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| Foreword | |
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| Introduction | |
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| About This Book | |
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| Conventions Used in This Book | |
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| Foolish Assumptions | |
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| How This Book Is Organized | |
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| Understanding PD | |
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| Making PD Part - But Not All - of Your Life | |
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| Crafting a Treatment Plan Just for You | |
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| Living Well with PD | |
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| Coping with Advanced PD | |
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| The Part of Tens | |
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| Appendixes | |
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| Icons Used in This Book | |
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| Where to Go from Here | |
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| Understanding PO | |
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| Parkinson's Disease: The Big Picture | |
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| Defining Parkinson's - A Movement Disorder | |
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| Accepting the chronic progressive factors | |
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| Distinguishing between Parkinson's disease and related conditions | |
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| Debunking some commonly held myths about PD | |
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| Recognizing symptoms that raise questions | |
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| Seeking the Care You Need | |
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| From medical professionals | |
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| From loved ones | |
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| As your PD progresses | |
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| Treating Parkinson's - Previewing Your Options | |
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| Starting the Course, Staying the Course | |
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| Dealing with the here and now | |
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| Working, playing, and having a life | |
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| Making plans for your future | |
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| Considering Possible Causes and Risk Factors | |
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| Considering Theories on Causes | |
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| Taking a close look at environmental factors | |
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| Looking at possible genetic factors | |
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| Checking out other possible causes | |
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| Weighing Your Risk Factors | |
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| Considering your age and gender | |
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| Taking a look at ethnicity | |
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| Regarding other risk possibilities | |
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| Changing Don't Know to Know | |
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| The need-to-know info | |
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| The attitude that busts research barriers | |
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| Sizing Up Symptoms, Signs, and Stages | |
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| Familiarizing Yourself with the Lingo | |
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| Symptoms - What You Look for | |
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| Signs - What Your Doctor Looks for | |
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| Four primary signs | |
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| Secondary signs and symptoms | |
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| Non-motor signs and symptoms | |
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| Stages - Understanding the Unique Path FD Can Take | |
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| Early stage FD: When life can be fairly normal | |
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| Moderate stage FD: When you need to accept help | |
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| Late stage FD: When planning keeps you in control | |
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| A Few Words for You and Your Care Partner | |
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| Making PD Part - But Not All - of your Life | |
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| Getting an Accurate Diagnosis | |
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| Bringing Up the Subject with Your Doctor | |
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| Scheduling an appointment | |
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| Preparing for your initial exam | |
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| Stepping through your initial exam | |
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| Leaving with the answers you need | |
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| If It Looks Like PD...Connecting with a Neurologist | |
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| Locating an experienced and qualified neurologist | |
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| Evaluating your neurologist | |
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| Preparing for that first visit | |
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| Interviewing the good doctor | |
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| Reviewing your first impressions | |
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| Moving forward if it's a good fit | |
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| Working with Your Neurologist to Determine Whether This Is PD | |
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| Navigating the clinical exam | |
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| Establishing the severity and staging the progression of your PD | |
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| Ruling out the red herrings: What else can it be? | |
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| Parkinsonism, But Not PD | |
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| This Is Your Life - Getting a Second (or Even Third) Opinion | |
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| You've Been Diagnosed - Now What? | |
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| Sorting Out Your Emotions | |
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| Dodging denial and meeting your diagnosis head on | |
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| Allowing yourself to get angry | |
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| Admitting you're scared | |
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| Getting to acceptance | |
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| Taking charge and moving forward | |
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| Taking Action | |
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| Arming yourself with good information | |
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| Jotting down the questions you have | |
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| Establishing realistic and attainable goals | |
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| Living your life to the fullest | |
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| Next steps | |
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| A Word for the PD Care Partner | |
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| Drafting Your Healthcare Team and a Game Plan | |
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| Introducing Your Teammates | |
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| Lining up the doctors | |
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| Calling up the therapists | |
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| Drafting other team players | |
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| Making the cut | |
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| Working with Your Team to Manage the Unexpected | |
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| Establishing an emergency plan | |
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| The hospital stay and its aftermath | |
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| More tips for managing the unexpected | |
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| A Word for the PD Care Partner | |
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| Choosing How and When to Share Your News | |
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| Before You Start Spreading the News | |
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| Establishing your ground rules | |
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| Preparing to state your needs | |
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| Meeting the challenge with good humor | |
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| Breaking the News to Your Care Partner | |
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| Telling Your Family | |
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| Give adults the facts | |
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| Set a positive tone | |
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| Don't sugarcoat the situation for kids | |
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| Giving Close Friends the News | |
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| Widening the Circle: Informing Others | |
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| Handling Sticky Conversations | |
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| Special Advice for Those with Young Onset Parkinson's Disease | |
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| Comparing YOPD to Traditional Onset PD | |
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| How they're the same | |
