A new member of the club no one wants to join!
This week, Grammy award winning singer, Carly Simon, announced that she has Parkinson’s Disease.
“It is as though the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list”
Carly Simon
This week, we learned that singer/songwriter Carly Simon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. The Grammy award-winning artist made an announcement on Instagram that was not only poetically written but also addressed many of the non-motor symptoms that we all deal with on a day-to-day basis. Especially apathy. (see quote above).
The other interesting point she made is that while seeking the PD diagnosis, she was also diagnosed with Basal Cell Carcinoma (skin cancer) on her face, which required surgery. A double whammy! As a performer, she says that she was always self-conscious about her appearance. The surgery affected her appearance, and hibernating year-round became something to consider.
She is not alone
She is not alone. Having a diagnosis of PD does not mean you won’t have other health issues at the same time. I was diagnosed with PD and breast cancer in the same week. I wished I had not gotten out of bed that week. Hibernating was definitely on my mind, too.
The kindness of others
Thursday night in Vancouver, on our way back to our hotel, Mr. Twitchy noticed that one of his hearing aids was missing. We rushed back to the hotel to see if he left it there. Unbeknown to us, one of my sons-in-law went back to the restaurant. After asking permission to look for it, others in the restaurant stood up to help him find it. It was found wedged next to the base of the table where he was sitting for dinner. Hugs and high fives to all who helped in the search.
Can cruising have a positive impact on your Parkinson’s tremor?
While on our cruise, I noticed that my tremor almost completely disappeared. Was it the rocking of the ship counteracting the tremors? All I know is that this morning, 4 days after getting off the ship, it was back.
Have you had this experience? Doctors and researchers, have you seen this in your patients? Please respond in the chat.
Sunday Mornings with Twitchy Woman
Sunday, August 23 at 1:00 PM ET, 10:00 AM PT
Join me for a conversation with John Dean, MA-CCC SLP. John is a speech-language pathologist, working exclusively with people who have Parkinson’s and related disorders. Learn more about John here
Register here
A few more cruise pics
All photos by Sharon Krischer
Have a great week!
