Me and PD #4

     When you have Parkinson's disease, I think it's normal to look back on your life, and wonder was their a specific thing at a specific time you did to get this disease. Was it because when I was young, I lived in an older farmhouse and grew up drinking well water? Did pesticides from the fields of corn get into the water? Or was it from being on an old ship in the navy and being exposed to all kinds of toxins and environmental hazards? Was it when I worked as a home inspector on the east coast and again was exposed to a lot of environmental hazards such as asbestos. Was it from experimenting with things I should not have been when I was younger? (Of course this is totally hypothetical!) Was it from receiving a few concussions throughout my life? Did I get it from chewing on a piece of grass or weed from a farm field that was just sprayed and didn't know? Or is it just plain hereditary? I guess I'll never know, but I think about it!
     PD is such a unique disease, it does not affect everyone the same. Not everyone that has PD has the exact same symptoms, and they vary in intensity. PD also progresses at a different rate in each patient. All of this makes it very difficult to treat! There is a constant adjusting of medications as you progress. I am very lucky to have the University of Nebraska Medical Center so close. My doctor which is a movement disorder specialist is involved in research for PD at UNMC, which is on the cutting edge of PD research. I have been involved in one of the research projects and will gladly participate in any they ask me too. Anything I can do, I will!
     I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for July 25th, but had to move it up because my meds are not working as well as they were, so now it is scheduled for the first part of May. At which time I will give an update. Thanks for listening and stay tuned.