• World Parkinson’s Day – 2019

    April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and this Thursday, April 11th, is World Parkinson’s Day. This year, our cycling group at the YMCA decided to do something to increase awareness of PD. We are moving our usual Thursday Pedaling for Parkinson’s class from from the cycling class room to the lobby of the Y. We have invited all of the local neurologists and Movement Disorder Specialists,along with local Parkinson’s groups and the media to come and see what Pedaling for PD is all about. So if you are in the Sarasota area this week, stop by the Evalyn Sadlier Jones YMCA at 8301 Potter Park Dr at 10am to see Pedaling for Parkinson’s in action.

    Those of you who have been following this blog for very long know that I feel that this program has slowed the progression of my PD. When I miss a class or two I have seen a noticeable change in the time my medication lasts. The medication seems to wear off sooner than usual and take longer to ‘kick in’ after I take a new dose. I know I have pushed exercise over and over in this blog but I can’t emphasize it enough. There are many opportunities to exercise besides cycling or playing tennis – you just need to find one you like (or dislike the least) and stick with it for a month and see if you don’t agree, exercise is the key ingredient to fight PD.

    Speaking of medication, I was doing great on the new regime of two Rytary and 1/2 a tablet of Mirapex 5 times a day until a couple of weeks ago when it suddenly stopped working so well. I would take the 1st dose of the day and it worked perfectly but when I took the second dose it would sometimes have the opposite effect, causing me to walk slowly with limited arm movement as though I was completely unmedicated. This would last up to 2 hours and then I experienced “wearing on” instead of wearing off as the meds finally kicked in.

    So I emailed my Dr and while waiting for his response did what many of us do, researched the internet for other people who have experienced the same effect and then started experimenting with different dosages and the timing of the dose. I am getting pretty good results reducing the Rytary to 1 for doses 2 and 4 but I will keep you posted as this saga continues. In the meantime today my ninety day supply of meds arrived, I need a shelf just for the Rytary 😀

  • Happy New Year!

    Well maybe it should read Happy Chinese New Year! It’s February already and I’m just getting to my first post for the new year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. We had a great time with family over the Christmas/New Year holiday which included a trip to Disney World to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

    Disney World


    During the busy holiday season, we tried to keep up with our exercise schedule, cycling two days a week, playing as much tennis as possible and attending the Dance for PD class every week. I continue to enjoy playing tennis and even played in a men’s double tournament here in our community finishing in the middle of the pack.

    January included a visit to my Neurologist. While I am doing well I was noticing that my medication wearing OFF anywhere from 30 – 60 minutes before the next dose, particularly when the next dose occurred while I was exercising. We discussed two options, change the timing so I would take more Sinemet or try Rytary, an extended release version of Levodopa/Carbidopa.

    We decided to try the Rytary and I was given a sample to take once a day in the morning for a week. After the initial week I found that ON time was at least 30 – 60 minutes longer and some days I noticed no wearing off at all between doses.

    So I reported my findings back to my Doctor and we decided to go ‘full bore’ and replace my Sinemet tablets with the Rytary on a every 4 hour schedule. So far I am happy with the results with only occasional OFF periods, usually because I didn’t take them on schedule 🙂 I’ll keep you posted as I continue this new regimen.

    On the research front, if you are interested what’s coming up in 2019, I highly recommend you read “The Road Ahead: Parkinson’s Research in 2019” by Simon Stott over at the Science of PD blog. He expects that several clinical trials will have some data to report during the year and several promising projects will start. Click here to read.

    One last note, I have added a link on the website to a document I prepared recently for a friend of a friend who had just been diagnosed with PD. It contains my thoughts about what to do after that initial diagnoses, lots of links to sites I like, and my thoughts / recommendations about exercise, finding a Movement Disorder Specialist, etc. Click on the link in the Now What? box at the top right to view, print or download.

    “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius


  • Rallying, Parkinson’s Movement Website, Care Partners Month, and Giving Tuesday!

    Yep, as you can tell by the title, this a catch up post lightly touching on many topics.  For various reasons, it has been tough to find time for writing but I have a chance today so will try to cover all of these topics (and maybe more) in this post. Let’s get started!

