Tuesday 14 June 2022
I'm surprised I didn't buy one sooner. For the last year or so I've been struggling to brush my teeth. Like most people I brush my teeth at the start of the day and the end of the day, precisely the times when my dopamine levels are at their lowest and my hands barely function. Stoically I continued to struggle twice a day until I finally I had an epiphany: there's a gadget that will do this for me. Now, not only are my frustration levels lower; my teeth are much cleaner too, so the bonus is that the electric toothbrush will probably pay for itself many times over in terms of fewer trips to my dentist.
I am increasingly reliant on a spoon for eating and always now ask for a steak knife in a restaurant as I lack the strength and control in my hands to cut food with a normal knife. Opening a packet of crisps starts to drive me to madness, until I reach for the kitchen scissors. Life is all about these little workarounds: jar openers, zips rather than buttons, slip-on shoes rather than lace-ups, electric razor as opposed to wet shave.
This is now exacerbated by a recent diagnosis of osteoarthritis - my little fingers are crooked and painful as the cartilage in the joints has all but disappeared and the bones begin to grate then fuse together. Like Parkinson's, the exact causes of osteoarthritis are unknown and there is no cure. Unlike Parkinson's, the condition may stabilise of its own accord, as opposed to relentless progression. But then again, it may not. The stiffness in my hips in the mornings might be the Parkinson's or might be the next stage of the arthritis, difficult to tell. Either way, I'll figure out ways to work around whatever happens. And yes, the two things are related. Again for unknown reasons osteoarthritis is more likely if you have Parkinson's.
The good news is that, whilst my body and my ability to control my body continue to crumble, the rest of my brain still works well. And for as long as that is the case, I still have a life worth living.
