Living Well with Parkinsons Disease
Dancing in the Rain: Lessons Learned on my Personal Journey with PD (more at www.PDPlan4Life.com) Copyright 2013-20 Sheryl Jedlinski
Getting Back to Normal
by Sheryl Jedlinski
It has been three months since my last chemo treatment and I am finally starting to feel somewhat normal again.
- My appetite has returned, meaning I must once again watch what I eat lest I gain back all the weight I lost and no longer fit in my new “skinny” clothes.
- The hair on my head is growing back, coming in thicker, softer, and darker. Family and friends can’t resist playing with it. My Dad, who lives in Florida, Skypes me so he can watch my hair grow in in real time.
- The “mystery” rash on my hands is gone, though I have yet to find someone I trust to manicure my discolored, brittle finger nails. My podiatrist tells me that by law, he can only work on toe, not finger, nails. How different can the two be? Perhaps it is a concession to the manicurist union. Thankfully, my return to the swimming pool has bleached my nails to the point that from a distance, people think I am sporting a French manicure.
Swimming laps three times a week is also helping me regain my strength and hold the line on my Parkinson’s symptoms. The one thing I cannot do much about is the neuropathy caused by the chemo drugs I was given. To be fair, my oncologist warned me before I started treatment that this was a likely outcome, but what choice did I have? Chemo offered my best, if not only, chance of sending my cancer into remission.
Meanwhile, neuropathy has left me with symptoms and sensations which are disabling, debilitating, and currently irreversible. They make it difficult for me to stand for long periods, walk without assistance, and maintain my balance, without which our risk of falling increases dramatically. Recently I fell twice in one day, injuring my pride and eroding my confidence, more than anything else. My greatest relief comes from weekly acupuncture, massage, and physical therapy sessions.
Welcome to my “new normal.”
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Read more of Sheryl’s humorous stories and helpful tips at PDPlan4Life.com
Living Well with Parkinsons Disease 
Sheryl, great blog….spells it all out, but still with that positive perspective….you are truly and amazing person……love, tem