Essential Tremors Versus Parkinson's - Symptoms

Dear Readers,

Hello from Steamy Wisconsin.  The humidity is so thick you could almost cut it with knife (old phrase my mother used to say).  Not a breeze stirring either - downright  miserable outside.  Thank heavens for AC.

I've had a couple of questions regarding Essential Tremors and how it differs from Parkinson's.   They are closely related.   

In researching this in "The Parkinson's Disease  Treatment Book" by Dr. J. Eric Ahlskog at Mayo Clinic and also  webmd.com - Webmd sums it up the best.

 * Essential tremor is almost always worse when the affected part of the body is in motion than when it is at rest. Tremor associated with Parkinson's disease generally decreases or disappears when the person moves the affected part of the body.

 * Essential tremor is faster than the tremor of Parkinson's disease.

·* Small amounts of alcohol can noticeably reduce an essential tremor but usually have no effect on tremor caused by Parkinson's disease.

  * Essential tremor does not improve in response to levodopa, but it may be relieved with other medicines (propranolol, primidone, phenobarbital, or benzodiazepines).  (No kidding - I was on levodopa.)

  * Unlike tremor caused by Parkinson's disease, essential tremor will sometimes occur in family members.

As you can see, the two are very closely related. With ET, however, you don't get the frozen muscle problems that you end up with when having PD. In my case the determining factor after matching symptoms was the DaTSan, which clearly told the doctor my brain was showing ET versus PD.

Ha ha -I should have tried the alcohol test, but didn't.  Think I'll head for the kitchen after publishing this blog and see what happens.

I'm still taking only 1 tablet of the Primidone daily (but am allowed to take 2 daily). I'm doing quite well on this medication. As i have mentioned before, in some patients with ET the condition can turn into PD. There is no way of knowing and it's only a small percentage of people that happens to.

Oh yes, the back issue - I'm currently in Physical Pool Therapy.  It feels great while I'm in the pool, but then 2 hours later it's back to hurting and ice packs.
Hope you are managing to keep you cool this summer.

Mary

It's A Small, Small World!

Dear Readers,

This weekend we attended two graduation parties (tis the season).   On Sunday an amazing thing happened.   

The graduate's mom was introducing me to her own mother, her stepfather, and her mother's friend (we'll call her Lady H) and mentioned that Lady H was from a city (Beloit) that is 150 miles south of us.   Oh a whim, I asked Lady H if she by any chance knew Lady B, who is a very good friend of ours.   Beloit has a population of about 50,000, so you would expect her answer to be "no!"

Well, I nearly feel over when Lady H said Lady B happened to be a very good friend of hers and in fact, she was also a friend of the graduate's grandma.  Talk about a small world!  Who would have ever thought that would happen.

We had a very enjoyable time discussing mutual memories because they were also friends with another dear friend of ours (Lady BL who has passed on).

So many times I have asked someone from another city/town if they knew "so and so," and of course the answer is always no unless that person lives in a very small town where everyone knows everyone!

It's a small, small world after all!

Has that ever happened to you?


Mary

P.S.   This post was going to be about the difference between PD and ET, but I just had to tell this unusual story.

Honoring Our Armed Forces - Past and Present & News

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7687126@N06/2523097574/">gb_packards</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">cc</a>

Dear Friends,

I've had time this weekend to reflect on Memorial Day and what it means.   Our men and women in the Armed Forces put their lives on hold, leave their families at home, hopes and dreams are moved to the background, severe injuries, and limbs and life lost - all to protect us. The least we can do is honor them on this special weekend and especially remember those who have lost their lives serving in the military.   Take a few minutes this weekend to reflect on what it means to you.

I found the above picture and immediately fell in love with it because it could have been taken in Wisconsin.   Deer are apt to show up almost anywhere in our state except perhaps in the downtown area of a large city.  The picture in the header of this blog was taken in my backyard when the Magnolia Tree (northern version) was in full bloom.    Because the northern version is extremely hardy, the blossoms, branches, etc., are very different from the Magnolia trees in the south.  But, we'll take what we can get!

Thank  you all so much for your comments on my last post.   I will keep the blog and have already changed the name to http://ShufflingAlongWithPDandET.blogspot.com/   It's a little long, but since I'm technology challenged at times, I was afraid to change the title too much for fear of doing something wrong.   I didn't want Blogger to somehow get rid of my blog.  ha ha - yes, I'm a little paranoid with technology at times.

