Parkinson's Disease

A picture of Mom about the time she entered college; the trial of Parkinson's Disease had not yet entered her world.

Mother is little more than five feet tall (plus some change) and has been blessed to never experience problems with her weight; it was probably enough to anger a few of her friends. 

From what I know of her college days, she possessed a wicked sense of humor and had a tremendous zeal for life. She was in her glory days -- enjoying every moment. Life was very good.

It was after marrying our father as they worked to build a family that health issues emerged; she has almost never been free of these problems since. 

Her first major medical concern was precipitated by her small stature combined with the burdens brought on by child bearing; her back ultimately failed, forcing her to undergo numerous agonizing surgical procedures to bring about even a modicum of comfort; in all the years since she has suffered quietly with ongoing back problems. 

She was later diagnosed with what was thought to be Tuberculosis. The extent of her disease was so pronounced that her doctors were forced to perform extensive surgery -- certainly by today's standards -- to remove the diseased right lung. It was a monumental trial for her physically. 

As if this was not enough, she later suffered a head-on collision at the hands of a drunk driver -- driving on the wrong side of a bridge -- which further compounded her extensive back problems with a neck injury. 

In the mid-1990's, she began to demonstrate symptoms of neurological impairment: a shuffling gate, cramped writing, as well as a paucity of arm movement when walking. This led us to suspect the probable onset of Parkinson's Disease. Unfortunately, her doctor's took a few frustrating years to finally reach the same conclusion. Once appropriate therapy was initiated her symptoms improved. It was proving manageable. 

The problem with Parkinson's Disease is that it is progressive. Certain dopamine producing brain cells die resulting in less available dopamine necessary for proper body function. As the cells continue to die, you are forced to throw more and more of the "dopamine-like" drug(s) at the problem so as to achieve an adequate result. Unfortunately, just as the dopamine producing cells are fading, the receptors that feed on her medication also begin to diminish in number. It is a losing proposition. 

On average, patients with Parkinson's live anywhere from 15 to 25 years; Mom is well into 15 plus years. She is not on the winning side of these averages; Mom's health has declined precipitously in the last year alone. 

Nature has a curious way of balancing everything. Mom has been blessed in so many ways throughout her life; it seems the price for all the good may have been at the expense of her health over time. Yet even as she has endured a great many medical issues over the course of her long life, I have honestly never heard her bemoan these problems -- current or past.

I wish I could write that the litany of her medical concerns ends here. In the last two to three years, a form of Dementia has altered her life with a vengeance.

She may not be one to complain, but I, for one, have been left wanting to shout, "Enough."