Lacking Motivation
Between working full-time, having Parkinson’s disease, being a father, and recovering from spinal surgery, I have been lacking the motivation to write. Since January, I have tried several times to put a up a new post on this blog. Every attempt was deleted. I blame a great deal of this on the fatigue caused by Parkinson’s disease. This fatigue was made worse by a pinched nerve which led to spinal surgery. Essentially, they had to clear out a space in my spine so that the nerve would no longer be pinched. In addition, they fused my L4 and L5, which means my spine is now held together with a bar and screws. I spent 2 nights in the hospital and 3 weeks recovering from home. I was not cleared to drive and therefore, I spent an additional 3 weeks working from home. For the majority of the first 3 weeks, I was in far in much pain to accomplish anything. The good news is that the surgery was a success, and it is no longer painful for me to walk!
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| Kate & Ocean On A Dogsled |
Prior to surgery, my family and I spent a week in Norway and even though I could barely walk, it was a wonderful trip. Thank God my wife insisted that I purchase one of those canes with an attached seat. Carrying it around made me feel like a senior citizen, but it was a lifesaver. We saw the northern lights, went on a dog sled ride, visited the Sami people and fed their reindeer.
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| Northern Lights |
PD Generation: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease
This is a national initiative that provides free in-depth genetic testing and counseling to 7,500 participants and creates a database with extensive information on Parkinson’s disease. To date, roughly 50% of the participants needed for the study have been tested.
You can read more about PD GENEration here.
This study tests for all 7 known genetic mutations. After completing the testing, I am happy to report that based on current knowledge of gene mutation, I do not have a generic form of Parkinson’s disease! While living with PD certainly is not easy, at least I know that I will not pass this disease on to my son!
A New Bio Marker for Parkinson’s Disease
Research by the Michael J. Fox Foundation has led to identifying a biomarker for Parkinson’s disease. Spinal fluid can now identify people with the misfolding alpha-synuclein which often leads to Parkinson’s disease. Right now, this is a simple positive or negative test but hopefully, someday soon, the testing will be a bit more advanced. Early detection will help with research, treatment, and hopefully someday, finding a cure.
As most of you already know, for the last 3 years, I have been involved in a clinical study in which I receive my Parkinson’s medication through a pump. While this is not a cure, it has dramatically reduced my symptoms and improved my quality of life. My dyskinesias have gone away and my off time, periods in which the medication is not working, has been reduced from 8 hours a day to 30 minutes! My tremors have been reduced and my gait has also improved. While the FDA has found no problems with the safety or efficacy of the medication, they have some questions about the pump itself. Hopefully, this will just be a short delay and soon many other people with Parkinson’s disease will receive the benefits of this treatment.
Parkinson’s Disease Now Believed to Be Mostly Man-Made!
Research indicates that only 15% of people with Parkinson’s disease have a generic form of the condition. Exposure to chemicals like TCE and paraquat is what is mostly causing Parkinson’s disease! Exposure to TCE, a chemical used as a degreaser in manufacturing and a spot cleaner used in dry cleaning, increases your chances of getting Parkinson’s disease by over 500%! Exposure to paraquat, an herbicide, increases your chances of getting Parkinson’s disease by over 150%! Furthermore, paraquat is illegal to use in the UK where it is produced but is still legal for use in the United States! Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing brain condition and by making the use of TCE and paraquat illegal, we can greatly reduce the number of people diagnosed with this condition and save billions of dollars in healthcare costs! What can you do? First, avoid drinking well water which can contain TCE and/or paraquat. Second, avoid using dry cleaners which use TCE. More to come…
Conclusion
Well, there it is short and sweet! It is not my best post, but as they say, “perfect is the enemy of done!” Thank you for reading.
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| Ocean Taking Pics Of Northern Lights |
