April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, so I’ll tell you some things about my condition and how I’m doing.

I was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1995. l shouldn’t say diagnosed since there isn’t to this day a definitive diagnosis of the disease.

Parkinson’s disease occurs when the brain stops producing dopamine.

Doctors put a patient on the drug Sinemet and if the symptoms stop, then you are said to have Parkinson’s.

Dr. Bill O’Brien, who worked at the local health center facility at the time, suspected I had the disease. I remember laughing at him at the time. “Only old people get Parkinson’s,” I said.

I’ve learned that people as young as in their thirties are being treated for the disease. I went to see Dr. O’Brien on the recommendation of Joan Pittsenbarger, a part-time receptionist at the health center who overheard me talking at a Chamber party about a twitching in my arm and shoulder and I had some shaking in my left hand. Dr. O’Brien recommended Scottsdale neurologist Dr. Gary Reese.

Since Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic disease, it is important to develop and maintain a solid PD management plan.

Research has shown that those who take an active role in their care see an improvement in their Parkinson’s symptoms.

Managing your care means not only finding the right doctor, but ensuring you are prepared for your visit and talking to your doctors about the right issues. It means, not just taking your medications, but keeping track of when you need to take them.

People with Parkinson’s are best served by a multidisciplinary approach that provides not only the expertise of a PD specialist, but also the help of a physical therapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, nutritionist and social worker.

Some people also require medical consultants in areas such as psychiatry and neurosurgery.

It is important that these healthcare professionals are aware of each other and communicate regularly, and that they all know the full list of treatments and medications that each is prescribing.

I was taking 39 Sinemet pills a day plus a drug called Requip. I started developing a condition called dyskinesia. My head kept turning sideways and bobbing. One night, I was having dinner at the Men’s Club and literally slid out of my chair and onto the floor. I also had to use a cane to walk.

Dr. Reese told me of a procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation surgery.

I decided to have the surgery done and I have never regretted it. It restored a quality of life to me. That was in 2011. I had to replace the battery pack in 2014 and when I needed another new one in 2016 I elected to have a rechargeable one installed in its place.

The surgery was quite something. Two holes were cut into the top of my skull. Then wire leads were run through the holes which separated into smaller wires. The smaller lead wires were inserted into my brain in different locations that control different functions.

The DBS worked immediately. I was wheeled into the clinic and walked out without hesitation after having the device in my chest turned on. I did have some issues in the first six months about the settings. But when we found the right ones, I could walk, my dyskinesia was under control and my tremors had all stopped.

The last two years I have developed a habit of falling.

I started blacking out and I swear a little voice tells me, “I’m going down.”

I fell in my back yard while cleaning the pool and broke a rib and displaced three more. Then one morning I fell in my bedroom on the base of the fireplace. I shattered my L-1 vertebrae. I still have pain problems associated with that fall. It was determined I had low blood pressure, and that could be causing my falls.

I have been taking three Midodrine pills a day and I’ve only fallen once since. There are times when I feel I will need additional adjustment in my device settings since, at times, I can feel the Parkinson’s symptoms coming back

I also discovered that diet and exercise can have a positive effect on my Parkinson’s. I don’t eat any animal protein until an hour after taking my last medications in the evening. Exercise is very important. There is an old saying that you should use it or lose it. I have a stationary bike I ride for 10 minutes in the morning combined with stretching exercises and 20 minutes in the evening.

2016 wasn’t a good year for me. I spent way too many days in the hospital. I had pneumonia combined with the flu, a bout with dehydration and esophagitis.

The continuing health problems were the primary reason for my January announcement that I was going to semi-retire.