Mr. Parkinson Goes to Clinical Trials, Part 2

You have to cry with your own good tears, you have to laugh with your own good cheer.   -Toad The Wet Sprocket

Upon my acceptance into the program, I made arrangements and decided on the week I would check in. I am self-employed so it was not hard to schedule the time. They required me there for 7 days, checking in on Sunday and checking out on the following Saturday and told me to fast the night before and not to take my medication as they had to draw blood upon my arrival.

Levodopa is the type of drug that if you don’t take it at scheduled intervals then you feel the lack of it immediately. The term for this medication as to its’ losing its effectiveness is ‘off ‘ as compared to ‘on’ when it is effective. So I was definitely ‘off’ after fasting without coffee or meds. Upon arrival, I was instantly rushed to a chair to sit down. But even in my lethargic state I could tell something was wrong.

Parkinson’s and the Mindfulness of Stress

“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty,” -Albert Einstein

I keep a card in my wallet from the National Parkinson’s Foundation that list my name and address, family members to call in case of an emergency, medications I take, drugs I should not take and so on… On the back, it states that I have Parkinson’s disease which could cause me to move slowly and have difficulty standing or speaking. Now here’s the clincher and most of you will think I’m making a joke. Underneath the above statement, printed in capital letter it states I AM NOT INTOXICATED. Now why would it say this?