Category: Parkinsons

To my dear Parkinson’s community of readers,

Memorial Day has special meaning to me since my own father served in WW2, lost both legs, and eventually died of service-related complications. His and my mother’s lives were changed forever when he was sent home from the Aleutians gravely ill. He spent his first years of marriage in Military hospitals and suffered the rest of his life as a result.

Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. In the past it was called Decoration Day, and people used to spend the day placing flowers and flags on the graves of fallen soldiers.

Continue reading “Memorial Day Message to my Readers”

One of my favorite things about my Parkinson’s bootcamps and boxing classes is knowing that my fighters are maintaining their fullest life with Parkinson’s. This includes travel. Families want to travel while the person with Parkinson’s can still get around well. Navigating cobblestone walkways, narrow, steep stairs, and ungroomed trails are always a concern for people with balance issues.

I was so pleased when my fighter Wayne came to class and told me a great story about a trip he took. He said that they were walking in a group of people without Parkinson’s. Some of the people fell, but he didn’t, because of the balance training we do in class! I asked Wayne to put it in writing and send me some pictures so that I could share it.

Continue reading “How to Keep Traveling When You Have Parkinson’s”

I am often asked by my fighters who have not started Parkinson’s medications, “When do you think I should start taking (PD) medications? Do you think I need them?” I’m their coach and confidant, and I see them several times a week before and after exercise. It is understandable that they would seek my opinion. Usually the medications they are referring to are carbidopa/levodopa. These medications can help people with Parkinson’s by treating tremor, stiffness and difficulty moving, but they may come with side effects from long-term use. It is a big question, and I always proceed with caution. Why? I’m not their doctor or pharmacist. And I’m not them, but information gathering is important.

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People with Parkinson’s who are typically spotlighted as “high functioning” and going after life with vigor are often still in their first few years after being diagnosed. However, I wanted to share a story of hope and proof of someone who was diagnosed at age 37, and yet 22 years later, is still going strong!

Meet Ken. He was diagnosed in 1997 shortly after experiencing a traumatic event. He noticed that his hand, while holding a soda can, started shaking and wouldn’t stop. This new father and business owner of a die cutting company was shocked, as you can imagine.

Continue reading “Twenty-Two Years with Parkinson’s and Living a Full Life”

Hello There! So many of my students complain of stiffness in their hands. This stiffness affects their everyday life, not to mention the annoyingly small handwriting (micrography) that comes with Parkinson’s disease.

A few years ago, I fell off a high ledge while hiking that caused me to snap ligaments and break my right thumb. I had to hike a couple of hours out to get to my car and then drive myself to the nearest emergency room. I ended up being in an immobilizing brace for 3 months. That resulted in my hand becoming stiff as a board, and my thumb didn’t move at all! I went through hand therapy and became a huge fan of hand exercises. As you can see by watching this video, I restored full range and function. I never neglect my hand exercises, and neither should you!

Continue reading “The Best Parkinson’s Exercises to Improve Stiffness and Your Handwriting”