What A Night Aain!

Mary  & Don in Cannes, France
2008 on Italy Cruise Trip

Dear Friends,

Before I give you the latest update, I wanted to apologize to my faithful readers as I know some of you and some of Mario's faithful followers on Twitter have been worried about us not being around much.   I have  been giving most of my energy the past 2-3 weeks on advertising the #nipclub Monthly's latest DinoPawty on Twitter.   Because of a bad back, I can only sit at the computer for short periods of time or i really pay for it.  I especially feel bad that we haven't been around reading your wonderful blogs because we really do enjoy reading them.   I hope to rectify this in the coming weeks.   

If you read my last post a couple of weeks ago, you'll remember I had to play detective again with my meds.   I definitely know it was the Amantadine that was/is upsetting me stomach,.   I have been limping along with taking 1/2 the dose every day instead of the full 2 pills twice a day.   It's much better, but I'm still a little woozy.    I'm especially tired and woozy tonight because last night was a very "short night" at our house.  The sad part of this change in meds means that I do shake a little more than I should be when the Amantadine dose wears off.  I'll see the Neuro in October, so we'll see what he has to say about the situation.  Meanwhile I put myself back on the first blood pressure change of medication that my family doctor originally prescribed as that med is not the one making me dizzy and sick to my stomach.  I told my family doctor what I had done when I saw him Friday.  He said he was proud of me for taking  matters into my own hands and solving the problem.  Well, in my way of thinking, it was the logically thing to do.  Even the Neuro doctor said to stop the med if it was giving me trouble!

About 2:30 in the morning last night I awoke to someone yelling "Please let me in!"  This scared the daylights  out of me as we did have two of the bedroom windows open due to having such beautiful, cool weather the past few days.   I quickly looked out the bedroom window I was in to see if anyone was around.  No one in sight.   Then I thought of calling the police to have them check our house outside and inside with me!  But that meant getting dressed. UGH!  Okay - put on your "brave hat" and check the house yourself.  

After walking thru the upstairs (main floor) and finding the doors locked, I decided the basement should be checked just to be on the safe side even tho there is no access to the outside from the basement other than little skinny basement windows that would have to be broken to enter.   Now I was too chicken to go down there myself, so I woke Don up.   I convinced him to go to the basement for me.  he he - neither one of us would be capable of fighting off an intruder of any size if we were to ever find one!

Obviously Don did not find anyone in the basement either.   We are now thinking that Don must have been dreaming and shouted out loud what he was dreaming.   He has been known to talk in his sleep.  I'm comfortable with that theory - especially after turning on all  lights in the house and finding the doors still locked.  Meanwhile Mario was sitting under the kitchen table watching his two insane humans running around the house checking it out in the middle of the night.  That was one time I wished we would have had a dog to alert us with some woofing had the situation been real!   Mario was just sitting under the table calmly taking his Friday night bath!  What a guard cat we have!

I have also been having a few computer issues, which our wonderful son-in-law fixed tonight.  He spent about 2 hours with me on the phone while he worked remotely on my computer from his home.   What a life saver that special tool is that allows him to do things remotely on my computer.  It saves him at least an hour because of not having to drive to and from his home.

I think I have mentioned several times that it takes me so much longer now to accomplish anything - either mentally or physically.   There were some days in the past two weeks (while programming tweets in Tweet Deck to go off automatically for me) where my mind just went blank and I couldn't think of how to change the sentence around to make it different from others so TD and Twitter would accept it.  Is that a sign of just getting older or is it part of the PD. Who knows!

Well, it's  off to bed for me tonight.  I'm hoping for a good night of sleep with NO interruptions!  I'll try to get around to reading blogs this next week.  Thanks for being so understanding.

Mary

BINGO - Here We Go Again!

Dear Friends,

I have to apologize for not being around for awhile, but it's  been a couple of busy weeks on Twitter, and Mario keeps me pretty busy over there.

What happens to you when you look at the picture of the spiral?  It makes me dizzy (ya, I know, I'm dizzy most of the time - or is that ditzy!  he he).  Anyway, I'm curious to know how it makes you feel when you look at it. so please let me know.  Why, well, I've been feeling quite dizzy (light headed) for close to 3+ weeks now and to the point where i now walk around with a cane at home most of the time as I'm never sure if I'll topple over or not..

My primary doctor switched my blood pressure meds to a new one because the old one wasn't doing the job any longer.   He put me on a lower dosage of a very common, widly-used brand.  

I started it and within three days I was feeling dizzy.  Well, it has to be from the  new meds - right?   My primary doctor then changed the med to a different brand and told me to wait 3 days before taking it so the other medicine was out of my system.    It was after 3 days - no more dizzy!

I followed his instructions for a second time and the same thing happened.   This time when I called he said he'd try a new brand again, but if the same thing happened, I should come in to see him.   

I visited that doctor last week and after checking my blood pressure himself, he looked at me and said "I don't think this is blood pressure pill related - I think it's PD related and maybe we'd better get your neurologist involved.

In the meantime I was to stop all of the new BP medications, stick with my old one that wasn't very effective any longer, and check with my neurologist.  And my primary doctor said to make an appointment in a month with him again.   I now have a call in to my Neurologist.  I happened to think that I started a new medication from him about the time I started the new blood pressure meds.  Upon checking the fact sheet that comes with my drugs - BINGO!!   The second side-effect listed is "May cause dizziness."   

