Today I stopped by a friends store to sit and chat a bit. She is the type of friend that I may not see everyday or even talk to daily, but the type of friend every girl needs. One person that you know will never pass judgement on you, or make you feel less then adequate when you fail miserably at something. She is in fact the friend that will be the first to laugh with you and even at you sometimes. I feel as though we both share our sense of humor with the average twelve year old, and this allows us to find the silliest things quite humorous. Anyway, as I was walked in I noticed a familiar face. She seen me right away and before I was able to say hello, she looked at me and said "are you sick?" At this point I wanted to dive behind the counter and be guarded by my trusty side kick. Did I look sick? I didn't feel sick. I know I may walk a bit slow, but I really do no picture myself as "sick". I simply replied "no, I'm alright". There was some small talk and she left. The sound of the door closing was my cue to ask my confidant, what kind of question was that? I could tell by the look on her face that it was uncomfortable for her as well. I asked her, Do I look sick? For the first time I really felt as though she wasn't being totally honest with me. She stumbled around and made some comment about, maybe this lady had heard something or thought my leg was hurt. I didn't push the question any further, maybe I was afraid of the answer, but it really has been stuck in my head all day. Do I look sick? Am I sick? How in the hell do you answer a question like that? I know the saying "there are no stupid questions."
what the fuck ever.
I have Parkinson's and so do the people you see here. We are not "sick". Parkinson's definition is this
Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the brain that leads to shaking (tremors) and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination. We have a disorder. I don't think any of the people including myself look sick. Hell, I have spoken with many PD patients who don't feel sick. I guess, I have figured out my answer to the question of the day. I have a disorder. A movement disorder to be exact. Yes it is called Parkinson's Disease, but I would prefer it to be called a disorder. It doesn't sound nearly as scary to me and the outcome of a disorder sounds better to me then a disease. I really shouldn't be so hard on
the skinny, little, no mannered, nice lady. She may have been sincere in her question. Maybe she just caught me off guard. I guess this a lesson learned for me as well. I will try to restrain from asking such a personal question of someone I rarely see and barely know. I will keep those for my fun loving, goofy acting, and amiable friend.
Oh Cock, I forgot to say who my friend was. hehe
Today has been a good day.
Keith gets this question a lot. He has less of the tremors and more of the muscle stiffness, so to many it appears as if he had a stroke. He gets asked often if he's been sick or if he's had a stroke. And thanks to facial masking, he gets asked my ME all the time if he's depressed, sad, mad, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to handle, we know. Just remember, you are not alone in this! Though we are few, we are still here! :)