I am doing so well that I forgot to mention that my right side has been affected by PD. I am not a Dr., but I can do my best to try and explain what I understand has occurred in my body to cause my right side weakness. In a word..... Drumroll please!! Dopamine! I had never even heard of it until my neurologist suspected that I might have PD. Dopamine is a chemical that lives within the human body. It is a neurotransmitter, so its job is to send signals from the body to the brain. Dopamine plays a huge roll in controlling one's movements, as well as emotional responses. The right balance of dopamine in the brain is vital for both physical and emotional wellbeing. If there is a dopamine deficiency within the brain, then PD can develop.. From what I understand, I have 100% dopamine on the right side of my brain, so my body's left side is strong! However, the left side of my brain is extremely depleted of dopamine, as I only have 20% left. Hence, right side weakness. Our brains are wired from birth to continuously make new dopamine. When you have PD, there is a serious problem with dopamine production. The brain is no longer able to generate dopamine efficiently on its own. By the time you start noticing symptoms, dopamine depletion has already occurred (on one side of your brain). This is why I have to take very specialized medication. Rytary (one of my two miracle meds) has a very serious job to do (it helps stimulate Dopamine production). I am very lucky that I am able to tolerate it, because from what I hear, many people are unable to take it because of severe side effects. So either they take extra meds to help stave off Rytary's side effects, or they take a different medicine altogether. The original "Rytary" is called Carbidopa/Levodopa. I tried that one twice, and both times I got extremely sick. From what I've learned, Rytary and Carbidopa contain the same ingredients. The only differences are that Rytary works quicker and is time released. Rytary has made such an amazing difference in my recovery back to life! Look for more in-depth writing coming soon (re Rytary and other medicines I have tried).
This picture represents how unbelievably scattered my brain was before I found a brilliant Dr. and fabulous medicines. Besides those things, I have found the most amazing trainer/cheerleader in Cecilia! Knowledge is power. Movement is power. Life is beautiful.
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