Sorry I haven't been around to read blogs much lately.   I'll start having a little more time now and my plan is to get back into visiting and reading.

Hope you are having a great Memorial Day Weekend.


Mary

Celebration Time

Photo from Public Domain Files

Dear Readers,

There is definite cause for celebration - I DO NOT HAVE Parkinson's Disease, but have now been diagnosed Essential Tremors.   Unfortunately, Don still has the PD diagnosis, but we'll get through that just like we would have gotten through both of us having the Parkinson's.   My next post will contain a brief explanation of Essential Tremors and how it compares to Parkinson's.  Stay tuned, if interested.

Wednesday, the day of the DaTscan was a long day.  We left the house at 6:00 a.m., picked up our son in law, who took over the driving.  Having a 9:00 appointment at the hospital, meant driving straight down with no stops.  It took a little bit of driving around before we found the right building to enter.  The gal on the phone neglected to give me accurate directions.  

I think I explained before that you have to drink a glass of water and take a pill, to prevent the iodine from harming your thyroid.   Then after a wait of 1 hour in the waiting room, it was time for the injection of iodine cocktail!     I felt nothing from that other than the poke of the needle.   Then came a 4 hour  wait where we could leave the building.    We chose to drive to the nearest Cracker Barrell for lack of knowing where there was any other restaurant.   It helped us kill time and we had lunch.

At 2:00 I had to report back to the hospital for the scan.   I wanted to include a picture of the machine, but now days with copyright laws, I didn't dare.  Let me just say it looks somewhat like a MRI machine - only half as long.   In my case they were only scanning my brain (guess I must have some brains then), so a conveyor belt system took me back to that opening.    There were two arms on either side of the opening that held two steel panels that must house the camera (so to speak).   Those arms moved  those large steel panels around in various positions around my face, head, neck, etc.   It was a little intimidating when the plates met in the middle blocking my vision from the room, but they slowly moved away and changed positions several times during the 1/2 hour scan.

When the scan was over, I was free to go home - another 2 hour trip north.   All in all, it is a very painless test/scan to have and isn't quite as confining as an MRI machine (when you are a larger person in a one-size-fits-all opening). If you ever have to have one, it really isn't anything to worry about or be afraid of.

Yesterday, Thursday, the doctor's office called with the good news.   The scan backed up her thoughts - I have Essential Tremors - not Parkinson's.   That is happy news as Parkinson's is a crippling disease - ET is not. although in some cases it can lead to  Parkinson's.  We'll worry about that when and if it happens.

Now what to do with the blog.  If I keep it, it will need a new name.   I originally started it as a type of reference as to the life of someone with Parkinson's.   

1.  I could keep it going with news on Don's progression (which is very stable at present).

2.  I could delete the entire blog.

3.  I suppose I could just make it a personal blog, but our life isn't very newsworthy at this age.

4.   I could change the name and write a little on ET, although there won't be as much to write about other than ongoing back issues (which are still present).

Any ideas out there.   I'll consider all of them because I really don't know what I want to do with it.

Thanks for sticking with us on this unusual journey.  It PAYS TO GET A SECOND OPINION!

Until next week,

Mary
   

Possible Misdiagnosis!!!!!!

Dear Readers,

I want to yell out GOOD NEWS, but I can't yet as it is not confirmed.   I might have ET (Essential Tremors)  instead of PD.   Ah ha - that's what I said when the specialist was talking to me.

On Wednesday I had an appointment in Milwaukee with a neurologist who specializes in Movement Disorders (Parkinsons, Essential Tremor, MS, etc.)   She had thoroughly reviewed my records before I arrived, and did the standard things each time you see a doctor -  check reflexes, watch me imitate her hand movements, and take a walk.   She also thoroughly quizzed me about the side effects of the Parkinson's drugs I had been taking -  symptoms before and after drugs, results, etc.   She spent a full hour with me in her office just talking.

It is her opinion that I have Essential Tremors rather than Parkinson's.   But, she wants me to have a DaTscan at her hospital in Milwaukee.   It will involve being there all day - drinking a special cocktail (do you want to come along?), inject another cocktail in a vein, etc.  That test will be the determining factor and will produce an image something like this:         

I wonder if I'll be radioactive and glow in the dark.  Woohoo!