I do believe the medication gods are mad at me!!  It seems like any medication the neurologist suggests, I end up with side effects!  One of these days I suspect he'll drop me as a patient!  (Not sure if that would be good or bad!) - just muttering here or as Mario would say -  MOL)

I haven't heard back from him after leaving a message yesterday.   I checked my PD handbook and dizziness is a symptom that falls within the PD disease, so maybe it's just natural progression too.   Unfortunately, the doc doesn't have any openings until the middle of October, unless after reading my message from yesterday he decides to find an opening to see me.

It's going to be an interesting and challenging several weeks until I can get in to see the Neurologist again.   As a Twitter friend told me one day - "Getting old ain't for the faint of heart."  She is so right!  Stay tuned.

For now.......

Mary

Update at 11:30 this morning.  The neurologist's office returned my call and will check with  doctor.  So they are working on it. In the meantime, I'm not as dizzy as I was early this morning or yesterday.  

More...."This N That"

Beautiful Westeria Flowers
 at Dioditians Palace, Split Croatia
Taken on our cruise to Italy 2009

Dear Friends,

The most amazing thing happened yesterday and today - we had RAIN!!! We haven't had any rain since May, and the ground is so parched that you wonder if shrubs, trees, and plants will ever bounce back. We didn't get much - possibly 1/2 to 1 inch or so, but it was such a blessing to see. i felt like being a kid again and run outside, do a dance around a tree, and back in the house again. Of course, there is something wrong with this visual picture, because I can't run anymore! But it was fun to think about it. For all of June we would watch rain come close on radar, but then dry up before it ever reached us. The rain gods must have been watching over us today. he he

This was another week with another doctor's appointment - family doctor this time.  I do wish all doctor's would be as easy to talk to as this one.   He always listens to what you have to say.  If you have any suggestions, he'll listen.  Might not always agree with you, but he does listen.  And, he agreed that I could take more pain pills than what I've been taking.  I can take 2 Tramadol 3 times a day along with 2 Tylenol 3 times a day.  That is helping as I didn't hurt as much this past week. 

I'm not a candidate for back surgery nor do I want to go through back surgery.


Don has an appointment with the neurologist this week.   He's doing okay.  I think he has remained about the same and has not slipped any in the past year.  He's another year older and I can see where he has slowed down some.

I sure do hope the extreme heat and humidity go away for the remainder of this week. Green Bay never did see 100, but 99 is close enough for me! Parts of Wisconsin did see 100 tho and happened only about 45 miles away from us.  Too close for comfort!  It was miserable, and I'm tired of being cooped up in the house in the summer. I shouldn't complain because we are fortunate enough to have central air and many people don't have any air conditioning period. Even Mario was begging to go outside.  We don't let him out when it's this hot either so he had to dream about getting outside.!

Hope you all are having a good week.   Stay healthy and keep cool.   In 6 months we'll be complaining that there's too much snow and it's too cold.  The saying in Wisconsin is "If you don't like the weather, come back in a couple of hours - it will change!"!

Until next time,

Mary

It Pays To Write A Letter!

Dear Readers,

How about my picture form Alaska 2+  years ago!  Does that help cool you off?  It's going to only be 84 today in Green Bay, WI - we may have to get out the winter parkas!  ha ha  The high temps of 99 and humidity of last 2 weeks nearly did me in.   It was a major effort to go out to feed the birds and change the water in the bird bath.  The older I get, the less I can cope with extreme heat and humidity. 

I saw the Neurologist last week.  And this was one visit with him that went very well.  He was just as nice as he could be, and I was feeling extra sharp, so I was able to answer all of his questions quickly.  


If you remember my last visit with him didn't go very well - generic drugs were ordered instead of the brand name Mirapex - I felt like I was given the 3rd degree because I couldn't take some of the drugs he prescribed even tho I had called his office, discussed it with his nurse, and she said he said to stop those same drugs -- and he clearly was in a bad mood.  I then sat down and wrote a two page letter explaining why I was unhappy and documented as much of the information as I could.   I also  asked him if he'd prefer to refer me to another doctor.   My letter was very nice, but I did remind him that I can't help it that I can't handle the preferred drug for Parkinson's unless he wants me to spend  all my time in bed and risk falling every time I got up. I also sent him the link to the Arthritis Foundation's website that had an article on generics are not always the same as the brand named drug - so I'm not crazy when I say I can't take "some" generics!.


At the end of my visit, when he was writing the new prescription for the coming year, I politely and gently reminded him that I had to have the brand name of Mirapex and not the generic version.   His comment was "I got that message, and I won't forget it!"  So he apparently remembered my letter.  I suspect he doesn't have many patients that write him a letter.   Most people my age wouldn't do that as we were taught that the doctor was always right and you just don't question them.


So, it pays to write your doctor a letter if you are thoroughly unhappy with your course of treatment or how you are being treated.    It has taken me 73 years to figure this out.  This particular neurologist has an excellent reputation for being a good one, so I really don't want to switch, but will if things continue the way they were.


Next week I see my regular family doctor, and it's a good thing because the pain pills aren't strong enough.  I'm hoping he will say I can take them every 4 hours when needed instead of 6 hours.   Summer's are always rough on me. I'm not sure why.  It might be the highs and the lows of the pressure or the change in weather.  Whatever it is, my body hurts most of the time.  It's probably the Fibromyalgia rearing it's ugly head again.   It doesn't help that we've had such extremely high humidity either, which is bad for the arthritis.


