Copper

a.k.a. Mark

From Canada

Diagnosed with Parkinsons in 1998


Watercolors

Kitchen Renovation Project

My Story

Hi, my name is Mark. I'm a 42-year-old married police officer with two adolescent daughters. I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when I was 36.

In the late part of 1997, I noticed my left hand was not functioning like my brain wanted it to. My doctor wrote it off as being a weakness due to being right-handed. As it was not much of a hindrance, I left it at that. In the early part of 1998, I began training again. While I was on the treadmill, my left leg started to drag after about one half a mile. It felt like I had a swim fin on my left foot. I literally had to pull my leg forward with my arm.

 

My doctor got me in to see a neurologist right away.

After some very preliminary tests in the office, he told me he was convinced it was Parkinson's disease but would run some more specific tests anyway. As anyone with Parkinson's knows, there is no definitive test for the disease, so it came down to ruling out such things as multiple sclerosis (my mother died from it), neck injuries, brain tumors, and a rare blood disorder. My MRI and blood work came back negative for these other diseases, so I was diagnosed with Parkinson's by default.

It has been 6 years now since I received my diagnosis. (I was given the diagnosis the day before my 36th birthday). Unlike some people, I am not real accepting of the disease. I feel cheated. Although I can control my depression most of the time, I am not without my moments.

 

The upside of my story is that I am still able to work as a patrol officer.

My medications -- a combination of carbidopa/levodopa (Sinemet) Comptan and pramipexole (Mirapex) -- keep my symptoms under control for the most part.

I don't have tremors like many people with Parkinson's Disease do. I have what is considered left-sided Parkinson's, which affects my fine motor skills only on my left side so far. My right side acts as my medication barometer. When my handwriting starts to go south, I know I need to take my meds.

 

I am active in almost every respect.

I can downhill and water ski. I take my dog for walks daily and encourage anyone with the disease to get a dog. Having a dog forces you to go for walks, even when you don't want to! I play squash, hike, camp, and work as a cop without much fuss.

Recently, though, I began to experience a new symptom that, up until reading about it on this web site, I had not attributed to Parkinson's. The symptom is this: I am (quite often) unable to have sex without the assistance of medication. At 42 years of age, I can tell you I had not anticipated this happening. My problem has put a strain on my marriage. However, my wife, ever understanding of me, has accepted it so far and works with me to find other things to do.

I tend to stay away from learning more about the disease, as it scares the daylights out of me. I know there are medical advances occurring almost daily, and yes, I will be a candidate for surgery when I feel it is necessary. However, I don't like knowing what my future holds for me should conventional treatment fail. So at this stage, I wait for the symptoms to happen to me, and then I look them up to see if they are related to Parkinson's.

 

I have made some lifelong friends through this web site and others like it.

Skylar and I have known each other since the very earliest days of this diagnosis. She Is my Inspiration and my window Into the future.

We have been together through some serious personal Issues and I have seen her crawl from the ashes as she continues to fight this disabling disease. I have since met and become friends with fellow PDers from around the world. And now I am privileged to be allowed to participate In Judith's website born from the 'groups' refusal to give up on our long distance virtual relationships when the website that brought most of us together threatened to shut down and leave us stranded.

These sites do not survive without active Involvement from the surfers who take advantage of them. I encourage anyone out there who doesn't see the benefits in speaking with people in the same situation to give it a try. It's no fun having Parkinson's disease, but it's comforting to know that you aren't alone out there.

It's been over five years since I was diagnosed and over 8 since I can pinpoint my first symptoms. I am known as the cheerleader of the bunch and I'm here to tell you that there Is life after diagnosis and I'm living proof of that.

I just recently came back from a holiday where I water-skied the best run of my life…at 42! I also just completed a renovation on my kitchen that saw me do everything from building the cabinets from scratch to placing the final coat of paint on the completed renovation. Those that are closest to me were quick to ask what's next for me. The truth Is, I have so many things I Still want to do that I am having trouble picking the next one. I do know one thing though, my decision will NEVER be based on limitation I am expected to put on myself because of this disease!

 

 Watercolors


Kitchen Renovation: An Example of Life After Diagnosis

Before

After: Dining Room

Before

After: New Floor and Cabinets

From This . . .

To This: . . .New Pantry with Built-in Microwave

Built-in Storage

The finished product...beautiful!!!