• Seasons Greetings!

    Hard to believe the year is almost over!  It has been a busy couple of months but I hope to catch up soon and get back to a somewhat regular posting schedule.  In the meantime, we hope everyone has a great holiday and we are looking forward to the new year and more progress in the search for a cure.

    Happy Holidays!

    Tom and Mara

  • Giving Tuesday is Almost Here!

    Tuesday, December 1st is Giving Tuesday. Black Friday is over and Cyber Monday is almost over and Tuesday will be a great opportunity to take some (or all) of the money you saved this weekend and give back by making a donation to a Parkinson’s Disease organization or another cause of your choice. As in past years, many charitable organizations have a matching plan that will double your Giving Tuesday donation for double the benefit.

    In case you need a little inspiration, I am reposting the following article “What is a Parkie? And Why are They so Expensive?“.  This article was written by Alan Zimmerman vice president of the East Tennessee Parkinson’s Support Group and posted on their website,  PK Hope is Alive . Alan is a strong and active advocate for Parkinson’s research and education. In addition to being Vice President of the group, he is the Assistant Tennessee State Director for the Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) and a member of the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF) People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council.

    Take some time on Tuesday and support the cause of your choice,  There is a lot of exciting news on the research front and our donations can make a difference!  Happy Holidays!!

     

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

     

    WHAT IS A PARKIE? AND WHY ARE THEY SO EXPENSIVE?
    by Alan Zimmerman
     
    Parkies are expensive devils.  How does $25 Billion per year in the US sound to you?  Not only that,we discover another 60,000 Parkies each year, right here in good old America.  That number that is guaranteed to rise.  And, each Parkie spends about $2500 per year trying to be less Parkie with an assortment of medications and untold more on supplements.
    So, what then is a Parkie?  It is what people with Parkinson’s disease call each other.  Yep, the term is pretty much reserved for those in the Parkie club.  They would rather be known by everyone else as people with Parkinson’s (PWP).
    I know that you know someone who is a PWP.  You may even have a relative with PD.  You have seen them taking short steps and all bent over and very stiff and slow, or maybe they are using a walker to get around or perhaps they shake uncontrollably.  Maybe you can’t hear or understand them when they talk.  Perhaps you, nor they can read their handwriting.  The list goes on and on.
    Who gets this disease?  Men are slightly more likely and most people are in their 60’s when diagnosed.  But, about one in ten are 45 or under.  By the time your symptoms are bad enough to be diagnosed, one has already lost more the 60% of their dopamine.  You see, that marvelous thing called a brain compensates until it no longer can.  Unfortunately, that is not the blessing it seems to be.  As more interventions are developed, the sooner the diagnosis, the better.
    Wait!  We have new terms: diagnosis and dopamine.
    Let’s take “diagnosis” first because most everyone has had at least one of those.  In the case of Parkinson’s there is no definitive way of diagnosing except by physical exam.  And, it really needs to be done by a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders.  There is no blood test or scan that will determine for sure that the monster called PD has attacked.
    What’s “dopamine?”  It is a chemical found in the brain.  What does it do?  Lots of things that we know about and probably some yet to be discovered.  For one, it is a communicator.  Somehow it signals the muscles to do whatever the brain tells them to do.  It also has something to do with mood, pleasure, depression and many other important functions.
    What causes this PD thing?  Nobody knows for sure but most scientists believe it is probably a combination of genetics and something in the environment, like heavy metals, toxins, or pesticides that trigger the beginning of the disease.  That is pretty much where science is.  OK, so where does it start?  Nobody is sure where exactly but some of the latest thinking is that it starts in the gut or maybe even the intestines.
    So, bottom line, what is the cure?  There isn’t one.  It just gets worse over time as more brain cells die.  OK then, what is the treatment?  Mostly, at this stage in modern medicine, only symptoms can be treated.  A few things may slow it down like exercise programs.
    We also have this thing called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).  Hold on, what’s that?  It may scare you if I tell you but here goes.  DBS is where a PWP has one or preferably two holes drilled in the scull.  Then you insert electrodes into certain places in the brain.  Then, you attach all that to a battery which is eventually buried into your upper chest.  Oh, I forgot to tell you.  Usually the patient is awake when those electrodes are being put in place.  Why?  So that the neurosurgeon can get feedback from the PWP.
    So, I guess we need more research.  There is a bunch going on world-wide, but we could always use more.  Researchers eat and have families and require laboratories.  What that means is that research has a price tag.  What a price tag means is that more donations are required.
    What else is needed?  More movement specialist physicians for one.  There are not enough now and certainly too few going to school while the Parkie population increases.  So, we need to encourage doctors to devote an extra two years of their life learning the intricacies of movement.  Guess what?  That too carries a pretty hefty price tag.  So, we need more scholarships which means we need more donations yet again.
    So, let’s review.  People with Parkinson’s are growing in numbers rapidly.  The disease is progressive and degenerative.  So far, we can pretty much treat the symptoms only.  But, through massive research, we believe that disease altering therapies are going to become a reality pretty soon.  What is pretty soon?  Maybe 5-10 years.  But, that only happens with support for research, i.e. donations.