Now on a lighter note, we had the pleasure of having a visit by a good Twitter friend (MaggieTKat and ParkerTKat's mom and dad).   It is the first time we've actually met in person.   Such lovely, fun people, and both Don and I felt like we've known them all our lives.    Mario loved having them here too as he got lots of hugs, kisses and attention.  They are from MO, were visiting in the Twin Cities of MN, and were kind enough to swing over our way on their way back home (going a day out of their way to visit).   


Wanda is a quilter, who does beautiful work and makes quilts for various animal shelter fund raisers.   She just finished a gorgeous one and has donated it to help raise funds for @BabyPatches and her @nipandbones pet supply store.   Please go over and take a look at it - it's gorgeous.   If you have a spare dollar or two and wish to contribute to the fund to help save @nipandbones, and help pay @BabyPatches' mom's medical bills, it will be greatly appreciated.   @CathyKeisha is holding this auction on her blog site and it will run most of this coming week - I believe.  To see the quilt go to: http://www.stunningkeisha.com/.  If you need any pet supplies, check out the site for http://www.nipandbones.com/.  They are an excellent company to deal with and have wonderful, timely customer service if you need help with anything.


Sorry this post is so long.


Until next time - stay cool!


Mary

It was the Jelly Beans!

Photo from Wikipedia.com

Dear Readers,

It's a purrfect (as Mario would say) day in Wisconsin - light breeze, temperature predicted to be 75 today, and humidity is low.  It doesn't get any better than this friends.  I know, I know, I know - many of my readers live in warm climates and this would feel like winter to them, but I'm loving it.

There is good news to report today.   A week or so ago I had a follow-up appointment with the psychologist to see if I was declining in mental ability or had improved.   For a change I remembered to ask him to send me a copy of his report to my neurologist and one for my records too.  

I do have to say I was in TOP FORM that day - felt good physically and mentally sharp.   Got to the psychologists office, met with his assistant (who is the one to do the testing) and promptly said to her "I don't know what's going on here, but I really feel mentally with it today."   And I did too,   

She started administering the Weschler Intelligence Scale - Adult version to me (those sections that I had done so very poorly on the very first time she tested me and also had trouble with the second time she tested me). 

The end result is that I've improved in some areas of mental functioning ("notable gains in memory, (both for verbal and visual information) Language was clear, Verbal Reasoning was Solid,, but viseospatial functioning looked slightly improved. in certain dimensions.     He did tell my neurologist that due to my family history, they should still keep an eye on my overall cognitive functioning especially with the Parkinson's.   

Now I still have some long-term memory issues and some short-term issues also. But I guess I'm at what I'd refer to as the normal (for my age) range and I can't ask for more than that.   How long it will last, no one knows, but I'll take it when I can get it.  I just feel like I've gained back the ground that I've lost over the past 9 months.   And, there was decline over those months.   Might have been drugs - who knows,

I have to tell you that I feel like a little kid who finally got an A in one of his classes after flunking last semester!!   I do feel more mentally alert these days and generally more "with it."   I really think it was the Jelly Beans I ate before reaching his office.  (shh, don't tell anyone that - he he).   I hardly ever eat Jelly beans because they are all sugar.  But the day before I picked up a bag of Jelly Belly's when I spied them at the store.,   I was running late the morning of the testing, so didn't eat a proper lunch - grabbed a hand  full of Jelly Beans and ran out the door.   I'm sure IT'S THE JELLY BEANS!   haha!

I researched on the Internet some picture samples of some of the tests.  This is not giving away any secrets nor is there anyway to practice because you  don't have the answers.  Just thought you might find this interesting.   This is just a tiny sampling of SOME of the things on the test and these same samples did not appear on the test I took - just similar things.   

Tester presented pictures of puzzle, and I was told to copy with the actual tiles.  This is a timed test, starting easy, and ending hard if, it is something that doesn't come easy for you.

Fill in the blank space.   I didn't have to do this one, but had something similar.   I could not have done this one and would have left it undone.  I just simply don't get it.

Now on this one on the left, I think I  know the answer, but I'm not sure.  i'm guessing it's #5, but I don't know if I'm right or not.


In addition to visual puzzles, she read a list of about 40 words and I had to repeat as many as I could.   That was hard even tho she read them slowly and did it twice.


Then there was a language test where she about  read about 20  words in pairs and wanted to know how they were related or alike.   This was very hard because in some cases i didn't think they were related - opposites instead.






In another test she read a story with math problems that I had to do in my head -no paper allowed.   Now if you happen to like math and are good with it, this test would have been easy peasy.  But.....  I hated math.  I do remember the times table and can certainly add, subtract and divide.   I can't solve those problems in my head tho when they are presented in story form and you have to add, subtract, and multiply in your head while retaining the information.  it's too much for this old brain.   


All in all, I was happy with the results.  I still say I did well because of the magical jelly beans.  You know - if you were not a genius in school, you aren't going to  be a genius as an old lady!  he he  



Until next time......




Mary


All pictures copied from Internet Explorer's "Images" file and labeled to be  from the Weschler Intelligence Scale   -  Adult.  I have no idea exactly what year.

