Oh, I’ve Got Parkinson’s And I’m OK! I Sleep All Night And I Blog All Day!
Depression and Parkinson’s go hand in hand. As a person who has suffered from both, Parkinson’s for 14-1/2 years now, and depression (now well-controlled), I thought I had to do something, anything, to see if I could shine the light of truth and science into the dark crevices that exist in the human brain.
Mental illness is still treated with stigma. In my recent battles with right wing thugs, they loved making fun of the fact that I am in the early stages of Parkinson’s Disease Dementia. They think this means I am a ranting, raving, foaming lunatic. What it actually means is that if your name is Mike, I may refer to you in a tweet as Charles and not know it. That’s about the extent of it.
So it’s easy to understand how someone, already beset upon by depression might get a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and declare that exquisite little inconvenience, “A Bridge Too Far.” This radio station, for which I am also operating a Kickstarter project at http://wms-db.com, is devoted to shining the light of truth and science into those dark places where the depressed mind goes. To remind that person locked in a struggle with him or herself that death might seem like a good idea right now, but how are you going to feel about it in a couple weeks? Too bad. You’re dead.
You don’t get to die for a little while. Once you’re tabbed and slabbed, it’s the end of the book. There’s no sequel. You’re good and dead and you’re not coming back in a couple months to see how things worked out.
When you choose suicide, you are choosing a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
You are not alone.
This radio station of which I write, through education, comedy, and outreach, is intended to show you that if a dumbass like me can live with Parkinson’s, depression and (gasp!) MALE PATTERN BALDNESS, there is nothing you cannot fight your way through. If you need to talk to someone, Tweet me @MentalHealthRad, or — even better — call a professional at the National Suicide Hotline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
If you have questions about PD or Depression or anything else of a medical nature, LEARN about your condition so you can FIGHT it! Don’t let yourself be laid low by something that is really nothing more than an imbalance of chemicals in your brain.
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Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Bill Schmalfeldt
I no longer use Twitter or Facebook because they are evil. I do continue to blog at http://Schmalfeldt.org, where you can get information about other stuff I do, like comedy/parody CDs and MP3 downloads and audiobooks and such. Get yours now. When I'm dead, there will be a drastic price increase.
42 responses to Oh, I’ve Got Parkinson’s And I’m OK! I Sleep All Night And I Blog All Day!
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Eric Trommater August 16th, 2014 at 18:13
Thank you Bill! Thank you for using your light to shine into the darkness of this deeply stigmatized and misunderstood issue. We need more people like you.
Eric Trommater August 16th, 2014 at 18:13
Thank you Bill! Thank you for using your light to shine into the darkness of this deeply stigmatized and misunderstood issue. We need more people like you.
edmeyer_able August 16th, 2014 at 18:16
Peace to you Bill Schmalfeldt.
edmeyer_able August 16th, 2014 at 18:16
Peace to you Bill Schmalfeldt.
uzza August 16th, 2014 at 18:50
Your words are uplifting and well said, but I take issue with
“there is nothing you cannot fight your way through”
try terminal cancer.
Bill Schmalfeldt August 16th, 2014 at 19:33
May I respectfully disagree? My older brother, older sister and father all died of cancer. And they fought that SOB every step of the way. One does not win every fight, but one should always give a good accounting of one’s self.
uzza August 16th, 2014 at 19:49
You may. We don’t need to give an accounting to anyone but ourselves. It’s not your call to tell us.
Tammy Minton Haley August 17th, 2014 at 11:42
stand down, stop trying to pick a fight…you are being obnoxious…
uzza August 17th, 2014 at 14:44
Bill and I respectfully disagree over a minor point. Unlike the suppurating dysenteric drivel squirting out of your word hole, Bill’s post is uplifting, thoughtful, and praiseworthy. He offers real wisdom from a place of experience, not the Big Bang of egoism makes you think your opinion is worth more than pinworms out of a dog’s butt, and not being a supercilious harpy such as yourself I don’t give him advice about Parkinson’s because I don’t know much about it.
