Amongst the empty last pages in Mom’s logbook was a page with a
single word written on it “Parkinson” in Dad’s handwriting.
Mom had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the same disease
that her mother, Grandma Junior, had died from. My sister told me
the story about her diagnoses.
"I usually went with Mom to the doctor and this time we went to see
Doctor Dell. Mom had been feeling bad for some time and had trouble
walking so I asked Dr. Dell if Mom might have Parkinson’s as her
mother had Parkinson’s. Dr. Dell at first said she didn’t think so
but then I said, watch Mom walk, and Dr. Dell had Mom walk
down the hall, turn around and walk back. After watching Mom walk,
turn around, and walk back, Dr. Dell said “You might be right.”
The doctor had some tests done and Mom was diagnosed with
Parkinson’s. I could only imagine how Mom felt when she got the
diagnosis after watching her mother suffer for many years and then
dying from the disease in 1999. When I look back at family photos, I
can see the progress of the illness in Mom’s smile which in later
years turned to more of a grimace. It also explained the difficulty
Mom had in swallowing for the past few years. I would imagine that
when Dr. Dell called and talked to Dad about the diagnosis, Dad
wrote the word in Mom’s travel logbook as it was on the counter near
the phone.
Parkinson's
Amongst the empty last pages in Mom’s logbook was a page with a single word written on it “Parkinson” in Dad’s handwriting. Mom had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the same disease that her mother, Grandma Junior, had died from. My sister told me the story about her diagnoses.
"I usually went with Mom to the doctor and this time we went to see Doctor Dell. Mom had been feeling bad for some time and had trouble walking so I asked Dr. Dell if Mom might have Parkinson’s as her mother had Parkinson’s. Dr. Dell at first said she didn’t think so but then I said, watch Mom walk, and Dr. Dell had Mom walk down the hall, turn around and walk back. After watching Mom walk, turn around, and walk back, Dr. Dell said “You might be right.”
The doctor had some tests done and Mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. I could only imagine how Mom felt when she got the diagnosis after watching her mother suffer for many years and then dying from the disease in 1999. When I look back at family photos, I can see the progress of the illness in Mom’s smile which in later years turned to more of a grimace. It also explained the difficulty Mom had in swallowing for the past few years. I would imagine that when Dr. Dell called and talked to Dad about the diagnosis, Dad wrote the word in Mom’s travel logbook as it was on the counter near the phone.