POSITIVE with PARKINSONS

         Today I woke up to my throbbing leg!  It HURT so much. Sciatica sucks big time!!  I thought the pain would go away once I got up and out of bed and started moving around but that didn't happen. I had to use my walker to walk to the bathroom!! SO SO SO ANNOYING!!! I had to use my shower chair to shower and I thought that was over.  I took two Tylenol so I could function. I had to drive Dan to work because his car is in the shop and I have to drive Olivia to work at noon. I would just give my car to Olivia but she works until 9 pm and then I couldn't pick up Dan(hey, maybe that works out better!!! I could have the house to myself!!).         I take my Parkinson's meds every morning when I get up.  For some strange reason I am off balance today when I walk.  I take Carbidopa Levodopa every 4-5 hours. Hopefully, my second dose will kick in better. There just is no rhyme or reason to my sciatica and now there seems to be no rhyme or reason for some of my Parkinson

        My in-home PT came early this morning.  She thought I was moving better than ever! We started exercises from the modified BIG program. I could actually stand and do them without too much pain. Today I felt like I did when I was pre-Parkinson's. Not completely perfect, but as close as I have been in over a year!! My girlfriends came over and we made baby shower decorations and candies and favors for Mary's daughter's baby shower.  The decorations are just adorable.  blue and white chocolate covered marshmallows! The theme is Baby in Bloom so we made lots of paper flowers!     We made 45 little baskets of baby shower favors! Mary made the paper baskets ahead of time and we filled them with blue shredded paper and hand made candies! candy baby booties! I sat most of the time so my Parkinson's was not ever-present just partially present! My sciatica is better, not completely, but definitely less. My PT was right, I have spi

         Today I went to lunch with my childhood friend Leslie.  I always LOVE to be with Leslie! I met her when I was about 10 or 11. She lived up the street from me and we had so much fun growing up together!  She gave me these beautiful peonies from her garden.  They smell heavenly!!!She also gave me two envelopes, one for Olivia for graduation and one for Olya for her 21st birthday. Leslie is a very generous friend.She will be in Florida this weekend and then off to an Alaskan two week cruise on Tuesday....what a difficult life she leads!! The truth of the matter is that she deserves all good things in her life because she lost her parents at such young ages and had to raise her four siblings.  Her father drowned on vacation with her mom when he was 36.  That age seems like he was so young, just a loving young father of five.  Her mom died a few years later of breast cancer so I am happy when all good things happen to my friend.       Leslie helped me walk out to my car becau

         I thought I had retired my walker but I am using it most of the day again. I am OK if I have a shopping cart but I can't just walk alone. For a few weeks I have been walker free.  I was NOT a perfect walker but I could walk without a walker, maybe with a  two or three step shuffle here and there.  Yesterday I had to use my walker most of the afternoon and evening. It is so disheartening. Today I had to use my walker all morning. I am glad that the walker my friend Carol gave me has a cart with it. I had to water all my flowers so I put the gallon jug of water in the cart and went outside and watered all my flowers in pots. Olivia and Olya and Frankie went to the shore today. It was such a beautiful day and perfect beach day!  I let them take my car because I wanted Olya to drive.  She is a safe driver and has never had an accident.  Dan had given the girls twenty dollars to pay for Frankie's gas and tolls  when he was going to drive.  And he gave them money to pay for

     I am sad to have to use my walker again.  And to have to take pain meds.  I was in so much pain today that I had to use my walker in the afternoon for balance, etc.  My Parkinson's meds seemed to wane after two hours instead of lasting close to four hours. It was a very sad day because it was the 18th anniversary of my 18 year old daughter's death.  Maybe that is why everything felt off. It is and will always be an extremely difficult day.  This time last year I knew I had sciatica but I didn't know I had Parkinson's. Now looking back I realize that I had my symptoms for quite awhile, I just attributed everything to my sciatica problems.        My 10 days since I received my cortisone shot for stenosis is over today. I can start doing my PT exercises again tomorrow.  I feel like I have no energy to do them but I will give it my best. I was really hoping that my pain would decrease enough for me to start the BIG program for Parkinson's.  Today I read an arti

        My Parkinson's gait is so freaking annoying!! Today I knew my meds were waning but I wanted to stop into Rite Aid. I wasn't in there two minutes when I started doing the two step shuffle.  Then I slid and started doing the OMG, I feel Like A Freaking Idiot walk!!!  I don't know how I was walking but it was fast and totally off balance. I switched directions ASAP and headed out the door with the small amount of dignity I had left!  I know people were looking at me, they probably thought I was loaded!! I felt like I was. There was barely any control in steady type walking. After I got into the car and took my next dose of meds, I was OK in about ten minutes or so.          I started decorating for Olya's 21st birthday.  It is on June 1st.  I only invited a few close friends, my family and Matt's family(Olya's boyfriend's family) because I don't want my friends to think  I want them to come to bring gifts for Olya.  My sister is going to the cas