I'm still in somewhat of a daze over this.  I'm not celebrating yet, but surely will when the final word is in.   I am thinking, however, that no wonder I was having so many side effects with the PD drugs.   Their purpose, I believe, is to replace the dopamine in your brain.   Well, if I don't have PD, but was getting PD drugs with extra dopamine, it doesn't take a scientist to figure out I was getting way to much dopamine.   No wonder I felt like I was totally drugged all the time - I  was.

Well, enough of that - the doctor did prescribe the proper med for ET, and told me to take 1/2 tablet at night to start with.   It does make me light headed for sure - one step down from dizzy.  Maybe that will lessen in time.   

Anyway dear readers, that's where we are at today!  My appointment for the DaTscan is May 1st - HAPPY MAY DAY!

It still isn't spring here even though the calendar says it is.  It's cold, rainy, and damp.   I'm trying to think S P R I N G !

Thanks for "hanging in there with me" on this journey -  we'll see where we go.   

Until next time,



Mary

Mother Nature Gone Amuck & RFA Update

Hi Friends,

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile.  It's time for the Animal Group on Twitter to have their big weekend-long monthly party.  Consequently we're busy with that.  Ha ha - can't handle as much as I could 10 years ago.

Well friends, the above picture is what we awoke to this morning - front yard and back yard.  About 3+  inches of slush.   Notice the ice on the patio covering?  Also notice the slush ridges on the street where cars drove through to get to work this morning.

Just yesterday we paid the wonderful man who takes care of snow removal.   We laughed at the time knowing it was supposed to snow yet last evening.   He's back now and busy cleaning up 3 inches of snow slush with about 1/2 inch of ice on the bottom!!  Of course the plow went through already and now we have about 10 inches of slush in the driveway at the base!

I'm happy to report the RFA treatment worked on the sacroiliac joint.  But the rest of my back is still a mess.     I'll be meeting with the pain doctor in about 3 weeks.  We'll see what she has to say.  Meanwhile, ice packs help some!

Poor Mario has wanted to get outside so bad this past week, and I won't let him because the ground was so wet yet.  He's only allowed out with his harness and leash on, and it's too cold/wet for his humans to be out there with him.   At this rate, he will have to wait until May at least.   Poor kitty.,    He's so deprived.  he he

That's all for today friends.  Thanks for stopping by and sharing in our misery of spring in Wisconsin.  It's really a nice state to live in - summers are especially nice!  Think SPRING!  Oh, my next blog post will be on the life of Dragon!

Mary

Birthday Greetings To Our Dear Daughter & HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

SIL and daughter

Dear Readers,

Thought I'd take a break from the usual Parkinson's related topics and wish our daughter a 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY   

with love from Mom, Dad, and Mario

 We are very proud of the person she has grown into.   Apparently her father and I did something right through the years.  Being an only child she did NOT get everything she wanted, but she was spoiled in that she did not have to share our attention with a sibling of the human kind  anyway.  (She would tell you she did have to share with the dog and cat!)   I remember many weekend trips to grandma and grandpa's house where I'd hear "Fritz - move over - you are hogging my half of the seat!"  "Mom - Make Fritz move over - he has his paws on me."  It was funny and makes me laugh when I think about it.

She grew up, married a wonderful man (our son-in-law) and they are happy with two cats and two gerbils in their life.   They are all very special to us.

Amos, age 17

Keiko, Age 17

We had a wonderful family Birthday celebration yesterday with our SIL'S brother and wife, SIL's parents, and of course the birthday girl, SIL, and Don and I.  We are fortunate in that our extended families are all small, thus for birthdays and some holidays we can all enjoy them together.

Take a look at that cake!  It was every bit as good as it looks.   It came from a new Guatamalen Bakery that had recently opened in their city.   I think it might become a new family favorite.

What a great day we had.

HAPPY EASTER or PASSOVER EVERYONE

Mary

Senility Versus Drugs

Dear Readers,

Well, I did it again - screwed up on an appointment.  ha ha - I showed up at the dentist's office a week early for a fitting of a new partial plate.   I was just in there last Thursday (5 days ago - yes friends, only 5 days ago).  One of the office girls even opened the door for me because I was using the walker, and it's a chore and a half to struggle with doors that swing out when using a walker.

