Parkinson’s: When The Honeymoon Phase Is Over

Snarky Parky & me

A journey Into Parkinson's with Nancy Mellon

Blog Coordinated by Corrine Bayraktaroglu

It's Getting Harder

I knew it would. I always cringed inside when someone told me I was strong or brave. I'm not.

The honeymoon stage, is definitely over. Yep, that's the term, I had read about- The first 5 years, after your diagnosis, when you first go on Carbidopa/Levodopa medication for Parkinson's is called the Honeymoon stage. (But, she counts on her fingers, August 2021- August 2022- August 2023, it has been less than 3 years- she wails!)

I am into a more mature relationship with the Snark. 

There are good parts of each day and bad parts of each day. It is a yo yo of ups and downs. Some days I cry...a lot.

Most days, I laugh at some point, sometimes.. a lot! (but now my body often hurts while I am laughing.) Some days, I smile and make faces at myself in the mirror. Often I feel happy.

I have decided that it is time for me to have a regular relationship with a mental health practitioner that understands Parkinsons. And amazingly I have gotten an appointment with the one I wanted to try. Dr. Taylor Rush. I had heard her talk about the Emotional Highs and Lows of Parkinson's at the Cleveland Clinic's Empower U Parkinson's event. 

The rest of the story:

1. I asked my movement specialist for a referral. I told him I wanted a woman, who knew Parkinson's and who I could see over Zoom. I added, that I had really liked Dr. Rush and wondered if she was available. 

2. He called her to see if she was still taking patients. She is but, she has a long wait list. She mentioned, 2 other Women Doctors, who are part of the team and might have appointments available sooner. 

3. Steven looked them up and said they got great recommendations on-line.

4. So I wrote back to Dr. Weissfeld and told him I was interested in one of them. 

5. He wrote back to me and said he had sent my info to Dr. Rush and the other Doctor.

6. I looked up where I might call for an appointment. This doesn't sound hard but it was!

7. I ended up calling the Cleveland Clinic general appointment number. I was put on hold a couple of times and finally got the right number. I asked if someone could tell me how long it might take to get an appointment with Dr. Rush? It was about 2 months. (Not bad, I thought it might be 5 or 6!) 

   When I told the friendly voice, that I wanted a Zoom appointment- she said happily, “let me check, Dr. Rush might have a sooner Zoom appointment.” 

   She did!

   We both, cheerfully agreed that I was meant to go with Dr. Rush.

8.  I asked- how long for the other Doctor? It was only a week sooner than the zoom appointment with Dr. Rush.

9. Whew!

Here is a bit of info I found on taking control of your mental health:

“Researchers at Cambridge identified seven healthy habits that affect your mood. They looked at nearly 300,000 people in the UK Biobank database initiative and found that maintaining at least 5 of these habits could cut the risk of depression by 57%.” 

Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night on average. (I am still working on it)

Add more physical activity to your routine. (Better than I've ever done before. But need to do more.)

Eat a balanced diet focused on plants, whole grains and lean proteins. (pretty good but we eat too much pasta, white rice and CHEESE. My favorite quick meal is a piece of hearty bread, with a slice of tomato and topped with cheddar-broil it, Yumm!)

Limit alcohol intake and don't smoke. (check and check)

Limit screen time to avoid being sedentary. (writing and e mails are my bug a boos.)

Cultivate friendship and community through hobbies. (love it.)

Here are some others that weren't part of the study: Laugh at yourself. Surround yourself with yellow stickeys that say- lighten up. Remember funny things that happen and tell someone else about it.  Learn to Play.  Don't go a day without laughing. 

Cheers, Nancy and the Snark