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| How they differ | |
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| Faster or slower? What's the prognosis? | |
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| Facing the Special Challenges of YOPD | |
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| Getting an accurate diagnosis | |
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| Handling the diagnosis: A positive attitude is the best offense | |
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| And the best defense is a good offense | |
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| Staying on track in your career | |
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| Dealing with PD's impact on relationships | |
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| The Dollars and Cents of YOPD Financial Planning | |
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| A Word for the PD Care Partner | |
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| Crafting a Treatment Plan Just for You | |
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| Managing PD Symptoms with Prescription Medicines | |
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| Managing Motor Symptoms with Proven Prescription Medication | |
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| L-dopa - The gold standard | |
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| Carbidopa - L-dopa's companion | |
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| Entacapone - Another bodyguard for L-dopa | |
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| Other effective prescription medicines | |
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| Keeping the names straight | |
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| Treating Non-Motor PD Symptoms | |
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| Using Your Medication Safely and Effectively | |
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| Partnering with your doctor and pharmacist | |
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| Mixing prescription and OTC medications | |
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| Setting up a routine for managing your meds | |
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| Tracking the on-off fluctuations of your meds | |
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| When Surgery Is an Option | |
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| Deciding Whether You're a Candidate for Surgery | |
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| Weighing Your Surgical Options | |
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| Deep brain stimulation (DBS) | |
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| Lesion procedures | |
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| Gamma knife surgery | |
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| Looking to the future: Surgical possibilities | |
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| Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation | |
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| Asking the right questions before DBS | |
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| Passing the presurgical tests | |
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| Ironing out the details | |
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| Knowing what to expect during and after surgery | |
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| Programming DBS into Your Life | |
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| Changes you can expect | |
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| Warning signs you need to heed | |
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| Considering Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies | |
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| What's in a Name? CAM Therapies Defined | |
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| Introducing Your Options | |
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| East treats West: Acupuncture and other traditional Chinese medicine | |
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| Ohhh! Ahhh! Experiencing body-based CAM therapies | |
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| Exploring mind and body options to relieve tension, stress, and anxiety | |
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| Staying active via alternative exercise | |
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| Delving into dietary, protein, enzyme, and vitamin options | |
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| Finding the Best Practitioner | |
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| Considering Your Approach to Life: It Too Can Help...or Hinder | |
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| The therapeutic power of positive thinking | |
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| Laughter - Still the best medicine | |
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| Open up to life - Physically, mentally, and spiritually | |
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| The Key Roles of Diet and Exercise | |
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| The Joy of Good Food - Diet and Nutrition | |
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| Balance is the Key | |
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| Banishing the bad and embracing the good-for-you foods | |
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| Food as celebration | |
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| Use It or Lose It - The Healing Power of Exercise and Activity | |
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| A stretching program to enhance flexibility | |
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| A strengthening program to build muscle and stabilize joints | |
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| Other exercise programs that can help | |
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| Beyond a Structured Exercise Program - PD and Physical Activity | |
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| Enjoying recreation | |
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| Keeping up with routine roles and activities | |
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| Exercises for the Mind and Spirit | |
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| Choices for the person with PD | |
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| Choices for the PD care partner | |
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| Combating Anxiety and Depression | |
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| Recognizing the Mental Downside to PD | |
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| Anxiety is normal - to a point | |
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| Depression - More than just sad and blue | |
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| Dealing with apathy and lack of motivation | |
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| Finding and Accepting Help | |
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| Taking medication may help | |
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| Seeking a professional counselor | |
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| Sharing the emotional journey with a support group | |
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| Making lifestyle changes to improve your point of view | |
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| Don't worry - Be happy | |
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| Tapping into the power of positive thinking | |
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| A Word for the PD Care Partner | |
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| Don't forget to take care of you | |
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| Positive steps you can take | |
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| Clinical Trials and Your Role in the Search for a Cure | |
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| What Is a Clinical Trial and Why Should You Care? | |
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| Taking a Close Look at the Process | |
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| Considering the Benefits and Risks Before Signing on | |
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| Taking the First Steps into Volunteering | |
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| Finding clinical trials for PD | |
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| Volunteering to participate | |
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| Asking Important Questions Before Committing | |
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| Living Well with PD | |
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| Maintaining Healthy Relationships | |
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| Life, PD, and Your Significant Other | |
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| Sharing the journey | |
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| Warning! Trouble ahead! | |
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| Avoiding the pitfalls | |
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| Keeping the magic alive - Sex and intimacy in spite of PD | |
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| Retaining personal space for each of you | |
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| PD and Kids - Adult or Younger | |
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| Addressing their fears about the future | |
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| If you don't ask, they won't help | |
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| PD and Grandchildre | |
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| PD and Parents and Siblings | |
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| PD and Close Friends | |
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| And Then There's You | |
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| PD in the Workplace | |
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| Doing Your Homework | |
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| Honestly assess your ability to continue in the job | |
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| Consider options that may be available | |
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| Deciding When to Disclose Your Diagnosis | |
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| From your perspective | |
