'I may have PD, but PD doesn't have me,' Guist said.
Gordon Guist of Camden, right, boxes with personal trainer Steph Williams at the Penobscot Bay YMCA.
CAMDEN — Like so many, Gordon Guist was active during the middle age of adulthood but, seemingly without warning, he was dealt a tough hand from the constantly shuffling deck of cards called life.
The now 67-year old of Camden was nearly 48 when he was first diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurogenic degenerative disorder.
That day, and the weeks, months and years to follow, have profoundly affected Guist — interestingly, perhaps, in negative and positive ways.
Like so many, Guist has to deal with his situation — in his case, Parkinson's — and he does that by exercising as often as possible, including doing his best to give the disease a knockout punch.
While Guist realized he will never knock his situation to the canvas, he knows exercise and continued hard work will help him lead a more productive existence and improve his quality of life.
There was a time Guist played coed softball, wallyball (essentially volleyball inside a racketball court) and volleyball, as well as hiked, camped and sailed.
Then, at age 48, he began to notice subtle changes in his physical abilities. At first, he ignored the changes, thinking they simply were part of the aging process. Then he started having trouble with balance and even catching a ball, something that before was a fairly simple process.
When things persisted, Guist went to the doctor and received the diagnosis he dreaded — he had Parkinson's Disease, and worse, at a fairly young age.
He said it took him about six months to get over the depression of the news, but he slowly, but surely, shook off his feeling sorry for himself news, and simply tried to figure out what would help him move forward with each day of his life.
One of the most famous people to deal with Parkinson's Disease is Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with the ailment at age 29 in 1991.
There is no cure for Parkinson's, but medication and therapy are used to help with symptoms.
Guist, who has been married to his wife, Robin, for 45 years (the couple has a 31-year-old son, Geoff, who lives in Swanville), has dealt with the disease for nearly 20 years.
Nerve cell damage in the brain causes dopamine levels to drop, leading to the symptoms of Parkinson's, which often starts with a tremor in one hand. Other symptoms are slow movement, stiffness and loss of balance. Medications can help control the symptoms of Parkinson's.
According to the National Parkinson's Disease Foundation website, symptoms of Parkinson’s disease vary from person to person and change over time. But a Parkinson’s diagnosis will only be considered when two of the following four main motor symptoms are present over a period of time:
• Slowness of movement, also called bradykinesia. This symptom makes it harder to initiate and perform physical actions such as getting out of bed, buttoning a shirt or even speech.
• Involuntary shaking, or tremor at rest. Tremor usually occurs in the hands, but it can also appear in other parts of the body, including the lower lip, jaw or leg. This symptom usually improves when a person starts performing tasks or using the limb in some way.
• Stiffness of the arms, legs or trunk. Muscles feel unusually tight, stiff or achy. This symptom can occur on one side or both sides of the body.
• Trouble with balance and falls, also called postural instability. A person with postural instability will have problems with walking, balance and turning around. Falls may occur without explanation. Postural instability isn’t usually present with diagnosis, but it’s one of the most common and troublesome symptoms that happens later on.
Secondary symptoms of Parkinson’s include: Small, cramped handwriting, called micrographia; Reduced arm swing on the affected side; Slight foot drag on the affected side, resulting in a shuffled walk; Freezing — a term used to describe the phenomenon of being stuck in place when attempting to walk; Loss of facial expression due to rigidity of facial muscles, called hypomimia; Low voice volume or muffled speech, called hypophonia; Tendency to fall backwards, called retropulsion; and Decreased ability in automatic reflexes such as blinking and swallowing.
Parkinson’s disease is generally thought of as a disease that only involves movement. But in addition to so-called motor symptoms such as slowness of movement, tremor and stiffness, most people develop other health problems related to Parkinson's. These symptoms are diverse but are collectively known as the following non-motor symptoms:
• Mood disorders such as depression, anxiety and irritability
• Cognitive changes such as problems with focused attention and planning, slowing of thought, language and memory difficulties, personality changes, dementia.
• Hallucinations and delusions.
• Orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure when standing, light-headedness).
• Sleep disorders such as insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD), vivid dreams, talking and moving during sleep, restless legs syndrome (RLS)/periodic leg movements disorder (PLMD).
• Constipation and early satiety (a feeling of fullness after eating small amounts).
• Pain.