    Rallying to the Challenge – 2018

    As you might recall from my last post, we had just attended the Grand Challenges in PD meeting in Grand Rapids MI.  This is a two day meeting that brings together scientists, clinicians and people with Parkinson’s to explore the latest in  Parkinson’s disease research. The meeting is hosted by the Van Andel Research Institute and includes a parallel meeting for PwP’s hosted by Van Andel and The Cure Parkinson’s Trust.   This is one of the few meetings that brings us all together and gives the  Parkinson’s community a chance to provide input impacting ongoing and planned research.  Even better, we got to say hello to many old friends while making many new friends as the meeting progressed.  At the end of the meeting, the Cure Parkinson’s Trust presented the Tom Isaacs Award to two outstanding individuals, Professor Bas Bloem of the  Netherlands who founded ParkinsonNet, an innovative PD care program and Simon Stott, who publishes the Science of PD  Blog about current research in PD which I have mentioned in previous posts. 

    It was a great meeting and you can read more about it here and here.  Next year’s meeting is set for August 21 and 22 in case you would like to attend, click here for more information.

    Parkinson’s Movement Website

    The Cure Parkinson’s Trust sponsors the Parkinson’s Movement website which is maintained by PwP’s for PwP’s.  This website has recently had a total makeover and I highly recommend  you add it to your list of sites to visit on a regular basis.  The site has information about on going research and provides opportunities to get involved in research or share your insights.  They have a section called Hype vs Hope where they ‘fact check’ recent news stories, claims of a cure, etc.  They also have have a large list of  PD advocates listed along with their country of residence, the topics they advocate for and other information.  Check it out here.

    Care Partners Month

    November is National Care Partners Month and I know that you, like me, are thankful for your care partner(s) everyday of the year.  But this is a good time to remind you and your care partner that there are a lot of resources available for care partners including the Caring and Coping guide written for care partners for any stage of PD and available for the Parkinson’s Foundation.  You can download a copy or order a paper copy here

    Giving Tuesday

    Tuesday the 27th is Giving Tuesday.  This is a great opportunity to make a donation to your favorite charity and, in many cases, have it matched.  For example, after successfully raising one million dollars last year,  the Michael J Fox Foundation is shooting to raise two million dollars this year with every donation matched by anonymous donors.  Many other charities have similar opportunities on Tuesday, so scrape the bottom of your pocket book or wallet after Black Friday and Cyber Monday and help us find a cure for PD or the charity of your choice.

    (And Maybe More)

    Ben Stecher who writes the Tomorrow Edition blog has started a 9 part series about the Search for a Cure.  The first part was just published and can be viewed here.  Ben has traveled the world interviewing researchers, medical professionals and others about what they are doing and what the impact might be on the search for a cure, what the cure might look like and when it might happen.  So, another recommendation, sign up to follow Ben’s blog and his search for the cure.

    Dr Ray Dorsey at the University of Rochester in New York is conducting a web based study to see if using a computer with a webcam and microphone will provide sufficient information for patient followup.  The entire study is web based and takes about 10 – 15 minutes.  It requires a computer with webcam and the Chrome browser but it is quick and easy and a chance for you to participate in a clinical trial without leaving your house.  You can get more information and participate in the trial at this website.

    OK  that wraps it up for this post.  I hope everyone has an enjoyable Thanksgiving Holiday!

    “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

IT IS WHAT IT IS!

Increasing the Exercise Routine

Our first week at the beach is already over. 🙁 Last Saturday we attended the Parkinson’s Symposium sponsored by The Neuro Challenge Foundation and Sarasota Memorial Hospital. This is an annual event with 500+ attendees and included talks by recognized PD experts followed by a Q & A session afterwards. In between the talks we did two mini exercise sessions which included some voice exercises from the Loud portion of the Big and Loud program. We were joined at the meeting by Joel and Melissa whom we first met at Kripalu and then again here at the beach last year.
At the meeting we met Brad and Lynn Schramek who founded the Parkinson’s Cafe for the purpose of providing social, cultural and intellectual interaction for people with Parkinson’s disease and their families. This years events include a visit to the Asolo Repertory Theatre and a visit to the Sarasota Ballet. Both agendas look interesting so we have signed up to attend them both.
This week NPR (among others) talked about the benefits of exercise for Parkinson’s and so did all of the speakers at the Symposium. Since we arrived we have upped our exercise routine to include at least an hour walking plus Qi Gong and Tai Chi.  During my recent Doctor visit, we discussed my lack of arm swing while walking and he suggested using walking poles to improve my posture and arm swing while walking. So this week I took delivery of a pair of Green Zen Nordic walking poles from York Nordic and they definitely help with the arm swing, posture and pace.  I also started the Sinemet (Cardidopa/levodopa) at the beginning of the week and
I have noticed reduced rigidity and shuffle along with the  improved walk times over last
year’s beach visits.
Also this week we have signed on to be Fox Trial Finder Ambassadors, which I’m sure comes as a surprise to regular readers 🙂 We are looking forward to helping spread the word about the importance of participating in clinical trials at support groups, events, informal meetings, and any other opportunities we get, like this blog.
This weekend, our granddaughters (oh and their parents) arrive from Seattle for a week of beach fun so I’m thinking it will be another fun and busy week!  Thanks for reading.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

Other Posts

IT IS WHAT IT IS!

