How Am I Doing? 5th Update

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That iPod-like thing you see in this picture is actually the gismo my husband uses to modify (usually that means “increase”) the electrical current that my Deep Brain Stimulator gets, which translates to an increased current that it sends out to my brain.  These days we are trying to up the current while I incrementally decrease the number of carbidopa-levodopa pills (the main anti-Parkinson’s drug) I take.  It’s truly a matter of trial and error.

For yesterday and today, the game plan was/is:  2 tabs in the morning before breakfast (7:15 a.m.), 1.5 tabs six hours later (1:15 p.m.), and 2 more tabs six hours after that (7:15 p.m).  Yesterday I had an “off” period starting at 6:00 p.m., which was aggravating.  We’re still doing the same schedule today to double-check that I shouldn’t wait until 7:15 for my final pills.  Hence I’ll probably have another “off” period later this afternoon.

What else is in the “offing” for me?  Quite a lot, actually:

• Next week I have my first online session with a speech therapist. We’ll work on fixing the way I talk, so my sentences don’t come out disjointed.  And we need to work on how I swallow, so I don’t inhale food or liquid into my lungs.
• Starting Jan. 30, I’m taking part in a dance class for people with Parkinson’s, using techniques originally developed by Mark Morris. The course runs all the way through June.
• On Feb. 12, I begin an online course at Cornell University that mixes meditation with research on Parkinson’s disease.
• Also on Feb.12, I resume my physical therapy sessions at a clinic nearby.

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And speaking of “offing,” here’s a clip of the female actors in Broadway’s “Ain’t Misbehaving” singing “Off Time.”   (The clip begins with the two male actors, André DeShields and Ken Page, singing an introduction to the main event.  Go Nell Carter, Armelia McQueen, and Charlayne Woodard!)

To see the entire show, click here!