• Fatigue.
• Vision problems.
• Excessive sweating, especially of hands and feet, with no or little exercise.
• Increase in dandruff (seborrhea dermatitis) or oily skin.
• Urinary urgency, frequency and incontinence.
• Loss of sense of smell.
• Sexual problems.
• Weight loss or weight gain.
• Impulsive control disorders such as binge eating, excessive shopping or gambling, usually a side effect of medications.
Guist was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1998, just before his 48th birthday. "But, I had symptoms for at least three years before my formal diagnosis," he said. "These included loss of my sense of smell, my eyes stopped blinking, my left arm stopped swinging when I walked and I developed a tremor on my left hand.
"After my diagnosis, I felt anger and denial — why me? I had been quite active — riding my bike to work (20 miles roundtrip) nearly every day in the spring, summer and fall; I played coed softball, I sailed, I played volleyball and walleyball. I hiked. Because of PD, I had to give up all these. An example of how PD affected me, I could no longer catch a ball."
Guist said that, fortunately, he had been active. "This slowed the progression of PD. I worked for FMC in Rockland since 1974. After my diagnosis, I continued to work for five more years. In 2003, I felt I couldn't do my job safely, so I left work on disability."
He did continue to exercise with the help of Carol Witham, who developed a program for people with PD.
"I also worked with Carol as my personal trainer," Guist said. "Carol moved to New Mexico a couple of years ago, so I was in the market for a new trainer. That is when Stephanie Williams came onto the scene. Steph and I have been working on my balance, flexibility and strength. We tried boxing exercises because of the success of programs such as Rock Steady. Steph has been an inspiration to me. She has made a difference."
While Guist's overall physical abilities have deteriorated over the years, he maintains as best as he can with consistent exercise, much of that now centered around the Penboscot Bay YMCA and the work with certified trainer Williams.
Williams, health and wellness director at the Rockland Harbor YMCA in Rockland, said she is inspired by Guist, and others with daily health challenges.
Guist boxes (wearing gloves and hitting pads held by Williams) to improve hand-eye coordination, stamina and agility and also works hard at strength and balance exercises, as well as stretching and other movements.
"Gordie is an inspiration not only to me but the people he is around while we work out," Williams said. "His attitude and perseverance are greatly admired. He comes in every Wednesday morning with a smile on his face, and lots of pep in his step.
"We start our sessions with a mile walk, and some boxing. He loves to box. Rock Steady boxing has been proven to greatly help Parkinson's symptoms. Focusing on cross body movements, and combinations with jabs, crosses, hooks and upper cuts. He is very enthusiastic when he straps up his gloves, I worry that he just likes to hit me! Pay back for making him work hard I guess."
Guist deals with all the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including shakes, stability, stiffness and general overall health.
There is no cure for Parkinson’s, but it is well documented that exercise may slow the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life for those with Parkinson's. Any type of exercise will do — walking, jogging, swimming and bicycling, to mention a few. Recently, boxing has proved effective for treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Not the "mano-o-mano-type" of boxing, but working on the basic skills and technique, Guist said.
"Rock Steady Boxing" is one program for those with Parkinson's that has been leading the way. He said 60,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year. There are 395 Rock Steady Boxing venues throughout the world, and more than 19,000 people with Parkinson's participate in this non-contact fitness course. Exercises are developed from boxing drills with emphasize on hand-eye coordination, speed, agility, balance, footwork, and midline crossover. All are intended to challenge the participant to overcome deficiencies caused by Parkinson’s.
Guist continues to be involved with a Parkinson's disease support group at Anderson Inn at Quarry Hill in Camden.
He continues to volunteer at the Camden food pantry, at the Penobscot Pet Pantry, and occasionally at P.A.W.S. He is an advocate for Parkinson's disease research through the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.
"I may have PD, but PD doesn't have me," Guist said.
"I couldn't be more proud and honored to train Gordon," Williams said. "He is well-known throughout the community and is the kind of person you just want to be around. His laugh is contagious."
Gordon Guist, who deals with Parkinson's Disease, works out with Steph Williams at the Penobscot Bay YMCA. (Video by: Ken Waltz and Holly Vanorse Spicer)
https://knox.villagesoup.com/p/guist-works-to-give-parkinson-s-disease-a-knockout-punch/1673229
No comments:
Post a Comment