Today is a new day - so I'll turn over a page from yesterday's sorrows
and begin a new chapter. I unequivocally refuse to let anything or anyone bring
my spirits down, my fighting life-force has kicked in this morning, and I'm
back in full strength. So beware - don't mess with this Parkinson's patient!
Having ups and downs when suffering any chronic illness is perfectly
normal. Living with Parkinson's, one's sense of normality keeps constantly
changing. Every day is slightly different, there is no standard behaviour regarding
this malicious disease, which like a mischievous child hyped up on sugar, one
has no way of knowing what awaits a patient from day to day. When I come across
someone unfamiliar with Parkinson's, they find it quite "normal" that
one would shake and have tremors. Often I've been asked "Why don't you
shake? Isn't it normal for people with Parkinson's to shake?" Well yes
indeed for most patients it is, however there are some that don't shake but instead
suffer from many of the other debilitating nasty symptoms that this disease has
to offer. When I explain that my medications control the shaking most of the
time, they then think, "Oh so you're OK then?" How far from the truth
could that response be? How does one even begin to explain what is going on. I
often want to throw my hands up in desperation, as I describe how dopamine
normally helps control the shaking, but not always. There are no normal set of
rules with this particular disease. The definition of "normal"
according to the Oxford Dictionary is: "conforming to a standard; usual,
typical or expected". Therefore the word "normal" is incongruous
with Parkinson's. How can anyone judge what is "normal"? Does
"normal" even exist, for we are all individuals, everyone is
different, and wouldn't life be awfully boring if we were all the same? I think
sometimes it’s a person's eccentricities and imperfections that make them the
remarkable person they are. When someone or something is not "normal"
- the fundamental "difference" is usually what makes life far more
interesting. I'd opt for "different" any day over "normal".
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