Dave's Story

In 1980 I decided school was not for me and moved to Tucson Arizona. After approximately five years, I took some classes in Tucson at the University of Arizona and was going to pursue a business degree. After reading an article that there were 640,000 new business majors that year, I changed my mind. I was always interested in how the body worked so I called my dad and mentioned I was thinking about going back to school for physical therapy. I mentioned I could do school in Arizona or I'm thinking about going back to North Dakota. He said come here. So, I moved with my wife and one-year-old daughter back up to North Dakota and lived with my parents while I went to school.

I graduated from the University of North Dakota “Fighting Sioux” with my physical therapy degree in 1990. I moved to Phoenix Arizona and started my career.

In January 2010, at the age of 50, I had both my hips replaced at the same time. In 2015, while playing racquetball I ruptured my right rotator cuff. The surgical repair ruptured, and the surgery had to be done again. With each surgery or injury, I would take it on as a learning experience. I would push myself in my recovery to see just how quickly and well a patient could progress and heal. Yes, I overdid it at times. After my hips were replaced, it took me a full year and a half to get back to playing racquetball at the level I was previously playing. I recorded much of my recovery so that others might benefit.

With my shoulder it was also a learning experience as it took some time to get back on the racquetball court, and back to functioning well with all my activities. Everything that has happened to me has been a learning experience and I was able to recover with hard work.

The Diagnosis

Sometime after my hip surgery I noticed a very slight tremor in my left leg. My sense of smell was lost around that time also. I knew that was one of the early signs of Parkinson's (PD) but did not give it much thought. After the first cuff surgery in 2015, I noticed a tremor in my left hand. For the first time, a patient noticed and mentioned something about my tremor. As I was treating patients, I had one remark that their leg was quivering as I had my hand on them. I had to assure them that they were not the one quivering.

I went to the neurologist in February 2017, and he diagnosed me with PD. I remember thinking “darn it” I was hoping it was not that, but I pretty much knew before I went in. The doctor told me this is a progressive neurological disease and there is no cure. He gave me a pill and stated it may help slow the progression of the disease and then told me to come back in six months. No plan and no guidance were given for coping with the diseases physical, emotional, or social impacts.

I went for a second opinion from one of the top Parkinson's clinics in the country. I expected that I would be receiving hope of some treatment approaches. My expectations were left unmet. I am not a person who gets discouraged easily but this was a blow to me. As in the past with my other injuries I was willing to fight the fight, but I wasn't given any gloves or offered a chance to get in the ring. I was being sidelined with no chance to participate in the game. There is no cure, and it is a progressive neurological disease. Not a lot of encouragement in those words. Some thoughts run through my mind. I love what I do. Will I be able to continue, and will my patients accept my shaking?

Everything I have encountered in the past has been restored. I was able to exercise through towards a full recovery. When treating patients, it's like having a toolbox and you pick the exercises that will assist in the recovery. With Parkinson's you look in the toolbox and it's empty.

Being diagnosed with Parkinson's, as with my past health issues, is a learning experience. No instructions were given to pursue other things. Maybe they thought because I am a physical therapist, I would know everything that is available. As I have talked with others, their experiences are no different. It is a progressive disease with no cure. They are offered medication that may help slow the progression, nothing more except, return in six months.

Sharing the Hope

I have always been one to encourage and give hope to my patients. I find myself in a position of experiencing something new. In the past I have been able to work toward full recovery. I'm sure others with this diagnosis feel there is little or no hope. I have been known to say there are worse things out there, and truly that is the case. To be honest it is difficult. I've always been very physical with my activities. I worked hard to keep myself in shape so that I can continue to live with the best quality of life. I have always exercised and encourage others to do the same. I enjoy working with my hands but I'm not sure how long that will last.

I have been in meetings with healthcare clinicians and hear their comments that patients will not improve due to their PD. This indicates a lack of education. Although there is not a cure, we can make a difference for people with Parkinson's (PWP's). Having treated Parkinson's for so many years and now experiencing symptoms for myself, I realize how little I knew about Parkinson's. My treating experience was after the person with Parkinson's was progressed in the disease. I was not exposed to newly diagnosed Parkinson's patients.

So now, my mission is to bring hope and options for care while a cure is pursued. To meet this objective, I formed PD care connection. We will connect PWP's, their care partners, healthcare providers and the community, to the potentially beneficial care options, services, and products available to them. By bringing educational events into communities, participants will learn about multiple options and connect PWP's with providers of goods or services, empowering them to live an active and productive life.