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    Just a quick post wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from Seattle.  I have much to be thankful for this year including:

    • making a change to a Movement Disorder Specialist who recommended a medication change that resulted in a great reduction of my symptoms;
    • and that improvement allowed me to increase my exercise time which also helped to reduce rigidity and increase my mobility; 
    • and the increased mobility gave us a chance to travel to visit family and friends across the country;
    • and I got to fish almost every day I was home without having to sit down after 15 minutes to rest!

    But most of all I am thankful for the support of my wonderful wife, my family, my friends and all of you who take the time to read my wandering posts.  I hope I have provided information of value to PwP’s and others through this blog and the Tennessee Parkinson’s Resources site that we started this year.

    Thank you all and Happy Thanksgiving!

     

IT IS WHAT IT IS!

Parkinson’s Disease Southeast Symposium Coming Soon!

We are on the road to New Orleans for a wedding and the biannual 3M reunion (Mara, Marilyn and Mary Ann), but I wanted to write a quick post about the Parkinson’s Disease Southern Symposium to be held November 13th through the 16th in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

To quote from their brochure,  “From November 13 through November 16, researchers, physicians, those living with Parkinson’s disease and caregivers are joining together to advocate awareness about the disease, its affect on the whole person, and issues related to its diagnosis, improved treatment options and better care..” You can view the entire brochure here and even more information is available on their website.

Mara and I will be attending and we urge those of you in the Southeast to attend all or some of this event which will include a talk by Dr Michael Okun,  Director of the University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neural Restoration on Friday and The Davis Phinney Foundation Victory Summit on Saturday in Greenville, SC.  The events are free but some, like the Victory Summit, require registration which you can do on the website.  Many of the events are at the Marriott hotel and they are offering a discount on rooms if booked by October 28th with no deposit required at this link. We hope to see you there!

With a little creative travel planning for this trip, we are AT THE BEACH in Biloxi, MS where we had a nice picnic dinner with a glass of wine and a beautiful sunset.  Life is good!

Other Posts

IT IS WHAT IT IS!

Parkinson’s Disease Southeast Symposium Coming Soon!

We are on the road to New Orleans for a wedding and the biannual 3M reunion (Mara, Marilyn and Mary Ann), but I wanted to write a quick post about the Parkinson’s Disease Southern Symposium to be held November 13th through the 16th in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

To quote from their brochure,  “From November 13 through November 16, researchers, physicians, those living with Parkinson’s disease and caregivers are joining together to advocate awareness about the disease, its affect on the whole person, and issues related to its diagnosis, improved treatment options and better care..” You can view the entire brochure here and even more information is available on their website.

Mara and I will be attending and we urge those of you in the Southeast to attend all or some of this event which will include a talk by Dr Michael Okun,  Director of the University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neural Restoration on Friday and The Davis Phinney Foundation Victory Summit on Saturday in Greenville, SC.  The events are free but some, like the Victory Summit, require registration which you can do on the website.  Many of the events are at the Marriott hotel and they are offering a discount on rooms if booked by October 28th with no deposit required at this link. We hope to see you there!

With a little creative travel planning for this trip, we are AT THE BEACH in Biloxi, MS where we had a nice picnic dinner with a glass of wine and a beautiful sunset.  Life is good!

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Tag: Travel

  • Parkinson’s Disease Southeast Symposium Coming Soon!

    Parkinson’s Disease Southeast Symposium Coming Soon!

    We are on the road to New Orleans for a wedding and the biannual 3M reunion (Mara, Marilyn and Mary Ann), but I wanted to write a quick post about the Parkinson’s Disease Southern Symposium to be held November 13th through the 16th in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

    To quote from their brochure,  “From November 13 through November 16, researchers, physicians, those living with Parkinson’s disease and caregivers are joining together to advocate awareness about the disease, its affect on the whole person, and issues related to its diagnosis, improved treatment options and better care..” You can view the entire brochure here and even more information is available on their website.

