Can You Live Well With PD?

On December 10, 2018December 11, 2018 By skrischerIn Exercise, Inspiration, Living Well, Research & Clinical StudiesLeave a comment

With the World Parkinson’s Congress coming up in June, I have been considering submitting an abstract for the Poster Display at the Congress. One of the categories for submission is “Living Well With Parkinson’s Disease”. I started thinking about what works for me to live well with PD, and then decided to ask the 950+ members of a Women with PD Facebook group that I participate in, what works for them. On line, we often discuss different symptoms, medications, responses to medications, etc. But the women in this group also like to talk about the positive things in their lives.

In one long term study, Complementary & Alternative Medicine Care in Parkinson’s Disease, (CAM Care in PD), Dr. Laurie Mischley, of Bastyr University, is looking at people who are living well with PD with the hope of finding dietary and lifestyle factors associated with a slower disease progression. The twice annual survey asks about your diet, exercise, medications, alternative treatments, etc. If you are not familiar with her work, click on the link above to find out more about it and to sign up for her study.

I decided to take a slightly different angle and ask the women what THEY think helps them to live well with Parkinson’s. So I posted the following to the FB group in November:

Please list the top 3 things that help YOU to live well with Parkinson’s. Then the flip side – the top 3 things that are obstacles for you:
For example:
Positive: Exercise, Advocating for myself with my doctors, Friendships with other women with PD.
Negative: Poor sleep, Tremor gets in the way of doing things, Daytime fatigue

This is by no means a scientific study. As a blogger, I like to poll my readers occasionally on a topic that interests me. I look for trends in order to write about a topic. For this poll, I have about 60 responses so far,and it became clear very quickly that Exercise in any form is the most positive factor for living well. Friendships with other women with PD is also very important to them. Having friends with PD means that they have someone who knows how they are feeling and understands what they are going through. Interestingly, Family-including a supportive spouse- and Faith were tied for third.

On the negative side, Sleep problems, including insomnia, fatigue and more, was the overwhelming winner. Balance and Gait problems were second and Anxiety was third.

The one thing that was missing is “Staying Active”. Only a few people mentioned anything related to this. I realized that it was an important missing piece when I read Blogger Sherri Woodbridge’s Nov. 28 post in Parkinson’s News Today

She says: Being active involves more than movement on your part. It includes a state of mind to persevere, to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and to not give up even when you feel like quitting.

I could not say it better than this, and yes, this is the one thing that keeps me going. Since my husband retired 7 years ago, we have traveled extensively around the world. We go to the symphony, theater and sporting events, often with friends. We are active in our community and spend time with our children and grandchildren. And we both find time to exercise almost daily. He plays golf, I still play tennis. Sitting home and doing nothing is not an option for us. As a result, I do not feel the isolation and depression that plague many people with PD. I also feel good physically most of the time. My biggest problem is the fatigue from poor sleep. But I don’t let that stop me. I have learned my limits and will rest when I need to, especially when traveling. 10 years after my diagnosis, my progression is still slow and I have not had to change my lifestyle very much.

We are fortunate that today that our doctors encourage exercise and being active, something that Parkinson’s people were discouraged from doing in the not too distant past. For many of us, living an active life and exercise are the most important things that will make our lives better with PD. Even if you have limited mobility, try to get out and and do things, even if it is just going to a movie. You will find that the more you go out and do things you enjoy, the better you will feel.

If you would like to participate in my informal survey, please send an email to me at twitchywoman18@gmail.com. This is for all people with Parkinson’s only. No caregivers, please.

Tennis Anyone?

On October 10, 2018 By skrischerIn Exercise, Inspiration, Living Well, Parkinsons Disease1 Comment

Tennis seems to be the perfect exercise to help PD – the hand-eye coordination, sudden quick movements, the thinking process used to execute a shot. Jan Jackson

Tennis has been one of my passions since I was a child, playing with wooden tennis rackets that we had to store in a wooden frame to keep them from

Image result for billie jean king wooden tennis racket — I wish I still had this racket!

warping. My earliest tennis idol was Billy Jean King and I even had a Billy Jean King tennis racket. When Mr Twitchy and I moved to Los Angeles, playing tennis was an easy way to meet new people.

Eventually the wooden tennis racket gave way to the new lighter graphite rackets in the 80’s and my tennis game improved. My tennis idols and my rackets have changed over the years and I have been fortunate to have attended 3 of the 4 Tennis Open tournaments in the last 10 years. I am hoping that I will be able to get to the fourth, the French Open, in the next few years.