I went in, thanked her for opening the door for me,  took my coat off, started flipping through a magazine when another office girl came discretely over by me and showed me a print out of upcoming appointments.   Today's date was NOT on that list. ha ha!   April Fool's Joke On Me  to me!  The sad part is they gave me that same printout when I left there last Thursday.  I could swear I remembered seeing "Dentist" on my calendar! for today.,

I mumbled something about "oh, sorry - I know it's the Parkinson's Drugs messing with my brain again."   The gal said "well at least you can blame it on something that makes sense!   (She was patting her 6-months' pregnant belly) and said I blame it on the mommy-to-be factor myself."

For the record, I checked the calendar when I got home and there is NOTHING WRITTEN ON IT FOR TODAY!    Since I can carry on a conversation rather well yet, I'm sure it's the Parkinson's Drug (Sinemet) that I'm taking.   (1/2 table 2 x a day - I'm not even up to a whole tablet twice a day yet).  Now I have to remember to go next week on the correct day.   I'm thinking of the old string around the finger bit -  will this do it?  

Apparently I can't be trusted with a calendar anymore!

What's your vote - Drugs or Senility?

Until next time.

Mary

FInally Catching Up On News

Countryside on the way to Rome, Italy October 2008

Dear Readers,

My apologies for taking so long to update.     My only excuse is that our involvement with Twitter/#nipclub can keep us pretty busy at certain times if a party is planned.

Two weeks ago I had the RFA (Radio  Frequency Abulation) procedure done.  It's taken about 2 weeks to really kick in, but it has helped greatly with the pain in the Sacroiliac.   I still have other pain - arthritis and fibromyalga in different areas - so I'm still on Tramadol for the pain, but I do cut back on it on days that I can. I'm so happy to report that the RFA was successful.  YAY!

Yesterday I was supposed to go to Milwaukee to meet with a Parkinson's specialist.   Wouldn't you know it - SNOW!   (Darn Groundhog needs to be replaced - we're supposed to have spring now).   It started snowing yestgerday  around noon, giving us 5 inches of wet, heavy, slippery snow by last night.   I heard the weather forecast predicting this storm on Saturday so decided to call and cancel the appointment.     Our son-in-law said driving in snow didn't bother him,  but it would have really bothered me.   I would have been sitting on pins and needles the entire trip.   While I'm anxious to meet with the PD specialist, I didn't feel it was worth the risk and hazardous roads to do so.   My appointment is now re-scheduled for April 17th.   I hope it  doesn't snow then, but it could!!   

Now I need to find a ride for the April trip so son-in-law doesn't have to take another day of vacation.  Daughter is like me - she doesn't want to drive in Milwaukee either.  It's a concrete jungle down there with 3 major freeways merging downtown and cars going 80 MPH.   You need to be really sharp in the brain, which Don and I aren't at this age.   If we knew where we were going and knew where the interchanges were, it would not be so bad - but you don't become familiar and comfortable with that when you only travel down there once in every 3-4 years.

Stay tuned.

Hope it's spring where you live!   It's going to  be a long while a-coming around here!

Mary

What a GREAT Day!

Hi Friends,

What a great day this has been.  First of all it's Valentines Day - So Happy Valentines Day.  Mario got into the act too by giving all the ladycats in the Blogosphere and on Twitter smooches this morning - after he gave Don and I one first.  He does know who is in charge of Kibble.

Today is also our 54th Anniversary!  Of course we were married in elementary school.  ha ha  Where did those years go?   You know I would not change even one year of that time.   When you both start having health problems, you know it's "true love" that carries you thru.

Today I also received a phone call from my health clinic stating the insurance has approved the Radio Frequency Abalation treatment, which I hope will take care of the pain I'm always having because of the lower back and SSI joint.,   They will be going in to  freeze or burn the nerve ending, thereby blocking the pain.   Unfortunately, they don't have an opening in their schedule until March 6th.  But, I've waited this long, I can hang in there for another 3 weeks.  Now we'll have to hope it does what they think it should do - get rid of pain.  Apparently most people that have it done absolutely rave about it.    I'm amazed and thankful that Medicare and the supplemental insurance approved it.  

Next week I'll give you an update on the Parkinson's issue too.  So stay tuned.

As you can see - it's been a great day!  Hope your's is equally as wonderful.

Mary

Oil Painting of Mario and Taming Of The Dragon

Dear Readers,

Isn't that a gorgeous oil painting of Mairo.  It was done by a Twitter/Blog friend - @MaxTheQuiltCat's mom, Lou Belcher, Artist and Writer.  Lou is going to run a special on her 6" x 6" cat portraits for the month of February for $40 + shipping.  She isn't gong to do the one-a-day challenge this time and only wants to do cats presently.   If you have a special kitty living with you and would like to have his/her portrait done, see her kitty's blog for details:   http://www.maxthequiltcat.com/  She does beautiful work and at $40 + shipping, this is a real bargain that you'll probably never find again.  Just look at the attention to detail - even little hair on the edge of his ears!