Happy Mother's Day

Art work by Ann  at Zoolatry

Dear Readers,


I'm deviating a little this week by doing a post as a tribute to my own mother, who left this world for a better place in 1995 at the age of 78 after suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease for only about 4 years.  In my eyes, she was a great lady - a hero.   No, you would not have ever heard her name unless our families knew each other - she wasn't famous.   But she was a very strong, courageous lady - ahead of her era.   And I truly admire her for her strength and miss her so much even tho she's been gone for so many years.


Martha (Mom) was second oldest of 10 children and had to drop out of school in the 8th grade to help on the farm, which was typical of her generation.   Her teacher talked to Grandpa and tried to convince him that Martha was very smart and should stay in school.  But in grandpa's eyes, only boys needed to graduate from High School - a woman's place was in the home taking care of the kids.   How times have changed - thank God!   Her life was a hard one, yet she never complained.   


She married my biological father about a year before I came along.   I think she married him to escape an alcoholic, abusive father at home. Unknowingly, my father was also an alcoholic.   She divorced him when I was about 3 because she wanted something better for me than how she grew up  - in an alcoholic, abusive household.    The final straw came for her when one night my biological father was sitting in the tavern drinking, as he often did, when I was at home with an extremely high temperature and had pneumonia.  Mother told me i nearly died that night, but a neighbor came over and took she and I to the hospital so I could be treated.   To get me out of that environment, she packed me up and we moved  with one of her married sisters until she could find a job.   She spent a few years being a live-in housekeeper so we would have a place to live too.   


Keep in mind that she hadn't even graduated from high school.  Also keep in mind this was  in the 1930's and 40's.   Women just didn't get divorced in those days - you were supposed to stand by your man! But she wanted more for me than alcoholism and physical/mental abuse.  A divorced person was looked down upon back in those days - yes, truly they were.   In fact, many times you were shunned.  Some people would not let their children play with your children for fear of what you might do to their children!   After all, you were DIVORCED!


She eventually met and married my stepfather when I was in 3rd grade.  He was a very nice man and really the one I look to and referred to as my dad. he he - I remember being very sad when my mother got married again because it had just been she and I for all my life (that I could remember).  Now this strange man was going to come between us.  But that strange man was wonderful to me and treated me like a daughter.


I know her story is not all that unusual of that generation (except for being divorced - which just was not ever done back then) but I wanted to share why I loved and respected my mother so much.   She was one strong, gutsy lady to strike out on her own with no job and no education and a small baby to boot!


I think sometimes we forget about all the sacrifices our parents have made or are making in our behalf.  I certainly never thought about all this when she was alive, so I never thanked her for it.  And I wished I had.  So this mother dear, is a tribute to you for all you have sacrificed for me.  Mother, you were the best and I love you for all you did for me.


Happy Mother's Day to to all you dear readers too.  If you are a mother to either a human or furbaby, you are appreciated even if we don't tell you often enough. 


Mary   

Making A Fashion Statement - NOT

Dear Readers,

Dream Shoe

When you have Parkinson's Disease, there is a good chance that you will have balance problems - unfortunately it goes with the disease.  Thus, you need to have a good foundation so you can maintain your balance while walking.   Your days of wearing a beautiful, stylish shoe such as this one above are pretty much over.   In reality, you will be in the following - or something similar - especially when outside.

They don't exactly make a fashion statement, but will keep you standing versus falling flat on your face.   


I can get dizzy just walking outside to the patio to put bird seed in one of the feeders.   Yesterday  I found myself getting woozy as I looked up  to find the hook the feeder was hanging on and started to lose my balance.  Fortunately, I was able to stabilize myself and not fall.   Had I been in high heels, I would not have caught myself.   This happens in spite of my efforts to practice balancing on each foot several times a day.   All it takes is for the head and eyes to move too rapidly up or down and over you go - head over teakettle! 


Oh there are tons of flat shoes and sandals that I could wear if I didn't have back problems and foot problems.   That's a separate issue from the Parkinson's issue.   You just have to make sure you have a good firm foundation on which to stand if you have Parkinson's.   


Well, my wonderful yard crew (Harrison and dad) are here taking care of the yard, and I have to pay them for a job well done again.   So, will close for this time. 


Would you believe I managed to prepare this entire blog with the new blogger interface without screwing anything up?   As is the usual case with "new and improved" items, it's more complicated than ever to use now, in my opinion - but then, I don't always like changes,   


Mary

The Journey From D to D - - Not a Subject For The Dinner Table

Dear Readers, 

How did this ever happen!    How does one go from diapers to Depends in 73 years?   (snicker)   How can this be when in my head I'm only 53!

When I started this blog on September 11, 2011 it was with the intentions of being a helpful tool for someone else who is newly diagnosed with Parkinson's and struggling with all the changes your body goes thru - or perhaps in helping to broaden your knowledge base to better understand what your parent might be going thru.   It's my perspective of things and what I have picked up from reading various reputable articles.   Here we are - 7 months later and I'm already talking about (gasp) Depends!

When you have Parkinson's your muscles weaken.   Your bladder is one large muscle.  Did you know that?   I didn't..   Now if you have Parkinson's, it doesn't automatically mean you will end up using Depends, but the chances of it happening are very good.   Muscles tend to weaken as we age anyway, then add Parkinson's to the equation and like magic your bladder muscles weaken too.   What did we ever do before these wonderful products were available?

