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| Dr. Donald Cantway |
“The change was just amazing to me,” Cantway
said about the surgically implanted electronic stimulator that significantly
mitigated the impacts of Parkinson’s, which include tremors, rigid joints,
slowed movements and difficulty walking.
Parkinson’s is a result of the
degeneration and damage to the dopamine-producing cells in an area of the
hypothalamus of the brain called the “substantia negra,” according to Brown
University. It is dopamine that enables the coordinated movements of a person’s
muscles.
Not coincidentally, cross country
skiing is part of Cantway’s exercise regimen.
“Parkinson’s takes away your fine motor
movements, and exercises that require big motions help,” Cantway said.
He said the diagonal stride of
classic cross country skiing with swinging arm motions is particularly
effective for him.
“It’s ideal. The only problem is that if you
fall down, it can be hard to get up,” he said.
He and other people living with
Parkinson’s in Steamboat Springs also attend regular exercise classes tailored
specifically for their needs.
“Exercises designed to improve balance and
mobility — those are the things you lose,” Cantway added.
Clinical sociologist Lindarose
Berkley told the Steamboat Today in 2013 that 15 people who had been diagnosed
with Parkinson’s were attending regular support group meetings.
“I know there are many more people out there.
I know of one woman whose husband (has Parkinson’s) and won’t come, but she
will,” Berkley said at the time.
For 35 years, Cantway, 72, commuted
from his home in Steamboat to a hospital in Laramie, Wyoming, where he worked
for a week at a time as an emergency room doctor. He said he preferred
practicing that form of medicine in a city where he wasn’t familiar with
patients who had been in an emergency. When diagnosed with Parkinson’s six to
seven years ago, he had to give up his practice.
“I couldn’t multitask any more, and I was
becoming slower in making decisions,” he said.
Deep brain stimulation isn’t
appropriate for all patients — some are more suited to treating the reduced
dopamine production that leads to Parkinson’s with prescriptions, Cantway said.
But he consulted a neurologist in Cheyenne, Wyoming, who encouraged him to
undergo deep brain stimulation surgery “sooner than later.”
Like the typical patient, Cantway
put it off for five years. And then, the initial surgery resulted in an
infection. When that cleared up, Cantway underwent a different form of surgery
that was very successful.
Today, he self-regulates the neurotransmitter
to meet his needs. Cantway continues to drive his car around Steamboat, walks
without shuffling and has no noticeable hand tremors.
And Cantway thrives on exercise.
“I’ve been working out all my life,” he said.
To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205,
email tross@SteamboatToday.com
or follow him on Twitter @ThomasSRoss1
If you go
What: Benefit for people exercising to manage Parkinson’s disease
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 10
Where: Haymaker Nordic Center, 34855 E. U.S Highway 40
Details: For a minimum donation of $50, participants can enjoy a day
pass at Haymaker, 30-minute mini lesson, lunch, access to silent auction,
voucher for a pass at Steamboat Ski Touring Center, $10 discount on rental gear
day of event (reserve ahead of time) and an opportunity to purchase Haymaker
season pass at early season rates (day of event only).
For the Parkinson’s support group
in Steamboat Springs, call 970-875-1088.
Steamboat Springs has an
increasingly active Parkinson’s support group, which includes people who are
among the 1.5 million Americans living with the disease and their families and
professionals such as exercise therapists, yoga instructors and, yes, ski
instructors.
Mark Traum, an employee and
instructor at the Steamboat Ski Touring Center, who has been diagnosed with
Parkinson’s himself, is helping to organize a Jan. 10 fundraiser at Haymaker
Nordic Center including lunch, a mini-lesson, a Haymaker day pass and a voucher
for a pass at the Steamboat Ski Touring Center, discounts on rentals on event
day and a silent auction, for the minimum donation of $50.
http://health.einnews.com/article/242493142/bxii5ZI1D2G64zzt
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