I’ve been on a low dosage of Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa) for about a month now. One of the payoffs is that I can use a can opener again.
Until I started taking the drug, whenever I needed to open a can, it would take forever. I’d grip the opener in my left hand and crank the butterfly wings (is that what they’re called?) 180 degrees with my right hand. At that point my right hand would freeze. Instead of twisting back to turn the butterfly wings a second time, my right hand would just hover and tremble – kind of like a hesitant butterfly itself.
Meanwhile, my left hand would grip the handle and feel the can’s weight and wonder when the heck my right hand was going to get its act together and finish the job. Eventually, my shaking right hand would return to the “start” position and rotate the butterfly wings another 180 degrees. And stop. Even though the can was less than half open.
It was comical.
It was exasperating.
It is no more.
This is encouraging news! Brushing my teeth and using a round brush when drying my hair are a challenge. I’ll consider starting meds when I visit a new neurologist in August. 🙂
Glad you can open cans again. Hope they’re good for you and not, like, chocolate pudding. Hope the meds help you with more than just can opening.