IMO he oversteps his bounds a bit re terminal illnesses like the one I have and I have strong feelings about this since my son died of cancer in his second year. The doctors “fought that SOB every step of the way” so that the last half of his life was a living hell when he could have just died peacefully in his sleep. Whether that was needless pointless suffering or his anguish was somehow made “worth it” by his contributions to medical research can be debated endlessly and uselessly in hindsight but no doubt you would be pleased to shamble
in unwanted like a drunken frat boy and puke on the wedding cake by preaching half-baked delusional sermons on how it was good for his soul, and I would be pleased to give you a kick in the balls to the boundless acclaim of sentient beings everywhere.
NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT to stand in judgment of whether he mattered or opine on how good ‘an accounting’ he gave, least of all some sanctimonious self-righteous fundamentalist poking her Pinnochio nose in to accuse others of her own mental deformities, and that goes for everyone who is ever in
that position. Die a horrible, slow lingering painful death. Then come back to life and do it all over but euthanize yourself just before the worst; then come back again and compare notes, and then you can have an opinion. Until then just go play with your feces in the corner and leave decent people alone.
fahvel August 17th, 2014 at 03:11
why? In the end, to whom does it matter?
Tammy Minton Haley August 17th, 2014 at 11:44
it should matter to YOU…to your soul, your psyche…
stop trying to be an ass…
uzza August 16th, 2014 at 18:50
Your words are uplifting and well said, but I take issue with
“there is nothing you cannot fight your way through”
try terminal cancer.
Bill Schmalfeldt August 16th, 2014 at 19:33
May I respectfully disagree? My older brother, older sister and father all died of cancer. And they fought that SOB every step of the way. One does not win every fight, but one should always give a good accounting of one’s self.
uzza August 16th, 2014 at 19:49
You may. We don’t need to give an accounting to anyone but ourselves. It’s not your call to tell us.
Tammy Minton Haley August 17th, 2014 at 11:42
stand down, stop trying to pick a fight…you are being obnoxious…
uzza August 17th, 2014 at 14:44
Bill and I respectfully disagree over a minor point. Unlike the suppurating dysenteric drivel squirting out of your word hole, Bill’s post is uplifting, thoughtful, and praiseworthy. He offers real wisdom from a place of experience, not the Big Bang of egoism makes you think your opinion is worth more than pinworms out of a dog’s butt, and not being a supercilious harpy such as yourself I don’t give him advice about Parkinson’s because I don’t know much about it.
IMO he oversteps his bounds a bit re terminal illnesses like the one I have and I have strong feelings about this since my son died of cancer in his second year. The doctors “fought that SOB every step of the way” so that the last half of his life was a living hell when he could have just died peacefully in his sleep. Whether that was needless pointless suffering or his anguish was somehow made “worth it” by his contributions to medical research can be debated endlessly and uselessly in hindsight but no doubt you would be pleased to shamble
in unwanted like a drunken frat boy and puke on the wedding cake by preaching half-baked delusional sermons on how it was good for his soul, and I would be pleased to give you a kick in the balls to the boundless acclaim of sentient beings everywhere.
NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT to stand in judgment of whether he mattered or opine on how good ‘an accounting’ he gave, least of all some sanctimonious self-righteous fundamentalist poking her Pinnochio nose in to accuse others of her own mental deformities, and that goes for everyone who is ever in
that position. Die a horrible, slow lingering painful death. Then come back to life and do it all over but euthanize yourself just before the worst; then come back again and compare notes, and then you can have an opinion. Until then just go play with your feces in the corner and leave decent people alone.
fahvel August 17th, 2014 at 03:11
why? In the end, to whom does it matter?
Tammy Minton Haley August 17th, 2014 at 11:44
it should matter to YOU…to your soul, your psyche…
stop trying to be an ass…
Hirightnow August 16th, 2014 at 19:10
I make broad jokes
I poke some fun
I like to see folks smile.
I once wore women’s clothing
And suffered all the while!
Ohhh…..
(Dammit! This is the ONLY “celebrity” whose death affected me!…thank you, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, for helping me find some humor in this, as I would like to think Robin would have wanted…)
(PS: Check out His friends giving Graham Chapman’s eulogy, if you don’t think that comedians can show respect for their dead…)
Bill Schmalfeldt August 16th, 2014 at 19:31
This is a hilarious piece of film.
tiredoftea August 16th, 2014 at 19:33
And it ends with the wonderful “Bright Side of Life”
Hirightnow August 16th, 2014 at 19:49
If only the British could do food as well as they do comedy..,.
