How Am I Doing? 3rd Update

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I can smell again!

Like most Parkies, I lost the ability to smell anything soon after I was diagnosed.   But my olfactory powers returned last night, and are still active today.

Here’s the story:

Last night I took a shower on the second floor while my husband, Yong Ih, was cooking curry in the kitchen (on the main floor).  When I walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway, I smelled the curry.  The smell was faint but definitely there.

When we sat down for dinner, I announced that I had smelled his cooking when I was still upstairs.  To test me, he started putting things under my nose, and in most cases I could clearly smell them.  The Chambord liqueur was the most potent, but the vinegar, cinnamon and nutmeg were also strong.  It was an amazing moment.

But it turns out there are some things that I cannot smell – like the covered garbage pail where we toss the urine-soaked pads that our aging cat, Tako, uses these days instead of a litter box.  For Yong Ih, this garbage pail is the stinkiest thing we have in our home, but it made no impression on me.

This newly-regained power may be a result of the Deep Brain Stimulation I had a few weeks ago.  We’ll be sure to ask the doctors about it when we have our follow-up visit next week.

Meanwhile, my previous post (“Mortality and Parkinson’s“) has ratcheted up my anxiety levels.  I never realized that urinary tract infections were a leading cause of death for many Parkies.  I’m now researching the issue and expect to write a blog post soon.  I’m already doing kegel exercises every time I pee.