\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tLeven Rambin Nearly Died During ‘Routine’ Endometriosis Surgery: ‘All of This So I Can Prepare to Have Kids’\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\tBut as she continued recovering from the surgeries, her mobility kept getting worse. It got to the point where she struggled with standing up from low chairs and deep couches. \u201cOnce seated, I could feel as though I had been swallowed by the chair and might remain there permanently,\u201d Simon said.<\/p>\n \n\tThe final sign came when Simon experienced periods where she couldn\u2019t walk without significant help. That, she said, was when she and her family \u201cknew that something more was going on.\u201d Simon underwent an evaluation at Mayo Clinic and was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tThe connection between arthritis and Parkinson\u2019s is very real. In 2024, a group of researchers analyzed <\/a>over 11,000 U.S. adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2020. They found that people with osteoarthritis (the most common form) had a 95% increased risk of developing Parkinson\u2019s compared to people without. (People with rheumatoid arthritis<\/a> actually have a reduced risk<\/a> of getting Parkinson\u2019s, possibly due to rheumatoid arthritis medications.)<\/p>\n \n\tSo, Simon\u2019s experience moving from arthritis to Parkinson\u2019s isn\u2019t unique \u2014 and the symptoms of both condtions have considerable overlap. Where arthritis can cause joint stiffness, Parkinson\u2019s can lead to rigidity and slowness, which can all feel similar. Arthritis symptoms can also mask the start of Parkinson\u2019s, as in Simon\u2019s case.<\/p>\n \n\tSimon said she\u2019s started medication to help manage them her mobility issues, but the disease is also affecting her mentally<\/a>, bringing about an apathy she calls \u201cparticularly strange.\u201d The singer described it in poetic terms: \u201cIt is not simply sadness or laziness. It is as though the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThis too is a common symptom of Parkinson\u2019s, though we hear a lot less about it. According to the Parkinson\u2019s Foundation<\/a>, about 40% of people with Parkinson\u2019s experience apathy. The disease actually causes a drop in dopamine\u2014the neurotransmitter that drives motivation\u2014which can make it hard to keep up with routines and symptom management. Cue the vicious cycle of worsening symptoms and less willpower to address them.<\/p>\n \n\tFor Simon, who also revealed that she\u2019d been diagnosed with skin cancer<\/a>, the diagnosis and symptoms led her to withdraw from public life. But, she says, she hasn\u2019t stopped living or working, even recording a new album set to come out in August.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWorking on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape,\u201d Simon said. \u201cIt gave me somewhere to go without having to leave the room. It reminded me that illness can change your life without becoming the whole of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"BEVERLY](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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