Increasing the Exercise Routine

Our first week at the beach is already over. 🙁 Last Saturday we attended the Parkinson’s Symposium sponsored by The Neuro Challenge Foundation and Sarasota Memorial Hospital. This is an annual event with 500+ attendees and included talks by recognized PD experts followed by a Q & A session afterwards. In between the talks we did two mini exercise sessions which included some voice exercises from the Loud portion of the Big and Loud program. We were joined at the meeting by Joel and Melissa whom we first met at Kripalu and then again here at the beach last year.
At the meeting we met Brad and Lynn Schramek who founded the Parkinson’s Cafe for the purpose of providing social, cultural and intellectual interaction for people with Parkinson’s disease and their families. This years events include a visit to the Asolo Repertory Theatre and a visit to the Sarasota Ballet. Both agendas look interesting so we have signed up to attend them both.
This week NPR (among others) talked about the benefits of exercise for Parkinson’s and so did all of the speakers at the Symposium. Since we arrived we have upped our exercise routine to include at least an hour walking plus Qi Gong and Tai Chi.  During my recent Doctor visit, we discussed my lack of arm swing while walking and he suggested using walking poles to improve my posture and arm swing while walking. So this week I took delivery of a pair of Green Zen Nordic walking poles from York Nordic and they definitely help with the arm swing, posture and pace.  I also started the Sinemet (Cardidopa/levodopa) at the beginning of the week and
I have noticed reduced rigidity and shuffle along with the  improved walk times over last
year’s beach visits.
Also this week we have signed on to be Fox Trial Finder Ambassadors, which I’m sure comes as a surprise to regular readers 🙂 We are looking forward to helping spread the word about the importance of participating in clinical trials at support groups, events, informal meetings, and any other opportunities we get, like this blog.
This weekend, our granddaughters (oh and their parents) arrive from Seattle for a week of beach fun so I’m thinking it will be another fun and busy week!  Thanks for reading.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

Other Posts

Increasing the Exercise Routine

Written by

Tom Eckhardt

in

Our first week at the beach is already over. 🙁 Last Saturday we attended the Parkinson’s Symposium sponsored by The Neuro Challenge Foundation and Sarasota Memorial Hospital. This is an annual event with 500+ attendees and included talks by recognized PD experts followed by a Q & A session afterwards. In between the talks we did two mini exercise sessions which included some voice exercises from the Loud portion of the Big and Loud program. We were joined at the meeting by Joel and Melissa whom we first met at Kripalu and then again here at the beach last year.
At the meeting we met Brad and Lynn Schramek who founded the Parkinson’s Cafe for the purpose of providing social, cultural and intellectual interaction for people with Parkinson’s disease and their families. This years events include a visit to the Asolo Repertory Theatre and a visit to the Sarasota Ballet. Both agendas look interesting so we have signed up to attend them both.
This week NPR (among others) talked about the benefits of exercise for Parkinson’s and so did all of the speakers at the Symposium. Since we arrived we have upped our exercise routine to include at least an hour walking plus Qi Gong and Tai Chi.  During my recent Doctor visit, we discussed my lack of arm swing while walking and he suggested using walking poles to improve my posture and arm swing while walking. So this week I took delivery of a pair of Green Zen Nordic walking poles from York Nordic and they definitely help with the arm swing, posture and pace.  I also started the Sinemet (Cardidopa/levodopa) at the beginning of the week and
I have noticed reduced rigidity and shuffle along with the  improved walk times over last
year’s beach visits.
Also this week we have signed on to be Fox Trial Finder Ambassadors, which I’m sure comes as a surprise to regular readers 🙂 We are looking forward to helping spread the word about the importance of participating in clinical trials at support groups, events, informal meetings, and any other opportunities we get, like this blog.
This weekend, our granddaughters (oh and their parents) arrive from Seattle for a week of beach fun so I’m thinking it will be another fun and busy week!  Thanks for reading.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

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