I am a big water drinker.  If I didn't drink so much water, I'd probably not be buying Depends.  Bbut I love water and you need to drink a lot for urinary tract health and general health.   The biggest problem happens at night.  When you have Parkinson's and Arthritis in the spine, your movements are slower.  Thus getting up out of bed in a hurry for a bathroom trip in the middle of the night just isn't always possible.   It is so nice to have the Depends to depend on for those occasiona l leakages that happen.  (I'm not being paid by Depends - in fact, I buy any brand that's available and is on sale!   They are  nearly all the same.)

While I'm on the subject, Urinary Track Infections are on the rise with the aging population. Dr. Duncan Jefferson blog post on "Sniffing out Urinary Tracts Infections -UTIs" is a very interesting article.  Everyone is susceptible to UTIs - not just the elderly or young children.      You'll remember I've mentioned Dr. Jefferson's blog in the past as being an excellent resource as he writes about all kinds of medical issues in easy-to-understand language. You might nose around in his blog sometime - it's full of helpful information and certainly this post is very interesting.

Until next time,

Mary

What A Day!

Dear Readers,


What a day this has been.   Thankfully, everything is fine now, but it  was an interesting morning and one we don't care to repeat.    I had an entirely different post in my head for an Easter post, but that went by way of the trash bin.


Don woke me up at 6:00, out of a deep sleep, by shaking me.   "Get up - I fell and am bleeding all over the place."    Not the best wake-up call.  Having Mario give me kitty kisses or stare in my eyes only an inch from my face is much more pleasant he he.


Don's description was a little dramatic - he was dripping blood on the carpeting but it wasn't all over the place - just a trail going from the bed into the bathroom.   I'm sure he was still stunned that he fell out of bed (yes  -  fell out of bed") and apparently hit his nose on a table nearby and landed on his face.   His face and nose have a beautiful, bright red, rug burn on them,  his pride is wounded, but otherwise, he's okay.   He is lucky he didn't break something!   


It seems he was dreaming he had fallen out of bed and banged his head.  Well, in reality, his dream wasn't a dream - it was real.  


Since he is on asprin every day as a blood thinner (after having had open heart surgery about  12 years ago), I  was worried about either a concussion or internal bleeding in his head, so I suggested we get dressed right away and drive to the emergency room.   


Four hours, one cat scan of his head, blood work, and an EKG, later -  he was pronounced okay.   


Being a Saturday morning, the ER didn't seem unusually busy, but they had to wait for all test results to come  back, wait for a doctor to read them, wait for the discharge nurse, wait for, wait for, wait for.........   They sure did give him a good going over tho.


We finally got home at 1:00 after stopping off at the drug store for a prescription - very thankful that things were not as bad as they could have been.   I promptly called the man who steam cleans our carpeting, and he came right out (was I lucky or what?)  He performed his magic (he he - his business is called Magic Carpet Cleaning and he did a fantastic job.  There is no sign of an emergency situation in this house.


So, on a happier note  - Happy Easter or PassOver or Happy Day blessings to all of you.   


Until next time - 


Mary

Feet - Human Paws

Bad picture of our Magnolia Tree this spring.

Dear Readers,

Todays post has nothing to do with Parkinson's Disease, but it is something you may very well be faced with in your lifetime - (Gasp!) Toe Fungus!   (Okay, you can stop reading here if you have any objections to this non-dinner conversation topic and come back again when I'm on a more pleasant subject.  he he )

I have had Toe Fungus for probably 20 years on one or more toes and avoided wearing sandals most of my adult life because of it.   At one time the doctor tried a dosage of Spornox on me to treat this problem, but I then broke out in a severe case of hives.   I stopped that drug immediately and just decided to live with the problem. Oh, I did mention my toes to my family doctor on occasion, and his comment was "Oh feet!"   It was very obvious he didn't want anything to do with the subject either.

Fast forward a few years and add arthritis to the toes and spine, in addition to the Fungus.   I recently had to go in search off a Podiatrist to treat the fungus problem and find one who could  cut back an ingrown toenail or a toenail that I felt was going to become ingrown.   That's when I found out that most of the podiatrists today don't want to see a patient for toenail trimming - or fungus nails.   Interesting!!   Why?   I don't know!

I finally found a Podiatrist that would treat my ingrown nail only (according to the receptionist).  (He would not trim the nails with the fungus.)   I grabbed the appointment while I could get one and went off to see that doctor yesterday.

Fortunately, he did decide to trim my horrendous nails that Don and I have trouble trimming because they are so thick.  I did not ask him to - he did it on his own,   He was hesitant to prescribe Lamisil (a medication to treat toenail fungus) because it can damage the kidneys and I'm already on lots of strong medication.   So we talked about removing the toenail covering the big toe.   I'm going to have that done - only will wait until early May so it's warmer outside and maybe I can wear open toed sandals while the toe heals.

I was really shocked when I heard doctor after doctor say that they don't do toenail trimming.   i'm fortunate that Don and I have each other, but what about those people who have no one to help them?   When you have Arthritis and get to be this age, it isn't always easy to trim your own toenails.   

Why is it that podiatrist after podiatrist office told me they were not taking any new patients for toenail trimming?   I know Medicare doesn't pay for that, and that's understandable.  But if a patient isn't capable of doing their own and is willing to pay to have it done, what is a person to do?  Yes, I could have gone to some salon for a pedicure, but I didn't want that.  I wanted to make sure the person doing the trimming knew how to work with toes that had a fungus and could maybe offer a solution to the ongoing problem.   I wanted a foot doctor!  Is that unreasonable?  

