NPN Wedinar Series
Walking with Mental Health by Cody Schultz
Last Thursday, I was listening to the HPH Wedinar Series, Walking with Mental Health, with Cody Schultz, and decided if he could talk about his history of depression and anxiety. I could open up about my last few weeks and the effect it may have on my future in photography.
This all started on August 2 in my Rock Steady Boxing class. Around halfway through the class, my body decided it was time to quit, and I found a chair. By the end of the class, I recovered enough to drive home. Sunday was basically ok, just a little stiffness walking to church. On Monday, I woke up with nausea and a fuzzy feeling. So I went to the doctor and he sent me to the hospital, because of the weakness on my left side and problems with speech. Over the next two days, the test showed I was cleared of having had a stroke or seizure. The only problem was, I could only walk 50 feet with the aid of an OT and PT.
I went home on Wednesday, August 6, with a rollator walker with a seat. This gave me the ability to get around the house and take care of myself. On August 14, I had an appointment with my neurotologist, and she stated this was not a normal progression of Parkinson’s. But I did have a mild nystagmus at lateral left peripheral gaze and ordered Vestibular therapy. I have had problems with fast-moving objects and bright objects triggering problems with my Parkinson’s.
The good news is I can now get around in the house without the rollator, and I am walking outside with just my trusty LLBeean walking stick. I am hoping by September I can leave the walking stick at home. After that, there is driving the car.
I could not have made this progress without the help of my neighbors and family.
I am finding it hard to spend any time working on my iMac, so I am going to postpone critiquing photographs at this time. For now, I will be posting photographs from my archives, and NPN members can decide where to place them.
Peter Morrissey
April 27, Z8, f8, 340mm, ISO 2000