January 27, 2010

This is the story of how I learned I had Parkinson’s disease, the treatment I received in the early days, my decision to take part in a clinical trial for Deep Brain Stimulation in Early PD, and what my life has been like since then.

This is not a story that will have a happy ending.  That’s just not possible until the day comes when a cure is finally found for Parkinson’s disease.  This is a diary in the strictest sense of the word… a day by day, month by month reporting of the details of my life as a guy with Parkinson’s – a guy who took part in a clinical trial to test the safety and tolerability of Deep Brain Stimulation in early stage PD – a guy who volunteered for brain surgery – a guy who experienced mixed results.

I try to keep it light and humorous.  There are days when that’s just not possible.  As I write this, I am experiencing increasing difficulty with my walking and balance.  And I’ve just been notified, after the fact, that having this procedure may have sped up the process of the disease.

Hopefully, this will be an entertaining read — much of it actually written the day you see at the top of the page or above each entry.  Not maudlin or smarmy.  Just a guy writing about his day to day life as a guy with Parkinson’s disease.

NEXT: Hubris?  Karma?  Or “Stuff Happens?”