In the grand scheme of life, this is a minor problem, but it's very annoying.   

Does anyone else have that problem and have you also found it difficult to get in to see a Podiatrist for nail trimming?  

Mary

The Other Kind Of Dragon

Dear readers,


I think I mentioned in my last post that the program Dragon Naturally Speaking had arrived at our doorstep late last week.  I have spent 3 days playing with it, and i can honestly say I LOVE IT!   


In my opinion, it's a hard program to learn when you are old and technologically challenged.  But, it's getting easier each day.  Ha ha - those first 3 days were filled with my calling the Customer Service number probably at least 20 times, usually needing help with the blue tooth gizmo.   This is my first experience with a Blue Tooth - ya ya - I know we're behind the times here.  he he  - but at least I knew what a blue tooth was.  ha ha  


I have to say the customer service was wonderful, patient, and walked me through things step by step.   I do much better with learning via hands-on rather than reading.  


I'm especially happy that it will work on Twitter, which was my main reason for getting it - to keep in touch with the many friends I've met there and in the blog world.   


ha ha - I did learn the hard way tho that one has to be careful when one carries on a conversation within your own household while wearing the blue tooth.  Don and I had a conversation yesterday and Dragon transcribed the entire conversation and typed it on Twitter.   Fortunately, it was way way too long to send out, but I sure did have a lot of back spacing to do to erase all of it.


Probably the biggest challenge is to memorize all the commands one can use.   Presently, I use a combination of dictating to Dragon, but I then correct Dragon's mistakes or mistakes I've made.   Dragon and I are both trying to get used to each other.  ha ha - someone asked if I was going to call him Puff.  Actually, I think that's a good idea.   Once Puff and I get used to each other, life will be easier.


It's funny because in all my working years I used to do transcription of School Psychological Reports, and School Social Worker Reports.  All of a sudden I have to learn to dictate - which isn't easy.   You really need to pre-plan a little as to what you want to say before you start the paragraph.   Puff likes to be told punctuation, which you have to remember to toss in as you are dictating.   It will get easier as time goes on and I become more familiar with the program.  The other strange thing for me is writing something without typing it.  My brain has always automatically communicated with my fingers.   I never really gave much thought to what I was writing - it just seemed to flow out my fingers.   Now I have to think ahead.   I suspect this will become easier with use also.  


I'm sure a younger person could breeze through this without half the struggles I go through.   But, I'll get there - it just may take me longer.   Oh yes, the other downside is that it doesn't know cat talk.  So Mario has to tell me what he wants to say and then I have to tell Puff in human talk.   I could take the time to teach Puff some of Mario's special words, but that will take time also.


The entire program is rather amazing actually.   Now i wonder if Dragon can balance the checkbook for me and clean the refrigerator.


Mary

Why Haven't You Posted?

Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
(YES, that is one of many glaciers)

Dear Friends,


Last night two dear friends asked why I hadn't posted in awhile.   Well, I guess several reasons - it takes me longer these days to do anything (including think).  Then last week there were a couple of days that I could barely type because my hands were bouncing around all over the place.  I was also going through a "dumps" period for a week or two.   You know the kind - "poor me" - "why me"  - pity weeks.  No, I don't want anyone else to feel sorry for me - I did enough of that myself last week.  As I have said, there are many  young people in this big wide world with worse problems.   I really feel that way 99.9% of the time.  But I guess a case of the "poor me blues"  was bound to creep up on me.  It has been a year since I was diagnosed with PD, and this is the first time I've gone through it.      


My self-pity period may have been blessing in disguise as it forced me into doing something proactive.   I've purchased a computer program called "Dragon Nuance Naturally Speaking."    Several good friends on Twitter have been encouraging me for about 6 months to look into it.   After having a bad couple of weeks of not being able to type much, I decided it was TIME to at least check into it.


My big concern was that it might not be compatible with Twitter and Blogger, as those are my two big social outlets.   A call to the company representative assured me it was compatable.   And, it just so happened they had a little special going on whereby there would be $50 off the Blue Tooth head set.   My son-in-law (SIL) told me the Dragon has been around for years - they kind of come on strong for awhile, then fade away for awhile, then come back strong again after improving things.   He said there was no concern with my computer not being able to handle it.    After talking it over with Don, I decided to order it.


What is Dragon?   It's a system that will allow me to dictate the words to be typed and the program will type for me.   Beats me as to how this is possible. But I've always said (especially when there are problems with the computer) that there are little tiny gremlins running around inside the computer and every now and then they say "gotcha."   So maybe now the little gremlins are the ones who will be typing for me.   he he.    


I'm excited for it to come, which will probably be one day this week.  Unfortunately, there will be a learning curve for both me and the software.   Dang, I swear this computer stuff is smarter than humans sometimes.   I had to laugh when she said the program would have a learning curve too.  I wonder if it gets an A, B or a C and who will rate it.   


Oh, and does that mean I'll be pacing the floor while dictating.  ha ha - every boss I ever had that dictated paced the floor!!   Stay tuned for more news on this one.


