Friday, October 14, 2011

In support of support groups



Went to my support group meeting last weekend, and I felt again like a swimmer in trouble finally getting her head above water to catch a gasp of air.  Now I can keep swimming for a while.

I know that a lot of patients are nervous about support groups; the idea of seeing people in later stages of the disease is scary.  I had misgivings too, but from the first moment we walked into the room, I was relieved to discover that meeting and talking with other patients is inspirational, not frightening or depressing.  I was a bit taken aback by the average age of the group, which was listed as a "Young Parkinson's" group; a lot of these folks were over 80, most were over 60, and I think that at 47, I was the youngest in the room.  One lady laughed seeing my expression and explained, with a twinkle in her eye, that they were all young when the group was formed!  The leader of the group is younger, and since then, more younger people have joined, but I have found that age doesn't really matter.  We're all in the same boat.

My husband and I both look forward to the meetings.  Not only are we very fond of all the people there, but it's also the only time we can share our experiences and feelings with people who know exactly what we're talking about.  I work very hard to not burden others with my fears, tears anger and frustration.  It's such a relief to be with people who understand these things and are not distressed by them and don't judge me by them.  It's also very therapeutic to provide some help and hopefully inspiration to others.

I find the people in my group so inspirational.  I can't name names, but they know who they are.  They (patients and care givers alike) are all struggling with this disease, and they all show incredible resilience and grace under fire.  Some of them have trouble walking, talking, or doing everyday activities, but they still laugh and tell stories and sing, travel and even dance in some cases.  They listen, they share, they help and most of all, they care.

I know support groups are not for everyone, but I would certainly advise every patient to try it, and their care givers as well.  It might surprise you, as it did me.

3 comments:

Gina said...

Hi Marian!
This is Gina again (the girl doing the presentation on Parkinson's)... I did my project and had a classmate tape it so I could send it to my dad and sisters. I just wanted to thank you for letting me use some of the information in your blog and I also wanted to see if you would like me to email it to you? Just let me know and leave me your email address and I will send it on over!
Thanks again Marian,
Gina

Marian said...

Gina, I'm so glad to hear about your project, and I would absolutely love to see it. My email address is:
marian@bumala.com

Thanks so much!
Marian

matina said...

i was diagnosed of parkinson disease 5 years ago,i started azilect,then mirapex as the disease progressed in february last year,and i started on parkinson disease herbal medicine from ultimate life clinic,few months into the treatment  i made a significant recovery,almost all my symptoms are gone,great improvement with my movement and balance,it been a year and life has been so good for me,reach them through there website at www.ultimatelifeclinic.com

About Me

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I'm a lucky lady. I have a wonderful husband of 27 years, a fantastic 25 year old son (I'm so proud of him!) a loving and supportive family, the best friends in the world, a job that I love, and... Parkinson's Disease. I was diagnosed in September 2006. That was a jolt, but I'm learning to deal with it.