Taaadaaa!  This post is coming to you via Dragon. Woo hoo I think we are finally getting there.

Dragon and I are getting along quite well. Last week I had about five different calls to their help Center to the point where I'm sure each help person was thinking – quote "Oh no, not her again."   But I did learn a lot and hopefully I won't make stupid mistakes so I get into trouble anymore. I don't know why but the user profile and I just do not get along – I guess I just don't understand it. But the help Center walked through it with me so now I hope I'm on the right path.

I do find dictation is easier as long as I try to think ahead about what I want to say. I do have to do better job on  punctuation however.  And I'm still a long ways away from using the commands with the microphone instead of my hands to make corrections. I guess I'll have to copy down all of the commands and keep them in front of me if I want to go that route. In the meantime I'm stable enough with my shaking that I can use a combination of microphone and typing.  So for now Dragon is a keeper.

Hope all of you are staying away from all the many viruses that are out there and staying healthy.

Until next time,

Mary

Technology - Will I Ever Learn?

Hi Friends,

Well, here I go again.   This will be my 3rd try at the Dragon Program - the program that will type for me if I ever learn to use it well.     I flunked the first two versions.   Yup - FAILED!   In fact about 4 months ago I gave up using it because I was out of help minutes.  You are allowed 90  days of help from the date you install the program.   

This is Version 12 and supposed to be new and very improved., or so the salesman said when he called.  What sold me was that I get 90 days of help again and this one will type in Twitter, TweetDeck, Gmail. without having to use that stupid drop-down box first then telling the program to paste it into whatever program I'm using.  Now if only it won't give me problems with the computer.

Because of my past history of not learning it well, I'm locking myself in my office from this coming Monday morning until the following Saturday or Sunday, depending on my progress.   Last time around I gave everything else priority and gave learning Dragon left over time.   This time it is going to take priority over everything except doctor appointments or other scheduled appointments.  That means I can't read blogs, can't get on Twitter, Can't help Mario with his blog or help him read his blogs either.   I'm determined this has to be given priority.

I hope you will understand why I am not visiting.  I will resume everything on Monday January 28 - back to normal.  Hopefully by that time I'll have ironed out all the bugs between Dragon and my computer, and learned to use the program better than the last two times.   I simply have to make this work for me as many days typing is extremely difficult and time consuming with making corrections or letting all the errors go through because my hands are tired from being at the keyboard.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you come back again in a week or two when hopefully I'll be dictating the blog!

Mary

It Never Pays To Get Too Excited.

Alaskan Cruise  - 2010

Hi Friends,

Recently a good friend and I were talking about our local football team (Packers) and how she was so excited for the playoff game about to happen in our city.  She said "aren't you excited?"   In reality, I don't usually get very excited about anything because if I do, that special thing ends up not happening or I'm disappointed.   So, I guess that ever since I was a kid, I've learned to dampen my enthusiasm about things so I won't be in for a big letdown.   That system has worked well for me through the years, but every now and then I slip and get excited about something.

Case in point.  Yesterday I saw the Pain Specialist at the clinic.  She told me I might  be a candidate for the Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) treatment.  If it works, it could get rid of my back pain and sacroiliac pain for up to 6 months.   I immediately got excited about it, and when  I got home I called one of my friends and told her about it.

This morning my hopes were knocked out from under me when I called the clinic to schedule the start of the process.   That's when I found out that it's a very slow moving process.  They will first give me another shot in the sacroiliac of a shorter acting medicine, which will tell them if I am even a  candidate for the  RFA.   Then they will write to my insurance to see if they will cover the procedure.   Nothing is firm yet - too much has to still be decided.  So my being on top of the world yesterday, to be able to finally get rid of the constant pain,  came crashing to the floor once again.   Yesterday I even told a friend on Twitter that I had good news and would post about it - wrong! 

Stay tuned friends.  This is obviously going to be another ongoing, long saga - if it ever happens at all.   In the meantime I'll just keep taking the pain pills and taking naps with an ice pack and go back to being my calm, non-excitable self.  It just doesn't pay to get too excited!

