Day #13

Quality of life…
Yesterday afternoon I was doing an editing session with a long time client and when we finished, we went to the garden to enjoy a “ Chamber of Commerce Day “ in Fort Lauderdale.
As we sat under the Bamboo, listening to the birds singing and petting one of my cats 🐈 we talked about many topics. Quality of life came up as she told me about her friend who had all but given up on living…That got me thinking.
Before I had DBS surgery my quality of life was going down fast. The tremors that were my constant companion made it impossible to perform, which in turn caused depression and anxiety. It’s been three and a half years since my surgery and not even a single tremor since then! Also, I have not taken any medication since that time… You would think that my quality of life is fantastic,and on some levels it is. On other levels not so much.
I was fully aware going into the surgery that it wasn’t a cure but a very effective treatment and that I still had Parkinson’s. I had tucked away the knowledge that symptoms could and would return…some day. The nagging feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak was beginning to invade my thoughts and my quality of life was suffering due to my thoughts more so than anything physical. That’s not to dismiss the new physical issues I now experience. My walking and balance are getting worse and just last week I found myself on the floor…having fallen out of bed! Five days later and I’m still licking my wounds.
Karen and I have worked hard for our entire life together and can pretty much go anywhere in the world we choose. We have no bills or financial obligations other than the day to day expenses of life. We’re at the point in our lives where we should be deliriously happy and for the most part, we are.
We have each other and that’s all we need…
Maybe quality of life is all in your head. Enjoy your day.
DOB