An Excerpt from Pickle Jar Test: A Novel for Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month馃尫
Jake and Lindsay were walking to dinner in downtown Rinc贸n
de Guayabitos, holding hands, as much out of habit as to help steady each other
on the uneven cobblestone streets. Jake knew he needed to tell Lindsay about
his betraying left thumb and forefinger, the pill-rolling culprits that would
give away his awful self-diagnosis.
"Babe," he began, then hesitated. "I need to
tell you about this tremor I've developed."
"Okay."
"It’s kind of weird.”
“Weirder than the vibrator finger?” Lindsay said, and they
both laughed at their private joke. Jake loved to make Lindsay laugh as they
were snuggling in bed by asking her if he could put his vibrator finger between
her legs. Thank goodness, he has a sense
of humor about his disorders, she thought.
“Yeah, this is pretty weird. You know the shaking in my
hands has gotten worse lately, right?”
“Yes, I’ve noticed it when you’re holding a drink. It
worries me.”
“I know, but I’ve been trying to ignore it, thinking it was
a side effect of the new med Dr. Ferguson gave me for bipolar. But then I
decided to read the Parkinson’s symptom printout you gave me. I wasn’t really
taking it seriously until I read about the pill-rolling tremor. I’ve been
having that for a while now.”
Lindsay gave Jake’s hand a squeeze and looked into his face,
seeing a hint of fear. “What does that mean, babe?”
“Well, it’s where I unconsciously rub the tips of my thumb
and forefinger back and forth against each other. It seems to happen most often
when I’m walking, and I don’t realize I’m doing it until I notice that the tips
of my thumb and finger are sore. I have to consciously force them to stop.”
“So, does this make you think you might have Parkinson’s
disease?”
“It’s possible, I guess. My dad had it for years and years.
It slowed his movements to the point where he would get up hours before he had
to go to work to have enough time to dress and eat breakfast. He wouldn’t quit
his job, though, until he reached retirement age. I remember it was painful for
me to watch him button his shirt and put his belt on. Even tying his shoes was
a struggle.”
Learn more about living in Mexico and Parkinson's disease by reading Pickle Jar Test: A Novel, sale-priced through April 25 for Parkinson’s Awareness Month馃尫. (Also, it’s Free with a KindleUnlimited membership.)
Jake and Lindsay have revived their loving relationship and
found peace by moving to a small beach town in M茅xico. Though the battle
against Jake's bipolar disorder was long and painful, his depression and manic
episodes have finally leveled out with proper treatment and a less stressful
lifestyle. Lindsay and Jake are both grateful that his mental health is good
and his sense of humor has returned, as it was in the early years of their
marriage.
Strong and healthy from years of working as a carpenter, Jake is now in denial about the new symptoms plaguing his body. Are these annoyances simply medication side effects, or a new condition? Should he tell Lindsay or fight this battle alone? Tremors, loss of sense of smell, pain, stiffness, and other changes in Jake’s muscular body bring fear for both Lindsay and Jake. Could this be Parkinson’s disease? Obtaining a definite diagnosis becomes a challenge, and then a shock.
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