Yup, Parkinsons sucks

It's been a while since my last post so here's an update.

After fighting with my insurance for about a year I finally got into see me new Neurologist. I hadn't had an adjustment to my DBS in a year and twice, days before my next appointment insurance would deny coverage. They still wanted me to pay my 700.00 premium but not let me go see a doctor. Fucking cunts. I finally found a doctor who has had experience with DBS patients and has been to see her twice in the last month and they have given me some new programs and some much needed relief from Parkinsons symptoms. Most people think of Parkinsons as just uncontrolled shaking, which is true; however, there is so much more it causes. For me, I don't shake; however, the main issue I have is rigidity. My muscles are constantly trying to be stiff and after a while it starts to hurt. The meds and the DBS help control it, about 80% is taken away due to the DBS and meds, so I am very grateful for the doctors/friends/family who got me this far.

My speech. Oh, where do I begin with my speech. It sucks. I stutter and slur my words a lot and my voice is very soft. I have to stop and reset what I'm saying a lot because my lips and tongue do want to; listen to what my brain is telling them to do. I was told the DBS wouldn't help my speech get better so it's no surprise. I find myself avoiding social interactions because I hate listening to myself stutter and stammer. I have even been accused (by some old nosey bitch who kept asking me questions while I was serving her neighbor) of being drunk because of my speech. What a nosey old cunt. So, if you see me, come say hi, but don't be offended if I don't say a lot or use hand gestures to communicate.

The bladder. Yup, the bladder gets affected as well. Let's just say that when I say I have to go pee, I MEAN IT! From when I get the first feeling of, "I gotta go pee" to doing the PeePee Dance can be as short as a minute. So as soon as I feel it, I start looking for a place I can go. If I can't find anywhere to go I keep an emergency container in the car. It's very humiliating, but hey, it's my reality.

Yup, I'm still a part time process server. I figure that I was pretty good at knocking on doors and ruining people's day as a Probation Officer, so I can still do this, I guess. It is getting harder because people ask me questions about what they ar being served with and it's hard for me to explain what exactly they are being served with. I usually tell them to read the documents or to call the agency that is suing them. I can still drive and ride my motorcycle just fine. It's crazy but my tremor tends to not happen when I drive or ride (thank God). It happens more when I'm at rest. The doctor said that is common, it's called resting tremors.

Sooooo, Ill continue to talk about my battle with this disease. The good, the bad, and the ugly.