The good news? Everyone is hoping for a great fit with Morgan and Dr. Edgar. We have our first appointment today.
So... you have a progressive, degenerative, neurological disease with no cure. How would you prepare for an appointment with a new doctor? How much information is enough? How can you be respectfully proactive when you see this new doctor? I am a list maker (have you figured out yet that I like to write things down?).
Here's the guy, being welcomed by Mercy Hospital.
My prayer is that Dr. Edgar will help us navigate our future. Russ' body has waged a war on itself and is no longer an efficient machine. He lives daily with the fact that he can't fight off Parkinson's; it is here to stay, to advance, to take over.
Russ does all the 'right' things...eats a healthy diet, exercises regularly, drinks plenty of water, takes his medicine and has regular physical therapy. Although these things will not take away PD, they all add 'life' to each day.
My prayer for today is that Dr. Edgar goes beyond all those perfect credentials and listens with heart as well as mind. I pray we walk away confidant and trusting that he can walk with us on the rest of the journey.
Postscript:
We left the appointment calm and hopeful. Dr. Edgar began by asking Russ 'his' story. "I want to hear it from you and not read it all in the notes". He was a good listener. He accepted our partnership on this journey in that our views are not always the same. And we have known that what Russ actually has is multiple system atrophy (MSA), but it is easier in public just to say Parkinson's. Dr. Edgar gave us the best laymen's explanation we have gotten yet and we are grateful.