Taking steps to "defeat" PD |
After I've been at a plateau in Parkinson's for a while, I think, gee, this isn't so bad, I can deal with this. Then inevitably, I get some new symptoms. In my case, I am now taking short "stutter steps and freezing." Over the past week in the mornings I have difficulty initiating movement. When I try to move, I start flailing my arms, and then I take some small stutter steps in an effort to walk. It is disconcerting and annoying. I'm not sure why, but at one point, instead of taking a regular step, I tried taking a "two-step-skip." VOILA!! I was able to break the stutter step/freezing action. I was able to move! I tested it during a few freezing episodes, and each time I was able to move. When I was a software trainer, after I solved a difficult problem, I would announce proudly that I had defeated the computer. In my own small way, I feel like I have defeated Parkinson's!
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In order to make my "two-step-skip" movement an ingrained habit, I'm doing my best to practice doing it every time I need to move. I hope the result will be that as soon I start to stutter/freeze, I'll automatically take action with my "two-step-skip." It's working so far. I know that Parkinson's affects each of us differently. My work-around for my stutter step/freezing problem is an example of how we can often figure out a way to manage whatever the latest symptom that Parkinson's throws at us.
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