36 Months later! A general update.

Another years update. My PD symptoms started early January 2018 and now thirty six months later in January 2021, this is where I’m at….

From the slight foot bounce, it’s now a leg, arm and general left side tremor, which is constant, persistent and always pronounced. Ignoring the intermittent pins and needles in my hand and fingers, it’s the stiffness in the forearm that’s the most regular though.

There’s the slowness of movement and reaction, within my shoulder, arm and hand, but in general, my motor skills on the left side are generally very poor now and that’s all progressed slowly, but surely over the last three years.

One of the most annoying features that’s come out of of these symptoms, is typing skill. It’s quite important when I’m working too. It’s almost impossible to write/type without making errors now and I was never the quickest, but the use of left hand keyboard shortcuts, has frustratingly been replaced with mouse work.

New stuff!

Some symptoms that have become noticeable in the last few months and some of these personal revelations could be embarrassing in public should they persist!

I have problems regulating my temperature at times, and this happens at irregular and sporadic moments. It doesn’t matter if I’m hot, or cold, it just means I’ll either become overly hot (very hot to perspiring), or cold and clammy. The cold can be easily fixed, but the hot isn’t unless I’m at home. So, a clean towel and a can of deodorant could be a fixture on trips, as no-one wants to be that person that smells do they!?

Whilst exercising, I noticed that the left side of my month would collect most of the saliva, but I do think this is strange, considering I’m normally gasping and dry most of time! It also has happened when I’ve just woken up and I realise I need to clear my mouth. So will it be dribbling next?

The drugs!

It will be twelve months in February, since I started taking my one and only PD medication, which is Rasagiline. It’s said to slow the breakdown of dopamine and other brain chemicals, but they also think it may actually slow the relentless progression of Parkinson’s too, but I’ve not seen anything published on that claim?

Some science. “Rasagiline is an irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase-B used as a monotherapy to treat symptoms in early Parkinson’s disease, or as an adjunct therapy in more advanced cases. The racemic form of the drug was invented by Aspro Nicholas in the early 1970s.”

No other drug’s for me yet, but what I take from the above, is that it’s another 50 year old drug and why isn’t there something newer? However, if it’s been slowing my PD down, so be it and the longer I can hold on without any others, the better. However, the inevitable will happen and I’ll need something else.