         Today my plan was to go to Chair Yoga Class.  My leg was throbbing so badly that I decided not to go.  I didn't want to look like an idiot at yoga. I already am uncoordinated so I didn't want to look even worse.  I really wanted to go because I felt better after I went to the Chair Yoga Class two weeks ago.  My Parkinson's was way out of whack today. I kept doing the two or three step shuffle and my balance was way off. I kept feeling like I was going to fall forward.  I took all of my meds on time.  I can always tell when my meds are waning, I start to feel totally off balance. I had so much trouble walking straight and standing straight up. I just felt "off" all day.  My sister came over and we went shopping.  She drove.  We went to a few stores, I got paper products for Olya's 21st birthday party next weekend and she got paper products for Natasha's baby shower in July. I picked out the napkins and paper plates for her, they are so CUTE AND PIN

         Today is the fifth day after my cortisone shot for spinal stenosis! I think this  is the least amount of pain that I have had in over a year. I am still in pain but it is much better and so much more manageable. I can get out of bed at night and go to the bathroom without my walker. That is a feat in itself!  I feel better and I can do more with less pain. I am now much more like a normal person, if I ever was normal! I am hoping when I get a second shot that my doc can give me a little more medicine and get rid of some more of my pain.  I use to have to go up and down the stairs one foot at a time and now I can walk down(but not up) more like a regular old person! Going up is still extremely difficult(due to Parkinsons's and pain). I can now stand for half the time in the shower, before that I had to sit the entire time and then pull myself up with them bars.  I can also stand in the kitchen at the sink and cut and wash all the ingredients for a salad. I could NOT do any

          My bereaved mom friend Debbie just sent me a box of gifts for Amy's anniversary date and for her birthday.  Debbie and I connected a few weeks after Amy died.  She lost her handsome son Pete a few months earlier.  He was only 17 and a senior in high school.  We met in an MSN chatroom and every night a group of us chatted. There was always something special about Debbie, and there still is.  She can make me laugh like no one else can and she is just such a wonderful and supportive friend.  We have been together a few times in person even though we live a few hours away from each other.  I wish she lived next door!  She sent the most wonderful things for Amy.  Amy would be hugging her if she were alive.    Debbie also sent Olivia a graduation card and money! She is so thoughtful!   May 25th will be 18 years that my beloved daughter is gone, she was 18 years old when she died.  Now she will be gone as long as she lived.  Last night  was lying in be

         Today I got up early and went to a local flea market with my friend Priscilla.  Neither of us bought much but it loosened up my painful leg and we had fun walking, chatting, and shopping!  I need nothing, I am trying to empty my house!!I think I bought Dallas Cowboy new paper cups. And I got her a new Cowboy's necklace.  Olivia is a Cowboy's fan so we will use the cups on her birthday in July.  The woman I bought them from told me that her ex husband was a Cowboys.fan! She told me that first she got rid of him and now she was getting rid of his stuff!  She had a ton of Cowboy's shirts but I didn't want to buy used clothes for Olivia!            I also bought a few packages of new make-up sponges, they were really cheap!  I don't like to buy new shampoo or toothpaste, etc because you never know how old the stuff is!!  I was so excited that I was walking around without my walker!! Priscilla has offered to wheel me around in a transport chair, she is truly a

        Today I have a tiny bit more relief from sciatica so my shot worked a small amount! That is a good thing!   I would say that my shot worked about 30-35% and I think that is the best I am getting. I didn't have to use my walker all day again!!!!I cleaned out my refrigerator and cleaned all of the shelves.  Dan had to help me a tiny bit because I had trouble carrying the clean shelves back to the fridge.          I also planted most of my second flat of flowers into my pots on my back deck and the pool deck.  I use to do my entire front gardens lined with annuals but my age and my back stopped that a few years back! I love flowers and I love how pretty they make the outside look!  Dan had to help me again.  He lifted the bags of potting soil for me. I had no problems at all last Spring so it was disheartening that I can't do as much due to my sciatica and my Parkinson's.  Last summer and for the previous 20 summers, I used

         Today my sciatica was a bit better, not too much but enough for me to notice it. If I had to give it a percent, I would say the pain is about 20% less. I will take it!  I hope that it keeps lessening over the next two days.  Dan and I went to Walmart this afternoon.  I spent most of the time in the toy aisle! I had so much fun picking out toys for my girlfriend's grandson.  He is about 1 and the toys for that age are just so cute!! I hope he likes the toys I chose but I got gift receipts in case he doesn't.  I wanted to buy him some books but Bonnie works for a big publishing company and I think she heads the children's books department!     Then I went into the party decorations aisle. Olya has always loved the Minions so I was going to get her Minion plates, Minion napkins, Minion decorations, etc.  I called her to make sure that she would be happy with that but she said she didn't want Minion things.  So we stopped at the dollar store and got her more gro

       I have always believed that being positive helps with any type of health issue, disease, etc. It is very difficult for bereaved parents to be positive because we have suffered with the worst thing that can happen. I have been doing my best to try to be positive even though I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.  It is the sciatica I have that bothers me the most.  I am reading everything I can about Parkinson's to stay up to date with the latest information.  My family and friends have been so supportive and that is so nice for me.  I try to do something social at least once a week to make myself leave the house and function with Parkinson's. Dan tries to get me to go out almost everyday.  A friend had told me about a Drumming Class and I went to that a few times. I couldn't go last week because we were in Disney and I couldn't go this week because my daughters switched cars and everything I needed was not in Dan's car.  I will have to make sure tha