Dear Ida and Janet,
Thank you both for your thoughtful replies to my post Hard Times.
First, my neurologist is not at fault in this matter. He clearly
took his cue from my off-hand response to his question. In fact think my,
matter-of-fact and non-complaining response helped form a bond between us.
If I asked him directly for help in this matter I am sure he would take me
seriously. I have other physicians who would also be helpful if I asked
for advice. There is nothing lacking in my libido, or in my desire to have
this "problem" resolved. For reasons I choose not to reveal, however, at
present this matter is not at the top of my list of things to be done.
As for depression, I give it 20 minutes a week. Life is too
wonderful to waste.
Second, on the matter of why there are so few complaints to the
list I have the following theory.
A. Physical pain is not a prominent symptom of PD, especially in its early
sages.
B. The course of disease is usually so slow that the "law of incremental
change" is in effect. The most famous application of this law is the
behavior of the African sea turtles who swim the 2000 mile plus width of
the Atantic Ocean to lay their eggs on a small off-shore island near South
America. How do they do it? Why do they do it? This behavior is
attributed to continetal drift. Africa and South America have been
drifting apart at the speed of a few centimeters per year for several
hundred million years. Each year the sea turtles found their egg-laying a
few centimeters further west. They hardly noticed; now they swim the ocean
and their DNA or whatever is pogrammed for the journey.
PD is not that slow! but we PWP have been conditioned to tolerate inconvenience
to a degree not share by those PWOP. We notice our symptoms
intellectually, but not necessarily emotionally. Further we know that our
discomfort is only temporary, until the ills kick in. Of course, our
relief is only temporary, too, until the pills kick out. But we don't wait
for that! We're too busy having fun.
George Andes 63/15 and counting
