I started developing symptoms of Parkinson's Disease about four years ago. It did not affect my guitar playing until slightly over a year ago. I was entertaining at a meeting of Senior Focus, an activity sponsored by Bowie Memorial Hospital. I noticed that I was having difficulty controlling my hands and my fingers. That was the last public entertainment I have done with my guitar.
Since that time, I have continued to sing without my guitar. I have sung in my own Church as well as many other churches for many years, always with my guitar. On August 8, 2010, I sang at my home church, First Baptist Church, Bowie, Texas for the very first time ever without my guitar. You can see a video of that song at Bowie Texas Area Music http://bowietexasareamusic.blogspot.com/ . You can also see it on YouTube along with two other videos. In one of the other videos, I am singing a song entitled, "A Little Spot in Heaven"written by Marty Robbins. Harold Goad of The Village Singers played lead guitar for me on that song. Note: If you do not have any CDs of the Village Singers, you are missing some great music. I had only one mic on that one and Harold's guitar is the only one you can hear. The other video is a Jam session at the home of Chuck and Faith Duffin.
I continue sing on a regular basis at the Friday Night Jam Session at the Bowie Senior Citizens Center. I also "plunk" around on my guitar almost daily for physical therapy. I find that it helps with the use of my hands and fingers. It has no value, however, with tremors.
I had a video of myself posted on this website, plunking on my guitar at home. I called the video Eppiphone therapy. I decided that the video served no purpose and removed it from this site.
Parkinson's is a horrible, strange and unpredictable disease. It affects the brain and central nervous system. Although I continue to sing, my voice is weaker now and I suspect it will continue to grow weaker. Some Parkinson's victims loose all oral communication. Fatigue also seems to affect the disease. Occasionally on rare days it seems that the Parkinson's does not exist. On Thursday, June 3, I picked up my guitar for my regular therapy session. I was able to play smooth, correct and without a single error. I wish I could do that all the time, but it just is not to be.
Revised and Video removed Sept. 7, 2010, JBW
J. Bryan Wasson
Bowie, Texas Area Music - Remember Music is Good For You !
I wish you a reprieve on your Parkinson's and I know it is very discouraging to be with this disease. I will keep you in my prayers and you keep up your great sense of humor. Thank you for sharing such a personal thing and god bless you.
ReplyDeleteParkinson's attacks the brain, and irretrievably so we can not determine the movimiento, this indicates findrxonline on websites, it really is so, because my father is suffering and really suffer with it every day because their chronic pain are very strong and although drugs such as hydrocodone, vicodin, lortab help you relieve, you should always take them to calm down.
ReplyDeleteJudloved
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Judloved Excellent recommendation, undoubtedly the medicines that us the doctors prescribe are vicodin and Hydrocodone, but he is by the effects that they produce to calm the chronic pains, very good appreciation.
ReplyDeleteThe people who suffer of Parkinson are very exposed to the chronic ache, and the doctors to control it prescribe medicines as Hydrocodone; vicodin; lortab; that they are medicines that cause no kind of anxiety nor addition, and this is beneficial to the patient, because he can have a best response.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the above comments. I posted the story on my condition because I was a musician. I can still sing and do so nearly every Friday night and at church from time to time. I often have difficulty in carrying on a conversation, yet I can still type out what I want to say on the computer. Trimors are worse in right hand than left. I have had to learn to eat left handed.I have tried a number of medications and curently am on one ot the older drugs that seems to work best. Other drugs make me sick or sleepy.
ReplyDeleteI'm 35, was diagnosed with early onset parkinson's a few years ago as well. I rode bulls for about 15 years and personally feel that head injuries are what led to the parkinson's. I hadn't played guitar for several years but a couple of years ago I picked a cheap one up thinking it might help keep my dexterity better. I realized I just can't play with a guitar pick, but over the last year or so I've been able to come up with an open hand picking and strumming style that seems to work really well. It sort of depends on the day though, some days I can play almost perfectly but others I just fumble through everything. The only thing that really plagues me is hitting that B cleanly with my fret hand lol. I really think it does help keep my dexterity better, my progression has been really slow which I guess is common for my age and I take modafinil and sometimes mirapex which seems to help some for now but I'm sure as I progress they'll lose the edge they seem to give now.
ReplyDeleteI've also noticed I just can't sing like I used to when I was younger, I have to really try to keep my voice strong and there seems to be a bit of a sharp sound that goes with that now. I also tend to hunch my posture now days so I have to force myself to keep a better posture which helps with the strength of my voice, and have to pay close attention to enunciating. But... I know that in every day speech my voice had gotten really soft and many people often complained about me mumbling or not being able to hear me even though I felt like I was speaking normally. However since I've been trying to cognitively keep my voice strong when singing I think it spills over to my every day speech and helps keep it louder and more clear.
Personally I feel that playing the guitar and singing are two of the best exercises a person can do with this disease. Granted it doesn't lessen the tremors but at this stage of my progression they're still minor and at least for now I feel like it helps a ton.