Santa, elf, cookie…game at Christmas and then in August

Christmas of 2022 was a joyous time for our family. Our daughter and her husband were visiting us from New Jersey. We were excited to have family time with them joining our “Lincoln” family of our other daughter, her fiancé, and our grandson. One memorable evening during the holiday week was spent playing a challenging game that tested our speed, both mental and physical. When it was suggested that we play this game, there were mixed reactions. Some were excited since they loved the engagement and chance to demonstrate their physical speed and prowess. Others, myself included, groaned.

Personally, I have never excelled at “speed” games, and that Christmas I was even more self-conscious about my slowness. It was just one month earlier that I had seen my family doctor about the symptoms I had been experiencing for at least a year. I was noticing stiffness in my right arm, as well as a general slowness of motion and imbalance. My doctor visited with me and did some preliminary clinical tests. He determined that I had a “progressive movement disorder” and referred me to our university med center’s Neurology and Movement Disorder specialists. We made an appointment for May 2023, which fortunately was changed to March 2023 due to a cancellation. However, at the time of the Christmas game night, I had no official diagnosis nor any medication to treat the symptoms.

Santa, Cookie, Elf, Candy, Snowman… We took turns flipping over one card at a time from our personal decks placed in front of us. Each card had one of these pictures on the other side. As we flipped each card, we needed to say these words in order, knowing that at some point the chanted word and the picture would match. When they matched, we were to slap the pile of cards as quickly as possible with the last one to slap being designated the “loser” who collected the entire pile. Of course, the goal of the game is to get rid of all your cards, not to gain massive numbers of other players’ cards.

At this point in the holiday visit my family did not know much about my condition and the upcoming appointment with a specialist. They just knew that Grandpa was really slow. I had so much trouble activating my finger dexterity to flip over cards, to make myself slap the pile quickly, to reshuffle the cards, to follow the game, to coordinate my motions and chanting. It was not very enjoyable to say the least. We tried to keep a certain amount of levity and carry on without drawing attention to my ever-worsening condition, but deep down, we all knew something was wrong.

At my appointment on March 17, 2023, my wife and I heard the official diagnosis. I had Parkinson’s Disease. On one level, I wasn’t too surprised since I had done a fair amount of reading since receiving the referral. However, here we were, hearing the words and making plans. How would this affect my work, our family, our lives? Parkinson’s Disease. It was a bitter pill to swallow, so to speak.

The specialist prescribed a “better pill to swallow” on that day. (See what I did there? 😊) I started a regimen of three Levodopa pills per day to help with the symptoms. As I lived with the dosage, my physician and I gradually increased it to 4, then 6 pills per day. The current dosage seems to be working well.

Yesterday, August 1, 2023, about four months into my relationship with Parkinson’s, our grandson suggested we play a game. Grandma and I sat with him at the dining room table after dinner and he got the cards out. Santa, Cookie, Elf, Candy, Snowman. We dealt the cards and began turning them over in alternating fashion. Chanting and pictures aligned and I noticed myself turning over the cards with no struggle or discomfort. I slapped the pile and even got there first sometimes! I followed the game. I remained actively engaged and didn’t dread the game. I truly had fun playing the game that had caused me so much agony only months before.

Thank you, medical science for creating Levodopa, the treatment that seems miraculous. I feel so blessed knowing that today’s People with Parkinson’s (PWP) have this medication available and don’t need to suffer as much as those who suffered even a generation ago. Yes, there’s still plenty of suffering that we experience due to Parkinson’s Disease, but every day that I can play cards with my family goes enthusiastically in the WINS column.

778 words
Day 3: August 2, 2023
25/5; 25/5
Success!