Dear Friend, Last week, we hosted a great episode of Dr. Gilbert Hosts that featured four people who have each been living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) for 10 or more years, and they bravely shared their experiences and answered so many questions from the audience. One thing was very clear – no two people with PD are alike. While some symptoms overlapped, there were symptoms that one person experienced but the others didn’t. This clearly reiterated what we already know -- everyone experiences PD differently, and symptoms can vary greatly day by day, which is while you’ll often hear someone say, “if you’ve met one person with Parkinson’s, you’ve met one person with Parkinson’s!” These differences can make it challenging to diagnose and treat PD, and can also make it difficult to know what to expect as someone living with the disease. A great way to better understand your symptoms is to keep close track of what you’re experiencing and when. The APDA Symptom Tracker mobile app was created specifically for people with PD to help you significantly improve your ability to easily and accurately track your PD symptoms and medications, and relay that important information to members of your medical team; with the ultimate goal of receiving better, more personalized care. The app is also available in Spanish (para más information en español, haga clic aquÍ.) How does it work? APDA Symptom Tracker App guides you through a simple set of questions where you rate how certain motor symptoms (such as tremor, rigidity, balance) and non-motor symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and others) are affecting you. It then creates a graph indicating which symptoms are most impacting your quality of life -- the graph can be saved in the app, printed, and also emailed directly to your health care team. Over time, you can compare the results to see if certain symptoms are getting worse, and determine which symptoms need to be addressed more urgently than others. The app also includes an interactive medication tracker, helpful notifications and reminders, and other useful features. How can I get the app? Simply go to the Apple App store or Google Play to download the free app. We hope the APDA Symptom Tracker app helps you or your loved one play a more active role in your PD care. Speaking of symptoms, many people with PD experience gastrointestinal issues like constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, and nausea. If you want to learn more, register today and join us for the next episode of Dr. Gilbert Hosts where we talk with an expert about how PD can affect your gut! |
