One common symptom of PD is apathy. It
is now understood to be a symptom of PD rather than a psychological consequence
of the disease. And more common with left side onset of PD motor dysfunction.
It is different from depression, another common symptom.
"Apathy
refers to a constellation of behavioural, emotional, and motivational features
including a reduced interest and participation in normal purposeful behaviour,
lack of initiative with problems in initiation or sustaining an activity to completion,
lack of concern or indifference, and a flattening of affect." - Apathy
in Parkinson’s Disease Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/73/6/636.long
”Apathy
is a neurologically based decrease in motivated behavior. It is organic rather
than situational in nature. The causes are complex and not well understood but
suffice to say it appears to be part of the same change in dopamine activity
that brings on PD.” - http://theparkinsonscoach.com/2012/01/24/parkinsons-apathy-dont-care-or-cant-care/
For me, one highly effective anti-dote
to apathy is our semi-annual migration: Vancouver - Saint Louis, Senegal. The
disruption of routine, the planning, the organizing, and the necessity of
constant decision making preclude apathy.
True I could just give up and not do
it. However, by nature I am more compulsive/determined than apathetic. And
besides, having set things up this way financially, I don't really have a
choice!
So off we go.
After the usual struggles;
- Abdoukhadre wrangling our excessive
carry-on baggage through security while wearing a belt and shoes he has to remove,
-
me wrenching Taxi out of her cat cage at security (the security agent
kindly offering me a seat while waiting for her cage to go through the x-ray. I
told him Taxi is afraid of the security process. He said: "are you nervous?" I was in full body
tremor. "No, she is. I have Parkinson’s."),
- surrendering control and responsibility
for getting to the plane on time to the Air France agent pushing the wheel
chair (his fat belly flapping between my shoulder blades),
- once in the plane, finding somewhere
to do yoga stretches. (Inexplicably our regular fare tickets put us in Premium
Voyageur Class where the scaled down Business Class bucket seats could not save
my toes from cramping into the prawn pose),
and after recovering from the 24 hour
marathon of symptom-inducing conditions, we arrived, in Saint Louis, safe and
sound.
 |
| to Saint Louis du Sénégal |