Still, my take on “Bangers and Mash” will suffice…(add bell peppers!)
Hirightnow August 16th, 2014 at 19:10
I make broad jokes
I poke some fun
I like to see folks smile.
I once wore women’s clothing
And suffered all the while!
Ohhh…..
(Dammit! This is the ONLY “celebrity” whose death affected me!…thank you, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, for helping me find some humor in this, as I would like to think Robin would have wanted…)
(PS: Check out His friends giving Graham Chapman’s eulogy, if you don’t think that comedians can show respect for their dead…)
Bill Schmalfeldt August 16th, 2014 at 19:31
This is a hilarious piece of film.
tiredoftea August 16th, 2014 at 19:33
And it ends with the wonderful “Bright Side of Life”
Hirightnow August 16th, 2014 at 19:49
If only the British could do food as well as they do comedy..,.
Still, my take on “Bangers and Mash” will suffice…(add bell peppers!)
fancypants August 17th, 2014 at 01:34
if both were actual fact .. parkinsons /depression = death
Michael j fox would have been taking a dirt nap a long time ago
Bill Schmalfeldt August 17th, 2014 at 07:58
Thank you for adding your clear, science-based opinion to the discussion. Please find someone who can help you deal with that anger before it destroys you.
fancypants August 17th, 2014 at 16:32
it helps when you understand medical issues before you comment on them. BTW I was being kind with my post, I could have told you the truth about your views but im sure its nothing you haven’t heard before.
Bill Schmalfeldt August 17th, 2014 at 17:51
I think having Parkinson’s for 14-1/2 years qualifies me to write about it. That, and being a former writer for the National Insitutes of Health… now, you share YOUR experience. Are you saying Parkinson’s/Depression are NOT connected? Or are you just being a jerk and a troll?
fancypants August 18th, 2014 at 01:59
could have fooled me ??? “ive got Parkinson”s and im ok ” is wrong from the get go and im sure the NI of H probably didn’t get its money’s worth. Did you ever bother to take a survey asking if most people were “ok” with parkinsins VS finding a cure.
And I never said parkinsons and depression don’t coexist They also don’t always end up a suicide as I originally posted. Try to read what I post .
Bill Schmalfeldt August 19th, 2014 at 15:35
So, you are just being a jerk and a troll. We get a lot of those here.
Tammy Minton Haley August 17th, 2014 at 11:45
and, again, you prove yourself an obnoxious jackass…
grow up
fancypants August 17th, 2014 at 16:36
Grow a brain then post a message
fancypants August 17th, 2014 at 01:34
if both were actual fact .. parkinsons /depression = death or attempted suicide
Michael j fox would have been taking a dirt nap a long time ago
Bill Schmalfeldt August 17th, 2014 at 07:58
Thank you for adding your clear, science-based opinion to the discussion. Please find someone who can help you deal with that anger before it destroys you.
fancypants August 17th, 2014 at 16:32
it helps when you understand medical issues before you comment on them. BTW I was being kind with my post, I could have told you the truth about your views but im sure its nothing you haven’t heard before.
Bill Schmalfeldt August 17th, 2014 at 17:51
I think having Parkinson’s for 14-1/2 years qualifies me to write about it. That, and being a former writer for the National Insitutes of Health… now, you share YOUR experience. Are you saying Parkinson’s/Depression are NOT connected? Or are you just being a jerk and a troll?
fancypants August 18th, 2014 at 01:59
could have fooled me ??? “ive got Parkinson”s and im ok ” is wrong from the get go and im sure the NI of H probably didn’t get its money’s worth. Did you ever bother to take a survey asking if most people were “ok” with parkinsins VS finding a cure.
And I never said parkinsons and depression don’t coexist They also don’t always end up a suicide as I originally posted. Try to read what I post .
Bill Schmalfeldt August 19th, 2014 at 15:35
So, you are just being a jerk and a troll. We get a lot of those here.
Tammy Minton Haley August 17th, 2014 at 11:45
and, again, you prove yourself an obnoxious jackass…
grow up
fancypants August 17th, 2014 at 16:36
Grow a brain then post a message