We have been on this journey for over 10 years now and much has changed in our relationship. When it first began, my husband had a moderate tremor that was easily controlled by taking carbidopa-levodopa medication. He and I were both working, he was handling all of his self-care and driving without difficulties. There was still much he did around the house including yard work and preparing the occasional meals. Parkinson’s has slowly taken those activities away from him.

We knew that his symptoms would progress and decided to do whatever we could to slow that progression down. He did research on exercise programs and started participating in research studies to help him better understand what was happening in his body. His neurologist prescribed an experimental medication designed to slow progression but after a few months with no measurable success that was stopped. We continue to explore diet options and work to finetune what we eat and supplements that might be beneficial. Finally, we reached out to our community to find others with similar diagnoses and their partners to find out what they were doing.

What we have found is that all of these things are important but probably the most useful are the personal contacts we have made. We were introduced to wonderful exercise coaches and learned about nutrition and supplements that work, thanks to our Parkinson’s Support network. We hear what others are doing to fight this disease and it gives us different approaches to challenges we all face. We find solace in the fact that we are not alone in our journey and that there are resources available to help us slow this disease, we only need to ask.

We find that Rock Steady Boxing is the best exercise program for us and, thanks to virtual classes, we both are able to participate. The Parkinson’s Foundation website is a great place to start your search for advice on Diet and Nutrition.