Mary

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks and Good News

Photo taken in Alaska May 2011.on our cruise

Dear Readers,


Happy Valentine's Day.  Fifty-four (54) years ago today, Don and I walked down the isle at our wedding.   Where have those years gone!!  How can it possibly be 54 years when in my head I'm still 40ish (not my body, but my head).  My body hasn't felt like 40 since - well - age 40.




The other morning I woke up with a good idea for a blog post.  I Should have written it down, but didn't.  Obviously, today I couldn't remember what it was. It's so frustrating when that happens.   


I don't know if you have been noticing the various headers at the top of this blog and Mario's blog or not.  But I recently took advantage of a 30-day trial program that PhotoShop Elements 10 was offering.   WOW, I'm not sure if this old dog is up to learning all these new tricks or not.  It's very complicated.  They only use video's as a teaching tool.   By the time I've watched the video and then try to put in practice what I have seen, I've forgotten half the steps involved to get there.  I guess I'm just going to have to view one video every 3 days, try to take notes as I'm watching, and than practice those techniques for the next 3 days.   Since I have shaky hands, it's not easy to take notes while watching the video, and what few notes I take, I have trouble reading.


Now on to the Fantastic News.  Last week, while reading the blogs, I happened on an update in the Parkinson's Disease Foundations's Blog written by James Beck, Ph.D., Director of Research Programs.

It seems that two different scientists have discovered independently that Alzheimer’s disease may spread from brain cell to brain cell much like a virus.

Now what does all this have to do with Parkinson's? Well, there are similarities in that their theory is whatever causes Parkinson's reacts much the same way - traveling from cell to cell (cell might be the wrong scientific term here). I'm not going to try to explain it here because it's way too scientific for this old brain and I might not use the right terminology which could cast an entirely different light on things. I suggest you take a minute to read Dr. Beck's interesting article.

There is now hope that perhaps a vaccine can be developed to stop the spread of the disease and maybe even prevent it. I had left a comment in his blog that I wouldn't mind being a part of that test group - whenever and if it reaches that point. Of course, in reality, that is a long way in the future and probably won't happen in my lifetime. So, I'm not going to hold my breath or get too excited about the possibility of being a part of scientific research. But it is the most hopeful thing I have read about this disease - ever. If interested in reading the article - just click here: Parkinson's Disease Foundations Blog It's a short article and easy to read.

This has been a half way decent week pain wise. I got my two shots in the sacroiliac joints one week ago yesterday. The shots also helped my back a little bit. I don't know how long this will help, but I can't get another set of shots for 4 months.   I'm going to enjoy this time now while I have it for however long it lasts.


Happy Valentines Day!


Mary

Mother Nature's Return Visit

Dear Readers,


Mother Nature decided she wasn't calling an end to winter yet.   It started snowing early this morning , we have about 3 inches of snow on the ground with strong winds wildly re-arranging snow.   We have a pretty, colorful flag which you can barely make out in the picture because the wind is whipping it around.   I was hoping the flag would show up better as it helps brighten up the day with the new snowfall.  Tonight the temperatures will fall below zero.  Hopefully Mario will really snuggle in bed because that little guy acts like a furnace - you don't get cold with him next to your back.


A funny thing happened while grocery shopping this morning.  As I was headed to check out, Don took off and was shopping in the "card" section.   I made the statement to the checkout girl that "I seemed to have lost my husband."   She replied with - "That's okay - another one will be along shortly".  ha ha! Sure enough, a couple of minutes later a man fell in line behind me at which time the checkout girl stated "See - I told you."   Now at this point I burst out laughing because it was so funny.   The man behind me had no clue why we were both laughing, and neither did Don when he finally caught up with me.  It's probably the most fun grocery shopping trip I've had in months.  ha ha - doesn't take much to make a highlight in my day.


I continued to laugh until I was presented with the total bill.  Talk about sticker shocker!   When are those rising grocery prices going to stop.   


I have another post planned for tomorrow and it's pretty exciting, but today I just had to share something fun for a change.   I'm having some good days this week - thanks to a Cortisone shot in each of my sacroiliac joints on Monday (right where your "sitter" is).   I've been able to get rid of the pain pills for now anyway, and just go with 2 Tylenol three times a day. 


Until tomorrow - hope you are snow free and having a great Friday.


Mary

Flat Mario on a Cruise to Alaska - Blog Hop

Flat Mario on an Alaskan Cruise

Dear Readers,

Last May 2011,  Don and I and our daughter and her husband took a cruise to Alaska.   At the time, Mario, our cat, had a Twitter friend visiting from Germany.  Lippi, a stuffed bear, was on a world tour of various Twitter animal friends.   When we found out about the cruise, we asked Lippi's human if maybe Lippi's schedule could be changed slightly so he could go on the cruise with us.  Fortunately it could be arranged and we ended up getting Lippi 3 days before leaving on the cruise.  Lippi was in Chicago at the time visiting @BusyButtons, and Buttons was gracious and sent him on to us early so he could go on the cruise.

Lippi had all kinds of adventures.   You might enjoy reading about them in Mario's blog at http://www.mariodacat.blogspot.com/2011/06/lippe-arrives.html.   This is the first of several posts, but you can go to the bottom of each post and click on "older post."    We had some great adventures with Lippi.

Now why did I talk about this now?   Because I've joined a Saturday Photo Hunt and the subject this week is "Flat."   Well, Flat Mario went on the cruise with us because the real Mario couldn't go.   Here's the link to the Photo Hunt:  

Whistle Stop Photo Hunt.