When we moved to a new house and new school for our kids, tennis was again the intro to new friends. In fact, I have been playing in a regular game for over 25 years with three other women whom I met at the elementary school Tennis Tournament Fundraiser so long ago. They are my friends, my confidants.

After my tremor started 10 years ago, they were the first to know about it. When it was difficult to talk about my Parkinsons diagnosis, they were the ones who were there for me, refusing to let me take the easy way out and quit playing tennis. When I told one doctor about them, his advice was to “keep those friends”. That was the easiest doctor’s order I have ever followed. Tennis has literally kept me going through the worst of times with PD. It hasn’t always been easy. My stamina and balance vary from week to week, my feet don’t always move as well as they should and I frequently lose my grip on my racket for no reason. I have often thought about finding a way to glue my racket to my hand so that I can’t lose my grip.

So I was not surprised to see a website about Tennis and PD posted by PD blogger, Gary Sharpe, about the benefits of tennis for Parkinson’s from a program titled Educational Tennis For Parkinson. The only problem is that the article is in Italian! Fortunately, Google translate came to the rescue. From their website comes this description of their program:

Tennis by many scholars is considered the most complete sport. The Educational Tennis Program for Parkinson ® program specifically designed and created for those suffering from Parkinson’s disease in the initial and intermediate phase, tends to help them to carry out a sport activity whose main objectives are: to develop cognitive skills, to stimulate the motility of everything the body, develop the coordination, stimulate the respiratory system, stimulate concentration, develop automatisms, develop the metabolic function, favor the reappropriation of a serene relationship with one’s physicality, enhancing one’s own potentiality, support for an improvement in the quality of life . (please excuse grammatical errors, this is directly from the Google translation)

Whew! That is quite an ambitious statement! I love the “serene relationship” part. Overall, I agree with them totally. Tennis is a great total workout for you, requiring hand-eye coordination (not always easy with PD), quick movements and lots of concentration.

Sharpe also posted an article by Jan Jackson, a woman with PD who plays 🎾, this time in English. She put into words exactly what it has felt like for me playing tennis with PD. She increased the amount of time she plays tennis because of PD. On the other hand, I had decreased my playing to once a week because I found that there was little extra time for tennis in addition to my regular daily exercise programs (yoga, boxing, etc.) However, I have recently added a second day of tennis, with a “Live Ball”* clinic at the club we belong to, that has really helped improve my game with PD. I am hoping to be able to add another day of tennis to my workout schedule sometime soon.

My hope is that I will continue to play tennis with my friends, Gayle, Martha and Lenore, for many more years to come. Thank you for being there for me all these years.

*Live Ball is a fun doubles king/queen of the courts-type game played where tennis balls are fed by a tennis pro to start points instead of serves.

An Evening with Jimmy

On July 22, 2018July 22, 2018 By skrischerIn Exercise, Inspiration, Living Well, Parkinsons Disease2 Comments

No matter what you are faced with, if you make your body healthier, you are going to feel better. Jimmy Choi

On a perfect Southern California evening a few days ago, Mr. Twitchy and I had the priviledge of hosting American Ninja/PD Warrior Jimmy Choi at our home, with the help of Alex Montaldo and Roberta Marongiu from StopPD, who co-sponsored the event. Over 30 fans with Parkinson’s came on short notice to meet Jimmy and hear about his journey from Parkinson’s diagnosis to Ninja Warrior. They were not disappointed.

Jimmy Choi was diagnosed with PD at 27 and basically denied that he had this “old person’s disease” for 8 years, until he had a wake up call. He stopped exercising because of the diagnosis, had gained over 50 pounds and was walking with a cane for balance. This former athlete was not in good shape. Parkinson’s was taking over his life.

This was definitely not the person who was sitting next to me. The Jimmy Choi I met was musclebound, moving easily without a cane. Confident. Knowledgeable. What changed his life so dramatically?

One day after he lost his balance and fell down a flight of stairs while carrying his son. He realized then that he had to do something to turn his life around. He was becoming a danger to his family and he could not let that happen.

He started slowly, just walking, First one block and then two, gradually increasing as his energy levels improved. Eventually he started working out with a trainer. He had started to educate himself about Parkinson’s and changed his diet. Then, one day he boarded a flight for a business trip, and found a copy of Runner’s World that someone left on his seat. There was an article in the magazine about a person with Parkinson’s running a marathon. That was the “aha” moment that he needed. He came home and entered his first 5K race. Then a 10K race. He quickly moved on to 1/2 marathons and then finally, marathons. He has run over 100 1/2 marathons and 15 marathons since 2012. His weight came down, he no longer needed the cane and eventually was able to reduce his meds because of all of the exercise. His balance improved along with his gait. He is living proof that exercise is the best medicine for PD.

