Hi Everyone!
My name is Mike. I am 47 years old and I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 5 years ago. I am primarily affected on my right side and the symptoms I experience on a daily basis include stiffness, rigidity, weakness, slowness, problems with balance, and insomnia. I am from CT and I am still working, although I am currently on short term medical leave to address my health issues.
Ever since I was diagnosed I have been looking for a connection with people that understand what I am going through. I was never able to find a place where I could really related to the other members or vice versa. That was until I found the TikTok community. At TikTok I have found a community where several people share their experiences and support each other. Many of the people are relatable to me because they are near my age and they are facing the same life challenges that I currently am.
My aim is to bring that sense of community to Parky Chat. With your help, it’s possible.
I am excited to embark on this journey together, sharing our stories, supporting one another, and making a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected by Parkinson’s. If you have any questions regarding the site, please feel free to message me or post to the site feedback forum. I am looking forward to meeting everyone!
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Hi Mike. Congrats on getting this together. Connecting with other Parky’s online has been a lifesaver for me over the last few years. But the SM apps are too public and Facebook Groups too constrictive, Hoping this can be somewhere we can engage with each other free of snake-oil sellers and narcissists.
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Hey Martin! Thanks so much and welcome! Same here. I’ve gotten so much from this parky community, which I’ve primarily met through TikTok. It took me five years to find my people! You totally get it. I’m hoping to create a vibrant community where people can make connections away from social media, especially when it comes to Instagram and TikTok. I think there is a whole faction of people that are hesitant to put themselves out there. I think that Parky Chat can help with that. Thanks for being a part of it!
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Finding some of you on tik tok has been such a comfort to me. Thanks to Mike for creating this awesome group!
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The Parkinson’s community on TikTok has been comforting for me as well! It took me 5 years but I finally found my people 
I’d like for the sense of community from TikTok to extend to here. Thanks for joining the soft launch!
HI Mike Im Wendy with PD nice to see here from Tic-Toc
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Hi Wendy! It’s good to see you too! welcome!
hi Mike, nice to meet you. Ha, ha ha ha ha, ha ha I know Mike from Tiktok. I’m in a lot of pain today, so I’m surprise I’m being jovial and have some sort of sense of humor.
Are you right-handed? Same here and mine started on my right side. Which made everything even more of a challenge being right handed.
I hope this time off from work, you’re able to get those other health issues that you’ve been facing taken care of.
Hi Barbara! Nice to meet you lol. Yes, I am right handed too. I’m slowly becoming ambidextrous as I rely on my left hand more and more.
I’ve actually been back at work for a couple of weeks now. It’s been tough but I’m managing. Fortunately I have a super supportive team that understands me. I’m really transparent about everything so they know what’s going on.
The topic of the day for me has been DBS. Did you ever have DBS done? If not, why not?