    Mara and I will be attending and we urge those of you in the Southeast to attend all or some of this event which will include a talk by Dr Michael Okun,  Director of the University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders and Neural Restoration on Friday and The Davis Phinney Foundation Victory Summit on Saturday in Greenville, SC.  The events are free but some, like the Victory Summit, require registration which you can do on the website.  Many of the events are at the Marriott hotel and they are offering a discount on rooms if booked by October 28th with no deposit required at this link. We hope to see you there!

    With a little creative travel planning for this trip, we are AT THE BEACH in Biloxi, MS where we had a nice picnic dinner with a glass of wine and a beautiful sunset.  Life is good!

  • On The Road…Again!

    Mara and I attended the Partners in Parkinson’s event in Atlanta recently, along with an estimated 650+ other patients with Parkinson’s and their loved ones.  We were also honored to serve as panelists during one of the breakout sessions.
     
    Our day started with meeting a couple from Knoxville as we walked to the convention center. We introduced ourselves and agreed to stay in contact since they had not yet found a support group.  After getting registered, we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast with a couple from Atlanta and soon selected a table to sit at for the morning presentation, joining a father and daughter from the area.  We had already added six people to our support group and the day was young!
     
    Three main topics were covered in the morning moderated by longtime journalist Dave Iverson, a Parkinson’s patient himself, who serves as contributing editor for the The Michael J. Fox Foundation.  Each topic was followed by Q & A from the audience. The first topic was The Many Faces of Parkinson’s Disease.  Dave questioned three Parkinson’s patients about their diagnoses and the path their lives have taken since, reinforcing the fact that this disease impacts everyone differently. As Dave said “If you have seen one person with Parkinson’s, you have seen one person with Parkinson’s.”
     
    Next up was Seeing a Movement Disorder Specialist: What to Know, Ask and Expect.  A Movement Disorder Specialist MDS is a neurologist who has received additional training in PD and other disorders. One of the cool things you can find on the Partners in Parkinson’s website is a searchable database to help you find a movement disorder specialist near you.

    Dr. Stewart Factor, Director of the Emory University Movement Disorder Clinic, conducted an “appointment”  with a PD patient and his wife.  It was an interesting, informative session prompting many of us to realize that our initial consultation may not have been filled with as much information about PD that he was covering.

    The final topic was Parkinson’s Research: The Road Ahead where Dave questioned three experts involved in clinical trials and PD research.  This was an informative session that engendered many questions from the audience including when to start levodopa, diet, new drugs in the pipeline, clinical trials and others.
     
    After lunch, the breakout sessions were offered twice so you  could attend two different sessions.  The sessions were Living Well with Parkinson’s, presented by The Davis Phinney Foundation; I’m Still Wondering About…, an opportunity to ask additional questions; and Building Connections with Family, Friends and Community, the one we participated in.You could also browse the Resource Fair where over 20 local organizations and care providers offered information for PD patients.Since we were involved in both of our sessions, we couldn’t attend any of the others but I did hear a lot of positive response about The Davis Phinney presentation.
     
    Our panel included Bill Wilkins, diagnosed 8 years ago and very active in the Parkinson’s community through his organization, The Wilkins Parkinson’s Foundation,  and India Pender Martin, whose grandfather was diagnosed when she was three and who is also active in the Parkinson’s community.  Our panel was expertly moderated by Claire Meunier, vice president of  research engagement for the Fox Foundation.
     
    Mara and I discussed the path we have been following since my diagnosis, how we communicate with family and friends, our trip to Kripalu and why I started the blog.  Bill discussed his diagnosis and how he became active in the Atlanta community and across the US.  India talked about dealing with her grandfather’s Parkinson’s symptoms at an early age and her desire to find a cure.  Then we took questions from the audience.  We received positive comments from attendee’s after each session, and I handed out quite a few cards with the blog address — so might pick up a few more readers!
     
    We are glad we accepted the invitation to participate on this panel even though neither of us are fans of public speaking. It became easier for me when Bill said, “I can meet a person with PD and immediately strike up a conversation.” Which is true for us too. We added many new friends to our support group. Partners in Parkinson’s allowed us  the opportunity to “strike up a conversation” with fellow people living with Parkinson’s.
     
    At the closing session Dave interviewed Mahlon R. DeLong MD, who just received the Lasker Award for research that led to Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).  They talked about what’s next and the possibility of using DBS to help with balance and gait issues that aren’t solved with the current procedure.  I am excited about that since those are my worst motor symptoms.
     
    So that’s what happens at a Partners in Parkinson’s event and if one is being held near you we both recommend attending, you can find the schedule for the remaining events here.
     
    Next…we are in Northern Michigan to celebrate Mara’s  brother’s 70th birthday.   Our timing is right and we will attend the Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease conference held in Grand Rapids where we will meet up with a couple we met at Kripalu.
     
    Whew this was a long post, thanks for sticking it out to the end and stay tuned for the next post.
  • At the Beach — Again!

    At the Beach — Again!

     

    I am writing this from the deck of a beautiful home overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on Bald Head Island, NC.  Yep, at the beach again!!  More about how we got here later in this post.

    I have looked at several more clinical trials but again find that I don’t qualify because I am already on medication.  It seems to me that communication between Movement Disorder Specialists (MDS) or Neurologists and clinical trial operators could increase trial participants.  If the Doctors were aware of the trials being conducted nearby, they could then offer their newly diagnosed patients the opportunity to particpate in the trial before they prescribed a medications.  Of course another issue is travel, most of the trials that I have tried to join are at least 200 miles away and the travel costs are usually not covered.  In her latest blog post, Soania Mathur MD states “…close to 85% of all clinical trials are delayed due to recruitment difficulties and a shocking 30% fail to recruit a single subject.”  The post goes on to discuss both the logistical and the lack of knowledge issues I have discussed above.  The Michael J Fox Trial Finder website does a great job of listing all of the trials in my home radius of 300 miles and they notify me if a new one is added that meets the criteria but the newly diagnosed need to know where to look.  Perhaps one or more of the National organizations can develop a simple brochure that can be supplied to MDS and Neurologists for them to hand out or make available to patients.  It might be a start?

    I was asked this week to be a PatientsLikeMe Research Ambassador.  PatientsLikeMe is an online support group I belong to and I had applied to be a member of a research advisory committee they were forming.  While I wasn’t selected for the advisory group I was asked to be a Research Ambassador. Per the email ..”Like the Team of Advisors, our Research Ambassadors are being asked to commit to a program that’s designed to put you in the driver’s seat of making research better.”  As an Ambassador, I will get special communications each month for the rest of the year about new research initiatives, information about data being collected and how it will be used, and use my blog and other social avenues to share this information with the Parkinson’s community.  I have participated in a couple of their research projects already, including the one where I did the voice test over the phone to see if they can track the progress of my Parkinson’s. Sounds interesting and I am looking forward to participating.

     

    We had a great visit with my daughter Holly and grandchildren Charlie and Kayla.  The weather was great until the last evening so we got in a lot of boating, tubing, swimming, fishing and stand up paddle boarding along with side trips to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum and a couple of rounds of mini golf.

    Kayla turned out to be the fisherperson extraordinaire hooking a couple of nice catfish and a bunch of sunfish from the dock.  Charlie loved being on the water and riding the tube. Holly and Kayla both enjoyed stand up paddle boarding so much the first time, they went back for more before leaving for home.  It was a great visit and a good time was had by all.

    We are enjoying our time at the beach in Bald Head Island.  The island is reachable by ferry from Southport, NC and once you are here, you travel by foot, bike or golf cart.  We have been lucky to spend a week here for the past several summers with my stepson David and his wife Shelly and the two grand kids Breanna and Garrett.  This year Breanna is in MN so this is the first time we have been here without her.  Garrett always brings along a friend or two, this year he brought along 4 high school buddies and they are having a blast.  Dave and Shelly’s friends Mario and Missy have also joined us for the week.  It is a great place to just relax, read books, take long walks on the beach and watch the World Cup.  I am trying to catch up with all of the magazines I haven’t read since we returned from Florida in early March and produce this blog post.  Looks like the blog post will make it, we’ll see about the magazines.

    Our friends Mary Ann and Don live nearby in Wilmington, NC so they came over for a day and we had a great time, we hadn’t seen them for almost 2 years so we had a lot of catching up to do.  We enjoyed a nice lunch with them and a couple of ‘slow’ rides around the island as one of our golf carts is not super speedy. 🙂

    Next up is a visit from my son Ryan and his wife Sarah and grandson Julian and his half brother Trysten for the Fourth of July, look for more fun on the lake in the next post.

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