Reactions when you tell people you have Parkinson's Disease?

@jatonlouise What fun! It's a foil.

@eojeda1 wheever I see 'L-dopa" I flash back to the days of ZORRO, who was the rich aristocrat in Callifornia who disguised himself in an all black outfit and thwarted the moves of the crooked sherrif in town, fighting his enemies with a fencing sword (I'm sure it has a name, and i used to know it but this will have to do right now). I seE EL DOPA AS ZORRO Dopa!! and he slays the crooked sheriff (Mr. Parkinsons) and after he has defeated each villan, he makes a Z on them before he dashes off to become a rich aristocrat in the daytime hours.

Great positive outlook! When my husband was diagnosed, he looked at the doctor and stated, "Well, look at it this way. I can make a milk shake without a blender." Today, after his last spine surgery, he is up and running, a total mover and a shaker. He doesn't stop. Carbidadopa Levodopa, or Living La Vida Loca as he calls it, did not work for him, but Ropinirole has. My advice is to make life happen, keep moving, and stay positive. Oh, and when someone says it is not possible, prove them wrong and don't accept no for an answer.

@bmfoster You'are fortunate that your friends respond that way -- offer to helpp you . You don't have to be dying to have less energy to do some of the things you've always done before so it's sweet when somebody offers sto water your flowers, knowing that you must take pleasure in having the flowers and that this couldl be welcomed help. I haven't had anyone treate me any differently that they did before they knew about my diagnosis. I've been very pe about it because actually it was a fantasticly GOOD thing that I finally got a diagnosisi afeter chasing it so fiercely for such a long time. becuase then I could get TREATMENT! By the time I got my diagnosis, I had been bedridden and coudl do virtually nothing, not even go to the toilet by myself. I was in TOTAL OFFLAND, every frickin,hour of every fridken day of every frickin week and was joyful when I got my diagnodid because 1 hour after I had my first l-dopa pill I could get out of bed on my own, walk to the bathroom alone, becuse I had been certain that I was dying and didn't know how much more of this what I now know as the dreaded OFFLAND I could take. And I was sooooo relieved to know what I had, and that there was a treatement, and that it worked for me. THe thing I feel sad about is all the time I missed with my grandkids My husband and I used to take turns picking them up after school and I missed a few years ofr that time and now my oldesst is in the Army, the middle one is starting college, and the youngest is 14l That and the worry that haunted my poor huvband as he picked up all the things I used to do whlie worrying about me and seeimg how misserable I was. But those things are over and I'm feeling decent and can do things like go to the pharmacy to obtain magic potions that enable me to continue to delude myself that I'm younger than I am. This PD stuff is part of me now and while I wouldn't have sought it out by choice, it is soooo much better than where I was, I really can't complain. I'll bw 82 in a few months and if I were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't have been cheated our of much. I'm not eager to die,(although I'm growing rather weary of all my friends dying on me. I just think it's rude that they jusst up and die on me when I'm begeinnign to get better and more able to play and they die. I find it meaningful to do do things like sharing the Hospital Guide, knowing it may help someone have an easier time if they have to be i a hospital, or sharing my Nrurologist's advice to let Kiwi friui be the answer to consstipation. and putting my silly nonsense on Facebook., creating a very exclusive club consisting of myself, my granddaughter, and her mother and her other grandma, we are known as the Wild West Women of Berlin, and as our name suggests, we go wilding through our lovely city of Berlin . This involves hitting out favorite ice cream shop and induging in our favorite treats and returning home to long naps. We are just that WILD. People see the 4 of us and run for cover. They shouldlln't fearus (although if they were to try to se parate us from our ice cream, we might have to get brutal with them.

@bmfoster You'are fortunate that your friends respond that way -- offer to helpp you . You don't have to be dying to have less energy to do some of the things you've always done before so it's sweet when somebody offers sto water your flowers, knowing that you must take pleasure in having the flowers and that this couldl be welcomed help. I haven't had anyone treate me any differently that they did before they knew about my diagnosis. I've been very pe about it because actually it was a fantasticly GOOD thing that I finally got a diagnosisi afeter chasing it so fiercely for such a long time. becuase then I could get TREATMENT! By the time I got my diagnosis, I had been bedridden and coudl do virtually nothing, not even go to the toilet by myself. I was in TOTAL OFFLAND, every frickin,hour of every fridken day of every frickin week and was joyful when I got my diagnodid because 1 hour after I had my first l-dopa pill I could get out of bed on my own, walk to the bathroom alone, becuse I had been certain that I was dying and didn't know how much more of this what I now know as the dreaded OFFLAND I could take. And I was sooooo relieved to know what I had, and that there was a treatement, and that it worked for me. THe thing I feel sad about is all the time I missed with my grandkids My husband and I used to take turns picking them up after school and I missed a few years ofr that time and now my oldesst is in the Army, the middle one is starting college, and the youngest is 14l That and the worry that haunted my poor huvband as he picked up all the things I used to do whlie worrying about me and seeimg how misserable I was. But those things are over and I'm feeling decent and can do things like go to the pharmacy to obtain magic potions that enable me to continue to delude myself that I'm younger than I am. This PD stuff is part of me now and while I wouldn't have sought it out by choice, it is soooo much better than where I was, I really can't complain. I'll bw 82 in a few months and if I were to die tomorrow, I wouldn't have been cheated our of much. I'm not eager to die,(although I'm growing rather weary of all my friends dying on me. I just think it's rude that they jusst up and die on me when I'm begeinnign to get better and more able to play and they die. I find it meaningful to do do things like sharing the Hospital Guide, knowing it may help someone have an easier time if they have to be i a hospital, or sharing my Nrurologist's advice to let Kiwi friui be the answer to consstipation. and putting my silly nonsense on Facebook., creating a very exclusive club consisting of myself, my granddaughter, and her mother and her other grandma, we are known as the Wild West Women of Berlin, and as our name suggests, we go wilding through our lovely city of Berlin . This involves hitting out favorite ice cream shop and induging in our favorite treats and returning home to long naps. We are just that WILD. People see the 4 of us and run for cover. They shouldlln't fearus (although if they were to try to se parate us from our ice cream, we might have to get brutal with them.

I started to get suspicious when neighbors started to call and offer to go to the store for me, water my flowers, and bring food over. Their kindness was greatly appreciated, but I'm not dying yet. One of the problems is the wide range of outcomes and speeds of disease progression of the disease. Some people are more compromised earlier than others, but whether slow or fast the diagnosis is a serious one. Staying positive, staying active and acceptance are the keys for me.