Understanding Parkinson's

I was very happy to recently get together for lunch with a super lady, who like myself, suffers from Young-on-set Parkinson's.  Her charming parents also joined us for lunch, along with my husband and daughter. Talking with a fellow sufferer, is completely different from talking to anyone else. As soon as I began describing a situation or some difficulty I have, I knew she would immediately understand. I barely had to finish describing what I was feeling or thinking, as she too goes through the same things, having similar thoughts. We spoke about being at a function, a party or wedding, and how it is no longer a pleasant occasion, due to the difficulties compounded by having Parkinson's. Just sitting at a table with a large group of people, trying to follow several conversations that are going on at the same time is impossible. One on one conversations are manageable, but put me in a crowded room full of people chatting away, and I feel most uncomfortable, overwhelmed and unable to handle the situation. If you don't have Parkinson's, you might find this difficult to grasp, but if you are a fellow sufferer, you will no doubt understand completely. Most people don't realise how many unpleasant symptoms and side effects that this rotten disease unleashes upon the unfortunate patient diagnosed with Parkinson's. In my latest article in The Huffington Post, I wrote about the symptoms, but these were merely some of the more common ones. There are many more - but somehow I didn't have the heart (nor the space) to write about them all. It appears that there is a wide range from mild to severe cases; whilst some patients have few symptoms and manage to live a fairly normal life for many years, there are others that suffer a more aggressive debilitating form of Parkinson's and whose lives are affected very much.