POSITIVE with PARKINSONS

      The last few days I have been in excruciating sciatica pain.  I am trying to figure out what causes it or what I do differently the day or so before I have such pain.  For the life of me, I just can't figure it out. I didn't do anything any different! I think I need to get an ablation!!  Yesterday Dan and I went and exchanged Christmas Gifts at Macys and TJ Maxx.  We didn't even have to really wait in line.  The day before we returned a few things to Kohls and there was only one person in line ahead of me! It wasn't like I had to stand long on my right leg! Joe and Kat and the girls were here for a few days. On Thur., we waited for Olivia to get home from work and then we opened gifts!  Apparently I had told them that we were going to bake the next time they visited! Kaylee is allergic to anything dairy so I had to find a recipe with no milk in it.  I found a Russian Apple Cake recipe online and Gabby made that. Kat and I...

        I always cook Christmas Eve.  I was hoping that PD and Sciatica would stay in the background today but that was NOT meant to be. It is super annoying to have to deal with one or both of them when I have things to do!!!  And I had so much to do today! I had to finish setting the tables,  make the salad, and get out and wash my good serving bowls, platters, etc!   We cooked and prepared most of the day and then we went to church at 4 pm. The service was so lovely that I forgot about Sciatica and PD for the first time all day long!  Part of the music singing including rapping and that was quite a happy surprise. They certainly got everyone's attention.  I was so glad to see that my daughter Olivia opened her purse and put her own money in the collection plate.  She is quite generous. And yesterday she put her own money in the bucket at the theater where we saw Buddy the Elf play.  As soon as I got back to the car, my Scia...

Yesterday we went to see The Christmas Miracle at a sight and sound theater! It was amazing and we all had a nice time. Olya and her boyfriend Matt came with us, they met  us there because Olya went home with Matt on Friday.  Olivia and her "friend" Anthony also met us there.  I think they all had a nice time at the show.  We went to eat at the Waffle House after the performance! Yesterday was NOT a bad day for me with PD, but it was really bad with Sciatica.  I think my Sciatica is worse when it is cold! And it was really cold here yesterday!  I have been wearing my scarf and my gloves in the house, I have no idea whether it is PD related or not. I have a gas insert fireplace and I run it constantly so my house is usually warm, not sure why I am so so cold.          Today we went with my sister and her three adult children to see the play Buddy the Elf! It was really cute, it sort of really gets us ...

        I have insomnia!!! I know it is one of the symptoms of Parkinson's but it is getting really old very quickly!!     The other night I went out to dinner with three of my closest friends, Jackie, Carol, and Nancy. They are such wonderful and caring friends. When I was lying awake in bed last night, I kept thinking about the things that they said to me and I got teary!  They always say the nicest things and they are most definitely my "go to" people who make me feel good! I can definitely get a decent night's sleep if I take some liquid medical marijuana or if I take 600 mg of Gabapentin a day.  The problem is that I usually feel like I have a hangover when I take the marijuana. If I take 300 mg or more of the Gabapentin, the room starts spinning and that's not good!I don't think that the Gabapentin is doing much of anything to help me so I only take one tablet once or twice  a day! Last night Dan and I stayed in a hotel aft...

      Today I had an appointment with my neurologist.  He is such a nice man! He is so intelligent and has a wonderful bedside manner!! I told him about a doctor in the hospital who told me that I didn't have PD. He told me that I do have it, not a Parkinsons-like disease but PARKINSON's! He told me to ignore anyone who says that because they don't have all of the facts! He said that my PD had not progressed at all and that I am still in Stage 1. He doesn't like to talk about stages, he said he cares more about my symptoms. He said that my Sciatica seemed worse because I was walking and limping. He always watches how I walk.  He thought my strength was weaker in my Sciatica leg.  He recommended that I get an ablation, that would deaden the nerves causing my sciatica. He doesn't like that I take Gabapentin because the room spins if I take the prescribed amount, I wouldn't need to take them if I had a successful ablation!   A radiofrequency ablation ...

        Yesterday I went for a laser treatment. My PT told me that they had had a meeting about me with the laser Doc!  I just seem to be at a standstill and not improving. I think I just may need to get surgery which I don't want to do.  I now have had 14 treatments and will go for 5 more and then give up if I don't have improvement. The visits are $50/session!! So I have expended $700 already! I don't mind paying any amount if I  get relief!  I had another treatment today and another scheduled for tomorrow.        I met my friend Leslie for lunch yesterday. I love to hang with Leslie. She is the kindest nicest person ever.  Like me, she has had a great deal of tragedy in her life but she still is a very positive person!  Neither one of us really like the whole Christmas thing with overbuying gifts, etc.  Christmas is just gluttony gone wild! The entire time I was at lunch with her, I totally forgot about Par...

           Today is Sunday. After Dan and I got up, dressed ,etc,  we went to buy a special gift for Olivia. We actually found the gift at the first store we stopped at. I thought it would take several stops into several stores before we found what Dan wanted to get for her.  Then we went to the cemetery to visit Amy and to take her gift from Debbie.   Debbie sent her an outdoor tinsel type candy cane. We hung it on the Christmas tree that Dan put up for her!  Mt Sciatica is killing me today. I ran out of Gabapentin a few days ago. I called to refill it and the pharmacy said I couldn't have it refilled until Dec. 22  I don't understand what happened because I usually forget to take my last dose so I should be ahead with pills, not behind!  My sister takes the same prescription so I borrowed some form her. I will have to ask my pain management doc for a larger number of pills! After the cemetery visit, Dan and I went to Ren...

WHAT AN AMAZING VOICE!!         Yesterday I didn't want to have any pain! Actually I don't want to have pain any day but yesterday I was going to my college friend Joann's house for dinner and board games and fun!! I just love to  hang out with Joann and Mary, we met at college many years ago!  Joann's house is absolutely beautiful and it is just breathtaking when it is decorated for Christmas!!   She had delicious food and so much of it!! We all  chatted and ate and ate and ate.  Then we played Telestrations and we all cracked up at each other's drawings!! Clearly, none of us were art majors in college!! I ABSOLUTELY and TOTALLY forgot that I had Parkinson's and Sciatica while I was there!! That rarely happens! Today I started getting the dining room ready for Christmas Eve dinner.  I think we will have about 16 or 17 people. Dan brought two tables up from the basement.  I washed and put the tablecloths on th...