A Quick Change

For those of us dealing with a chronic condition, at some point, certain words start to disappear from our vocabulary. For the 10 million+ people like me living with Parkinson’s disease, “quick” is probably the first to go. A quick change, a quick shower, quickly jotting something down, going to “grab something real quick” all become increasingly improbable. 

My morning routine that used to take 10 minutes now takes 30 and I usually end up looking like I’ve done nothing at all. Things that were once automatic, like getting dressed and undressed, now require some amount of forethought and planning. Just looking at some of my favorite clothes with their rows of buttons and tiny eye-hooks is enough to make me feel exhausted. It’s easy to see why fatigue is such a persistent problem with Parkinson’s patients when mundane tasks are so frustrating and. draining. 

It’s hard to be excited about going out when the process of getting ready for an outing seems to take all of your energy. Maybe that’s one reason so many of us start to retreat from our social circles. 

However, if Parkinson’s has proved one thing to me, it is that human beings are extremely adaptable. You find workarounds, you invent new ways of doing things, you learn how to ask for help and, you adjust and change. I surround myself with people who I’m still excited to go meet up with and who also understand when I’m just not up for it. 

So if I don’t respond to your text, it’s not personal, I’m just tired…or I’m on the floor of the closet stuck that new dress I just bought.

.