Talking about it…. not talking about it!

This week we had a meeting of our regular Peer Support Group which is held at a local club. We meet as a group of people Under 65 years and most are reasonably recently diagnosed. It is great to meet with a group of people who understand the challenges of living with Parkinson’s first-hand. It is a group that partners can come to too, so when he can my husband will come along and I hope he makes some connections with the other husbands.

At our meeting, we talked about all manner of things. The rugby was the most popular topic of conversation, with smatterings of other sports discussions thrown in for good measure. As we have all recently voted there was even some discussion about politics, which is never my favourite subject.

At one stage one of the husbands said, ‘You know, we have hardly talked about Parkinson’s at all tonight!’ We then had a discussion about that and what the value of the group was and the sort of things we did talk about. It was interesting that without exception we all said that the important thing about the group was not necessarily talking about Parkinson’s, but just talking! We are building a foundation of connections and trust with each other, we are starting to learn about each other’s worlds outside of this diagnosis. One member has not long had a new grandchild and photos were passed around for us all to admire.

Of course, there were the odd bits of conversations about Parkinson’s and how it affects us. Talking about blister packs and how tricky they can be to open at times, medications and timing and travelling with Parkinson’s. But, in the main most discussion was about other parts of our lives.

We all need a break from talking and thinking about our health issues. For our lives not to be swallowed up by it. Some might say, that by writing this Blog on a regular basis I am focussing on my condition and some may think that is not the best thing to do. However, by sending my thoughts and feelings to this Blog, I can park them for a while and get on with thinking about other things. Also, for any of you who follow this Blog, you will see random poems pop up from time to time. Poetry is my escape and something I have done ever since I can remember. So, when the mood takes me to write and share poetry, I do that so that our ‘conversations’ are not all about Parkinson’s. It is my little piece of escapism.

Perhaps it is unavoidable for our primary focus in life to be Parkies. However, finding a way to ‘Park Parkies’ and talk about something else is – I feel – helpful.

Just like our Parkies Peer Support Group, the important thing is to be together and support each other and the topic doesn’t always have to be Parkies! The important thing is to develop a support network so that when – or if – we do need to talk about our Parkinson’s journey, then we feel comfortable doing so with the group.

So, here’s to Parking Parkies when we need to and picking it up again when the time and the setting is right.