A Month Into Parkinson's

   
     Today I had plans to go to Bingo with a few of my bereaved mom friends. I got up after 10 a m because I just could not go to sleep last night. I didn't go to bed until 3 a m. I think I was just too wound up from the funeral.  Seeing the woman who was diagnosed with Parkinson's 3 years ago also upset me.  No one wants this awful disease. She has a lot of difficulty walking and has terrible tremors.  I just see all of that in my future because it is a progressive disease. I know this disease is different for everyone but I think we all go through similar stages. I took a quick shower, got dressed, packed a few snacks, took my meds and got ready to leave.  I didn't need my walker much yesterday but I definitely needed it today!  Everyday with Parkinson's can be different.
         After the funeral and luncheon yesterday, Dan and I drove 2 hours to visit Olya at school.  I am always happy to see Olya, she is such an easy child to raise. I hope she doesn't move too far away after she graduates college.  I really started to wane after a few hours. I tried not to use my walker but it was very difficult to walk and I kept dragging my left leg.
        I took my walker today because I felt like I needed it and I did.  I took the same meds  but I guess it is still different each day. I met my friends for lunch and then we went to Bingo.  It was the longest afternoon ever of Bingo but we had fun chatting and laughing. I won a crappy door prize of a free men's haircut and a $10 gift certificate to a Chinese restaurant! $10?? Really??? What can you buy in a Chinese restaurant for $10?? My friend Carol won a Bingo game and she got a bag with a lot of nice gift cards to local restaurants!!  Carol, in the white shirt and black sweater,  has a tiny therapy dog in a sling.  It is the cutest little thing I have ever seen. I have to look on her Facebook page and see if she has a photo!!
       My meds started to wear off early today, not sure why, maybe all of the walking around I was doing.  Dan and I went out to look at new desk chairs because the roller foot on mine broke.  It is an old chair so I don't mind that it broke. My friend Nancy offered for me to use her mother's walker because it has a seat on it.  When we were at the funeral, the other woman with Parkinson's had one and Nancy told me that she had one from her mom and wanted me to use it.  I am in denial of having Parkinson's but everyday it becomes more clear that I have it.  I stopped by Nancy's house and picked up the walker.  That was so nice of her to offer it to me. We will


leave it in Dan's car so that we don't have to keep carrying the same one in and out of the house! Dan says I am a walker collector.  I have one in my car and one in Dan's car, now one downstairs and one upstairs so I have the perfect number!! We went out and drove by a few ranch homes that I found online.  One was too big and one was too small.  I guess I need to find the one that is just right!  We went to Staples to look at desk chairs and to Home Goods.We also are looking for a new cat climbing tree!! Our cats have ruined the scratching pads on the bottom of one we have now and they keep scratching their claws on my new family room couches!!

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