Wow. Did not know that. That's terribly sad. It sounds like he is making the best of it and trying to help others in a similar situation.
My father has a very similar illness, there is not much support out there for it, so it is good to see that Grant is trying to help.
My dad died from Parkinson's. Meds help in the early stages. Late stages are "get me a shotgun, please" level hell. Sad news. That said, there are substantial treatment advances coming in the next decade in neurological diseases like Parkinson's, so he may have some hope.
my grandfather has it... has had it for a couple of decades... he's a fighter... but fighting this disease is exhausting. He has aged so much in a short period of time. Last year he saw a video of himself for the first time in a while and battled depression as a result because he said something like "I look like THAT?" He was strong and independent so to have that taken from oneself is indeed a shotgun level hell Moonangie
That was a really read and something I should really be more aware of since my dad's side of the family has a history of it.
SupremeCommander wrote:my grandfather has it... has had it for a couple of decades... he's a fighter... but fighting this disease is exhausting. He has aged so much in a short period of time. Last year he saw a video of himself for the first time in a while and battled depression as a result because he said something like "I look like THAT?" He was strong and independent so to have that taken from oneself is indeed a shotgun level hell Moonangie
Yes, the complete loss of self-reliance (and resulting dependency on caregivers) is one of the hardest, ego-destroying aspects of the disease. While there isn't an onset of dementia until the late stages of Parkinson's, the emotional toll that the neuromuscular aspects take on the patient and caregivers is immense. I wouldn't wish this condition on anyone. It's a living hell that culminates in a rapid decent through misery unto death by (essentially) starvation, if some other condition doesn't kill the patient first. It's bleak as it gets. That's the cold, hard truth...for now. But there's hope for new treatments just a decade or so out.
Moonangie wrote:My dad died from Parkinson's. Meds help in the early stages. Late stages are "get me a shotgun, please" level hell. Sad news. That said, there are substantial treatment advances coming in the next decade in neurological diseases like Parkinson's, so he may have some hope.
Yup and I am pretty sure that they are also making A LOT of progress with MS. I could be misinformed about that but I have read about that. Hopefully the same will soon be said about Parkinsons.
This was a really interesting read though. I knew exercise was always supremely beneficial but I did not know how it helped in the fight against Parkinsons. Hopefully Grant finds the most comfort he possibly can, while also conquering his depression, while also helping others finding similar comfort.
