Inside Parkinson's

My story begins in 2013, as a Librarian, managing a medium size branch for the Dayton Metro Library.

I was enjoying my job. My health was stable. My husband and I were doing well. We were two people living in a 5 bedroom house (we don’t have children) and we were not using all the space, so I felt a strong need to build a smaller house. At the same time the library began a construction remodel project at my branch. Both projects started at the same time and it was a lot of fun. 

Then it happened. My arm started shaking.  I did not think too much of it.  I observed that it got worse when I was stressed.  There was one person who stressed me out every time I saw him.  We’ll call him Daniel. Every time I was near Daniel, my arm would shake like crazy. He definitely stressed me out. I thought my shaking arm was caused by stress.

Two building projects at one time put a lot of pressure on me. So, I was stressed and my arm was shaking.  I was in denial that anything could be wrong.  As my arm shaking increased, I lost some of my functional skills. I had trouble cutting food,  writing, or holding anything with my right arm. I had people cut my steak for me and my staff did all the handwriting.   Even typing was becoming difficult. I ignored the symptoms until I could not. Clearly something was wrong.  

I went to a neurologist who diagnosed me with Parkinson’s.  I asked What is Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. Symptoms start gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement.

Mayo Clinic

I am still trying to understand how Parkinson’s affects me and others.  It is complicated.  In this blog,  I will be writing about my experiences and lessons I’ve learned.  I may tell a story or share some resources about Parkinson’s.  I hope you will follow my blog and share in the journey.