I've got Parkinson's but it doesn't have me!

Something I said to an online friend (Nov '07) who was feeling down about her health issues:

I struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. PD sucks, I’m not going to lie. I say “I’ve got Parkinson’s but it doesn’t have me!” Helps to keep me positive, especially on bad days.

Anti depressants is what help turned things around. PD patients also suffer, most unknowingly, with clinical depression. When I was first diagnosed with Young Onset PD the neurologist offered an anti depressant. I said, well I can’t use the words, but I was a lactating mom at the time with a newborn and declined medications. About a year later I started drug therapies but still resisted the anti depressant. In my mind those kinds of drugs were for people with illnesses. Duh, I had an illness! But I guess I was still in denial. Eventually I agreed to try an anti-depressant. I told my nurse that I only wanted a month supply ‘cause I wasn’t promising anything. I’m such a dork! It takes a month to know if the drug is going to work!

Well long story short, when my monthly visitor came and went, without incident – I was hooked! I remember calling my doctor’s nurse & telling her that my period had snuck up on me without warning and I asked if any of my meds also had the side benefit of curing PMS. She laughed. So now, I take an anti depressant every day. It sure helps with the blues, feelings of helplessness, and isolation.

My disease is still mostly invisible. I get yelled at by senior citizens when I park in the handicapped parking spaces! They say “You’re not disabled!” and I think to myself, “Hallelujah, I’m cured!”