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Dear Emma, I did go to an acupuncturist who is also a chiropractor. It helped minimally -- eased some of the muscle fatigue of the tremor though it didn't stop the tremor. Unfortunately neither of these modalities is covered by our insurance, so I didn't keep up with that. However, our insurance does cover osteopaths: I was amused to hear osteopaths pooh-pooh chiropractors because my experience has been that they do the "manipulations" exactly the same! Neurologists don't think highly of chiropractors either--though mine did at my request prescribe physical and occupational therapy which ALSO included some of the manipulations that chiropractors use. Rigidity and tremor, particularly if it's concentrated on one side, can cause the spine and such to get out of alignment, leading to poor posture, structural fatigue on top of tremor/muscle fatigue, and possible deformities of the feet (I'm getting a horrible callus on the ball near my right little toe from my right leg and foot insisting on leaning outwards--which may mean down the line that I'd have to get rid of my wonderful shoes!), headaches, etc. I am newly hopeful that the recent possible cure, which promises to not only stop progression of the disease but to also regenerate our brain cells, will one day actually make this whole Parkinson's experience as though it were just a bad dream from which I keep hoping to wake up from. . . which just sprung the following thought: Hhmmm . . . I wonder if I've come to terms with my diagnosis enough to finally do what's been in the back of my mind: renting and watching (the two don't necessarily go hand in hand--I wasn't emotionally prepared to see it before now) the movie "AWAKENINGS" starring Robin Williams as the doctor who inadvertently discovers that Sinemet helps. It didn't have a particularly happy ending, but now that there are such leaps and bounds towrds a cure, I think I'll brave a look see. Well, it's now 4:13 and I ought to try to sleep. Obviously one of the either side-affects of the meds or the disease itself or the inherent depression have/has given me insomnia. I have sleeping meds, but I feel compelled to keep busy doing what little I'm still capable of before I lose those abilities, too. I enjoy, for example, sewing, but I've had several close calls nearly getting my fingers under the sewing machine needle when the shakes got worse, so now there's more fear than fun in that hobby. One cup of lemonade--thanks to the observations of a Parky Pal--this disease has gotten me to slow down. I used to race around the office as a secretary before this hit. And lately I had been walking like "Quasimoto". My neurologist never suggested what was obvious to my Parky Pal (also a former secretary) that the funny (not to me!!) walk is because our minds still think we can move that quickly so our torsos move forward at that speed while the hips, legs and feet are at a much slower. With that insight, I'm now concentrating on slowing down and keeping my torso above rather than ahead of my hips. Funny thing is that I can still swing dance with my husband, and ocassionally run short distances as BPD (before Parkinson's Disease) which I do seldomly and don't enjoy much because it jars my bones etc., but which I do to get to a destination if my Parky limping frustrates me. My husband and I went to the fair today at which we danced a little. It occured to me that if taken out of context, the Social Security fraud unit or one of those 20/20 type shows might think that I'm just fine. OK. . . is this the persecution complex/paranoia symptom I read about in the med leaflets or symptom list for PD??!! Or does this previous thought assure that I'm NOT nuts yet(?) a la' the premise that if you think you're not crazy, you are. Swell! Now it's 4:34 am--somebody stop me and send me to my room! Ellen