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| From your employer's perspective | |
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| Telling Your Boss | |
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| Getting the Facts from HR | |
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| Positioning the News for Co-Workers | |
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| Taking Steps to Protect Your Income | |
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| Adjusting Your Routine as Your PD Progresses | |
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| Exploring Ways to Make Daily Activities Easier | |
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| Timing your activities | |
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| Reserving your energy | |
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| Taking tips from other PWP | |
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| Maintaining the Family Dynamic | |
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| Socializing with Friends | |
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| Going Out and About in the Community | |
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| Attending public events | |
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| Traveling | |
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| Volunteering - The double blessing | |
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| Taking a Breather - Respite for the Weary | |
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| A Word for the PD Care Partner | |
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| Coping with Advanced PD | |
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| Facing the Progression of PD Symptoms | |
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| Noticing Changes Caused by Your Meds | |
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| When Communication Becomes Difficult | |
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| The challenge to vocal expression | |
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| Handwriting - Telling the story of your on-off cycles | |
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| Swallowing: You Can't Take It for Granted | |
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| Your Vision: A Bump in the Road | |
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| To Drive or Not to Drive | |
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| Freezing and Rigidity: When Your Head Says "Go," but Your Body Says "No" | |
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| Freezing and festination: It's all in the legs | |
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| Rigidity: When your whole body locks up | |
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| PD and Falling - A Tricky Balancing Act | |
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| Mind those meds | |
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| Steady as she goes | |
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| Make adjustments along the way | |
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| Overcoming Sleep Disturbances | |
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| Those Embarrassing Constipation and Urinary Issues | |
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| Dealing with the Big "D" - Dementia | |
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| PD is not Alzheimer's disease | |
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| Reviewing those cognitive symptoms | |
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| When Medical Treatments Are Limited | |
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| A Word for the PD Care Partner | |
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| When Care Partners Become Caregivers | |
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| Understanding Your Primary Caregiver's Role | |
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| Giving care versus partnering in care | |
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| Is your care partner a novice or a natural caregiver? | |
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| It's called the 36-hour day for a reason | |
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| Considering How Your Relationships May Change | |
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| When you rely on your spouse or significant other: A balancing act | |
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| When your adult child steps up: You're still the parent | |
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| When your sibling comes to your aid: Rivalries remain | |
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| When your friends offer to help: Are they in it for the long haul? | |
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| Exploring Alternative Arrangements | |
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| When the most obvious caregiver lives far away | |
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| When no one applies | |
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| Making the Transition | |
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| Learning to accept help | |
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| Remembering that your PD isn't your caregiver's fault | |
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| Dealing with burnout | |
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| Recruiting Secondary Caregivers | |
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| Calling another meeting | |
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| Extending the invitation | |
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| Preparing the agenda | |
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| Turning over the meeting | |
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| Getting everyone talking and committing | |
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| Accepting aid with appreciation and gratitude | |
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| A Word for the PD Care Partner | |
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| Get real about the time this is going to take | |
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| Get creative about finding the time | |
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| Be prepared to delegate | |
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| Putting Your Financial and Legal House in Order | |
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| Gathering Important Information | |
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| Inventorying legal and financial documents | |
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| Getting the info into the right hands | |
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| Assessing Your Financial Health | |
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| Tracking income and out-go | |
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| Projecting costs over the long term | |
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| Using your assets to cover medical expenses | |
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| Understanding the Intricacies of Insurance | |
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| Qualifying for federally funded programs | |
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| Looking into long-term care insurance - Not just for old folks | |
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| Using private health insurance, disability benefits, HIPAA, and COBRA | |
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| Relying on other resources to pay for care | |
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| Making Sure Your Wishes Are Sacrosanct | |
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| Durable power of attorney | |
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| Advance directives and living wills | |
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| Last will and testament | |
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| It's Just Bricks and Mortar: Housing Options You Can Live With | |
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| Making Your Home PD User-Friendly | |
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| Safety first: Assessing your home | |
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| De-cluttering and hazard-proofing | |
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| Rearranging to go with the (traffic) flow | |
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| Taking Advantage of Community Care Programs | |
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| In-home services | |
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| Home healthcare services | |
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| Adult day care | |
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| Respite care | |
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| Deciding When It's Time to Move | |
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| Bidding your abode adieu | |
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| Weighing the pros and cons of moving | |
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| Moving is 90 percent attitude | |
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| Redefining Your Castle | |
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| Weighing your options | |
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| Assessing for a perfect fit | |
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| Making a list, checking it twice: Evaluating the facilities | |
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| A Few Words for You and Your Care Partner | |
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| The Part of Tens | |
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| Ten Ways to Deal with Difficult Feelings | |
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| Ten Ways to Care for Your Care Partner | |
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| Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali, and You: Ten Ways to Make a Real Difference | |
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| Appendixes | |
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| Glossary | |
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| Additional Resources | |
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| Index | |