Would you believe Lippi is still on that world tour and is visiting, I believe, the State of Washington.   I hope Lippi writes a book because he really had some great adventures.   Shhh, don't tell anyone, but Kim and Ken taught him how to drink Beer and he had a couple of hang overs.  Silly bear.  

Thanks for visiting today.  

Mary

Parkinson's and Skin Issues - Leprosy?

Dear Readers,


Did you know that it's very common to have skin issues with Parkinson's?   Yes, I know, it's typical anyway as we age.  But I can tell you I have noticed many more skin blemishes on my body in the past year since being diagnosed with PD.   In fact my family doctor had mentioned (when I had showed him a couple of moles) that I can plan on getting many more of them too, along with other skin issues.   I used to wear makeup to cover up all the skin things, but have finally decided this is "who I am" - take it or leave it.


A couple of days ago  I went to the beauty shop for my monthly trim, after my guardian angel of hair coloring (A special friend who colors my hair for me monthly) had applied hair coloring the day before.   My beautician noticed  a couple of areas of dry, sand-papery skin on my forehead.  (See picture with arrow in the middle of my forehead).  I know it doesn't show up very well on the picture, but it is very noticeable in person - looks like dirty skin that just won't scrub clean.  Or somewhat like a birth mark.  


My beautician had a name for the skin condition, and typical me, I can't remember what she called it.   But she did show me a product that she uses on her face as a moisturizer (she has severe rheumatoid arthritis) and also has skin problems.  She recommended Cocoon, which is full of Amino Acids.   Now it's too early to give a report on how it works because I just started using it a few nights ago.   I will keep you posted though.  But, already, after only 6 nights  my face does not feel so dry.     

It is pricey, but will be worth the price if it works.  None of my other moisturizers worked for this problem.  (No, I'm not being compensated for mentioning this product or the product mentioned below in any way!)

I meant to ask the doctor about something to use on my face, but forgot because I didn't have it written on my list.  But for now the Cocoon seems to be helping.


According to The Parkinson's Disease Treatment Book by J. Eric Ahlskog, M.D., what I have on my face probably is Seborrhea Dermatitis.  "The jury is still out as to what really causes skin problems with Parkinson's patients, but it is suspected that the various medications are the cause."   If i were to make a guess -  YES - IT'S THE DRUGS!!   What is that old saying - "Better Living Thru Modern Chemistry!"  


By the way, I saw my family doctor two weeks ago and showed him all my moles (just to be safe).   I'm happy to report none of them are cancerous.  That's another thing that has worsened since being diagnosed with Parkinson's.   The amount of moles on my skin has increased two-fold in 1 year, along with little bumps that look like warts.   


Overall my skin is extremely dry - to the point where it's very itchy.   I was talking to a friend on Twitter one day, and she suggested using "Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula, with Vitamin E."  Let me tell you - that stuff works magic.   I do have to apply it daily, and if I don't, I really pay for it big time with excessive itching.  Cocoa Butter is an old product as I remember my mother using it when I was a kid.  It's also Fragrance Free for anyone needing that feature.   I don't know why it didn't work on my face, but it didn't.  You can also pick it up at the local drug store.  


Now dry skin is typical in the winter if you live in a northern climate.   Our houses are dry with the heating unit running full force in the winter.  But my skin is dryer than it has ever been before, and this is the first year I've had the itching to go with it.   I also drink a lot of water, but that hasn't made a difference either this year.  The Palmers Cocoa Butter takes care of the itching for almost 24 hours.


Would you believe I even looked up  Leprosy on the internet to see what that looked like?   Horrible, don't even bother to look.   ha ha - at least I don't have that!


Thanks for visiting once again, I know this is a boring post - guess it's reflective of the mood I'm in these days.



Mary

Fluffy - The Saturday Photo Hunt

Dear Readers,


I've joined the Whistle Stop Saturday Blog Hop and this week's assignment is FLUFFY!   The fluffiest thing in our house is our cat, Mario  When I started this blog my intentions were to keep it separate from Mario's, but here I am using one of his 400 pictures! Guess you can tell who ranks in this house.  Sorry, but he is the fluffiest thing we have.


I started out hunting for a good article on the importance of pet therapy.  Well, of course when you want something specific, you can't find it.   But I know you have all seen the articles at one time or another:   Having a pet is good for mental health, lowers blood pressure, good therapy for depression, good for overall health, etc.   Even nursing homes/assisted living facilities are getting with the program and allow residents to sometimes have a pet.   


Mario is all of the above for us.  He's not the most beautiful cat in the world, but he makes up for that by being super friendly and loveable and is good therapy for both Don and myself.   And, the fluff on his belly is super soft!


He is good therapy for both Don and I - gives us a reason to get up in the morning.  He shows unconditional love


It's nice to see more and more nursing homes/assisted living getting on board and allowing their residents to have a pet.  

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEUfAmIlVl8mDdtHOmmc3Pi1j1e0GpJasMLZQveNL9xH41lEnIKBYxAxRGtTS4aWNS_wS4ry-Yt_jtMKDKfGJhHwLH2tUzYmhBT5dK1Dae27aah2_vARKlr-9i3GFCIRC6Aai24I_NMyR/s1600/photohunter7iq.png

Now - why don't you join the photo hunt.   


Mary