All of this eventually led to his participation in American Ninja Warrior (ANW) competitions.

In the video of my interview with Jimmy, he tells his story and explains how he got involved in working with the Fox Foundation, (for whom he has raised over $250,000,) and ANW. I think you will find him very inspiring and motivating.

My dear friend and PD pal, Sandy Rosenblatt came out of PD forced retirement to record and edit this video which shows how amazing and inspiring Jimmy is.

Following Jimmy’s talk, we participated in PushUps4Parkinsons and in an obstacle course set up by StopPD. Thank you to Jen Heath, who brought the project to us and created the video. Watch Jimmy doing his pushups with first his daughter, then Alex Montaldo, on his back. He is one impressive man!

Time for a change

On May 31, 2018June 5, 2018 By skrischerIn Exercise, Inspiration, Living Well, Parkinsons Disease2 Comments

The last few weeks have flown by. As I wrote last week, a dear friend passed away after a very brief (5 weeks) illness that left us stunned and numb. Mr. Twitchy and I got home from visiting her in Arizona on Monday, and left again on Thursday for a wedding in Richmond, VA, and then to Chicago on Sunday to visit our grandchildren there. Home in LA the following Thursday and thankfully had the chance to hug our one-month old granddaughter as soon as we arrived. That was definitely just what the we needed since we were off to Phoenix again on Saturday for the memorial service on Sunday. Looking forward to being home all summer, and staying off of airplanes.

Trying to keep it all together has been a challenge. Wacky schedules. On and off planes and long drives. Not enough sleep or exercise. Meals, good and bad, and not necessarily nutritious. This is not a good thing for anyone, much less those of us with chronic illnesses. We are both exhausted. So of course, my tremor has come back at inopportune moments. Fortunately that is the worst of my symptoms, but the fact that it has come back again to some degree is very disconcerting. I was hoping that I could continue doing well for years. I have to get back on track with exercise, which seems to bring more benefit than anything else.

When speaking to my therapist last month about the return of some symptoms after 41/2 blissful years on Sinimet, I said I felt like I was falling off a cliff. He described it differently, that it has actually been a slow change, but suddenly enough of a change to be noticeable. Kind of like when the PD symptoms first showed up 10 years ago. Whatever it is, I don’t like it.

So it is time to do something about it. Fortunately, several other big commitments have come to an end and I no longer have those stressors. I need to look at my diet and make positive changes, increase my exercise – both the amount and intensity, and find ways to relax that do not include playing games on my phone. I have done it before, so I can do it again. Maybe I will even try to be a PD Warrior! Anyone want to join me?

How much time do you really spend going to doctors?

On April 22, 2018April 24, 2018 By skrischerIn Drugs & Treatment, Exercise, Inspiration, Living Well2 Comments

Experience says to make your appointment so you’re the first one on the schedule in the morning or the first after their lunch hour.

Tom Sheppard

Do you ever feel like all you do is go to doctor’s appointments? Feel like a drug addict as you take meds all day long ? Make sure you are getting your daily dose of exercise? Sometimes it seems that there is no time left in your days to do anything else.

The other day I read a blog post on the Davis Phinney Foundation website by Tom Sheppard about making the most of your visits to your doctor. Tom does a wonderful job outlining 5 steps you can take maximize your 15 minutes with your doctor. As I read his list of doctors appointments in one year, I started to think about how much time I spend on doctors appointments and self-care. You can easily fill your days with unwanted tasks, all in the pursuit of living well with PD.

I knew I was seeing a lot of doctors, but when I actually looked at my calendar, I realized that I had more appointments than I thought I did. To sum up, in 2017 I saw

25 doctors
36 appointments
9 Physical Therapy appointments,
2 procedures
2 MRI’s, and other miscellaneous appointments.

We also traveled a lot, for a total of 17 weeks. Which means that I saw at least one doctor a week when I was home. It seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it?

Self care also includes exercise, which is essential, averaging an hour a day. In addition, we need to make sure that we have all of the medications that we take throughout the day, keep up with our health insurance claims and more. Record keeping is also an essential part of self care. The bottom line it that we spend a lot of time managing our own care. You must be an advocate for yourself to get the care you need. If you don’t have someone to help you, it is easy to become overwhelmed.

On a different topic, I don’t normally like to endorse products on my blog. But after a friend fell and ended up in the emergency room and no one there was familiar with her PD meds, I both decided it was time to get a medical ID bracelet. I found a great selection of fashionable ID bracelets on a website called Lauren’s Hope. I get a lot of compliments on my new “bracelet”. Check out their website by clicking on the photo here: