Aug 26 2010
My Old Energy Has Returned
I was diagnosed early stage PD last January and have been on Sinemet ever since. I wasn”t seeing any definitive response to the med which my doctor saw as troubling, suspecting that might mean I had Parkinson’s plus… a grimmer diagnosis that simple Parkinsons. We worked up to 7 pills per day, which is a lot to start off with.
I felt better but honestly I myself wasn”t 100% sure it was because of the meds, because by that time (now i was 6 months post dx) I had gone beyond the shock and initial depression I had experienced upon initial diagnosis and was heavily into alternative treatments… (acupuncture, Chinese herbs, massage, exercise, twice weekly yoga, rest, meditation, Reiki, etc). reading your book was extremely helpful and inspiring. Facing my own deeper negative thought patterns was critical… particularly the belief that i wasn”t really ever going to recover.
My old energy has returned. Although I am not symptom free I do feel better as I learn how to take charge of my health more and more every day. Slowly I have come to believe in my capacity to recover. what a journey!
2 months ago I started gradually reducing my daily Sinemet from the peak of 7 pills to now 3, ramping it down half a pill per week. I plan on continuing this as long as I feel well, intending to get off it altogether several more weeks from now. Obviously I am pleased with this development, and recognize there will likely be more hurdles to overcome as I go forward. the point is I am ready for the challenge.
Dan


This was good to read. I, too, have started yoga exercises each morning. I am 61 now, and when I was about 23, Father introduced me to a yoga teacher, who taught me six basic poses. I did them then, and then left them, since I didn’t have enough aspiration for it. This year, it seems that yoga was to be one of my therapies, but I didn’t know what direction to take. While talking to a yoga teacher in a chat room, I remembered my early lessons and had experience with them. That must be it! I asked him what a Parkinson’s person can expect from yoga. He said balance and muscle tone–just what I need these days. I know the slow progression of balance in the body from daily practice in years past and am experiencing it again.
In the above post by Dan, there is encouragement in reducing the meds, one of my goals.
Alan