A Day in the Life of Karen's Feet, 1:00pm

Today has been a day of dyskinesia. Dyskinesia is a side effect of Sinamet, the standard drug prescribed for Parkinson's disease. I have been told that the involuntary movements of dyskinesia  resemble a potty dance. Sinamet is effective in getting rid of the tremors that Parkinson's is known for, but it is hard to say whether or not the cure is worse than the disease. Dyskinesia  is quite painful and makes voluntary movement  difficult.

I had planned to make a video of my feet once an hour for a day. I don't know why, but even though I don't work and don't really go anywhere, I still have trouble getting stuff done. Today for example, I seem to have spent the whole day trying to get these videos to play. I will maybe post one or two more today. Right now I am extremely dyskinetic, so typing is a challenge.

A Day in the Life of Karen's Feet 9:30am

When I took this video this morning, I didn't think that my feet were moving much, but that just goes to show how "normal" my Parkinson's symptoms have become to me. Watching this video, I am quite surprised to see not only how much my feet were moving, but also how much my whole body is twisting with dyskinesia.

Dyskinesia is the nonstop, involuntary dance that is a side effect of  Sinemet (brand name of levodopa).  I have been working with my neurologist since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2005 trying to find just the right combination and dosage of medications that will have the most therapeutic benefit with the least possible side effects. It has been a major case of Goldilocks Syndrome.

A Day in the Life of Karen's Feet

Here's an idea that I got just by looking down. My feet tend to represent what the rest of me is doing.

Now, just because today is the day that I have decided to show what my feet are doing every hour, they have decided not to show the abnormal behaviour that is normal for me: which is of course to "function within the parameters that I have come to accept as normal."

This might get boring. Stay tuned.