when they were opening their computers, this five years ago and since then this letter has been my song of hope
Parkinson, my traveling companion.
many years ago, in 1995, the amount a stowaway on the train of my life, was hidden but its presence felt until early 2000 as the train conductor spotted him a doctor and I said this would fall only stowaway me in the last season.
I will share with you the feelings and experiences of my journey with this unwanted companion for two purposes, announce to all that I know what happens to me and encourage my example that you need.
When I said the stowaway was with me, I already knew him because he was traveling companion for my grandmother, but I did not know is that I could ride the train as soon before half of the trip.
The position taken was to assume their presence, but with conditions: "Parkinson, come with me but I command" and have been willing to let him speak as little as possible for which I have been a " Optimistic active "trying to see the bright side of things and thinking that all problems have solutions, giving thanks for what I have, trying not to regret what I need.
This attitude, which requires a strength that only God may be giving me, helped me to control the stowaway,
Some of you and I had talked about the company, others have noticed that something happens to me, from now on you know who is to blame for my slowness and my inability to speak, but I assure you I have the will to keep sending me.