Nobody said it would be easy

01 Feb 2012 by Chris Boughton

My college break following the completion of the first semester of the first year of my degree course in English and History is drawing to a close and I return for lessons next week. My assignments and essays are all up-to-date and the preparatory reading for the fiction module, new for this semester, has also all been completed. We are due to have six lessons per week; there will be two lessons on political history, one lesson on introduction to history, two English lessons on fiction and one lesson on poetry. The lessons are one and half hours each so that is 9 hours of lessons per week in total. Whilst that may not sound like very much it will definitely be an extra challenge for me this semester. Three of the lessons are in one day and including breaks this will require me to be at college for 6 hours on my longest day. This is going to be extremely difficult to manage with respect to my Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms and especially the problems I have with fatigue. I will have to prepare very carefully for this day each week and manage it equally carefully. The fatigue attacks I get are quite brutal and can arrive as a result of my medication wearing off or as a response to my failing to pace myself. I will probably need to increase my medication for that 6 hour day and time taking my medication quite critically if I am to limit any wearing off symptoms.

Fatigue is by no means the only PD symptom that will make college life difficult for me, if wearing off occurs, but it is by far the most disabling for me. This has easily been the biggest challenge for me since I started this degree course last September. Thankfully I am finding the course very absorbing and mentally stimulating, and I am sure the distraction it provides will help me cope with the 6 hour day at college. When I decided to take on this degree I wondered whether I was intellectually up to the whole study process, at 58 years of age, and I was genuinely concerned that I might be out of my depth. However, so far my brain has coped more than adequately with the content of the course but the jury is still out on whether the depleted dopamine levels in my brain, due to PD, will physically allow me to complete the course. But then nobody said it would be easy! There is of course a theory that if something is easy it is not worth having anyway!

Another not insignificant PD symptom that makes life difficult for me at college is lower back stiffness and pain. I take medication; pain killers, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant drugs all help but the immobility of sitting in a classroom for 90 minutes at a time is not at all helpful. In the past I have tried various therapies – acupuncture, acupressure, physiotherapy, osteopathy, reflexology and Pilates – but none of these were helpful for me. Last week I tried a holistic back massage and my back is definitely less stiff and painful since then. Hopefully a regular massage may help me physically cope with my PD symptoms at college.

Last Tuesday night we attended our first pub quiz for about a month with our absence due mainly to the Christmas holiday period. I am pleased to report that we returned in a blaze of glory with a narrow win. I know it is supposed to be all about the taking part but it does feel good to win sometimes too.

About the Author

Chris Boughton
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in February 2004 at the age of 51 having experienced undiagnosed symptoms for at least 4 years prior to that. My wife and I have five adult children and three grandchildren. We are fortunate in that we live in a lovely rural part of the east of England, with King’s Forest situated nearby for my much needed, therapeutic dog walks. I spent most of my working life involved in electronic, mechanical manufacturing management within the Worldwide Broadcasting industry and I am extremely lucky to have travelled extensively through my work. Since I was diagnosed I have dedicated much of my time to researching all aspects of PD and trying to both support others with this illness and raise the profile of PD. As well as writing a blog on this website, I administer an internet patient forum for people with PD which I set up in September 2008 and it currently has over 150 members. I also administer the forum’s Facebook, Friends Reunited and Twitter pages. My younger son recently ran in a half marathon race to raise funds for the Cure Parkinson’s Trust. I am currently studying for a BA (Hons) in English and History as a mature student.