I was really looking forward to becoming radioactive.  Daughter was teasing me about glowing in the dark and how I might need blinders to sleep at night.  he he! Love her sense of humor - she keeps me laughing anyway.

Until next time - we'll just shuffle along.

Mary

Shake It Baby - Shake It!

Dear Readers,

Singing "We're having a heat wave..............We're having a heat wave.............!
Our temp will reach all of 32 this week -- maybe higher.   In fact, they are talking "melting" this week.   January thaw - here we come!

Hope you all are having a good 2013 so far.   We were humming along here until the other day when I managed to screw up ALL my word documents.   Java came knocking at the computer door  first thing in the morning, so I let her in to do updates.   I then walked away from the computer for a few minutes to give her privacy!

I then shut down the computer, rebooted, and left the house for awhile.

At that point, someone else must have come in - probably that old lady and man that hide things on us.  Only this time they got  into the computer and shook it up!    

When I returned and sat down at the computer, I noticed some of my word documents were missing (first clue that things are NOT right).    When I opened up the document I wanted -  this is what it said:

"..come-with-us-as-we-follow-Alice-In-Wonderland-down-the-rabbit-hole (paragraph symbol).

WHAT???

Upon checking all my documents were full of codes and dashes!

HELP - I emailed son-in-law - our computer guru (whom Don and I can't live without).  Everything else on my computer was acting normal!   i'm sure he was JUST thrilled to hear from me again.   (By the way, I talk to him way more than my daughter because of all the computer things I manage to goof up!)

Some days I am more shaky than other days.  The morning this happened, I was very shaky.  It seems that in all my shaking, I somehow managed to hit a computer shortcut or two which caused this problem.   (who - me!!!  Can't believe that! he he).

SIL took awhile to think about the problem (I keep him busy solving problems he's never heard of before) but he found a computer shortcut that fixed the entire problem with a couple of key strokes.   I tell you - that guy is a life saver to me, especially, and also to Don.   I told him he was a "saint."  But he said the Pope might want final say!   I think the last time I told our daughter I was so glad she married him (even tho I didn't like him at our first meeting) instead of a doctor!  It was better to have him in the family rather than a doctor anyway. he he - my way of teasing and making up for the fact I didn't like him at first impression!

So, here's to our Saint Son-in-Law - You have been such a great son-in-law - over and above the issues of fixing the computer.   We do love and appreciate you as we would a son!  Thank you again for bailing us out of computer problems.

Now if this isn't cause to get back on the right PD medication, than I don't know what is.   I've been dragging my feet at starting the drugs again because mentally I'm so much more with it!   But the downside is much more shaking going on.  

Until next time,


Mary

Happy New Year

Mario and his squirrel buddy last winter right after a huge snow storm! The squirrel is trying to climb the screen door.

Happy New Year Dear Readers,

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.   We sure did, and I'm sure the pounds have gone up on the scale even tho I'm afraid to get on the scale!  ha ha - There are somethings you just don't want to know.

New Year's Eve is now upon us.   Typically we would be going to a movie this afternoon, but the frigid air is moving in to Wisconsin, and neither Don nor I feel like leaving our nice warm house!   Now if that isn't a sign of old age, then I don't know what is.  We are getting to be old fuddy duds!   

We skipped out on the Christmas Day movie also because we were both so wiped out from a day and a half of Christmas.  We stayed, sprawled out in our recliners all of Christmas Day, once our daughter and son-in-law left to go to his parents around 10:00 in the morning.   This year I'm really seeing shades of my own parents when they were this age!   I vowed to myself then that it would never happen to me.   Famous last words............................!  I think I can blame the PD for this, unfortunately!

That's all she wrote for this time.   We want to wish each and every one of you a very Happy New year - one full of good health, happiness, and enough funds to provide you for all your needs.

Love to all,

Mary

Merry Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas From Our House To Your House 2012

As I write this, I'm watching my most favorite musical ever - The Sound Of Music.  (I think I just dated myself ha ha - oh well!)  I've only seen this movie about 100 times, can sing it backwards and forwards, and never, never tire of it.   Now my Christmas season is officially "kicked off."   I love most musicals, but for some reason this one really makes me happy!

We're all ready for Christmas here - just last minute things to do tomorrow before daughter and son-in-law arrive.  We will have our family Christmas tomorrow night, and give them breakfast Christmas morning.  Around 11:00 they will leave for son-in-laws parents.  We have always been invited too and love going, but have had to give it up now because the steps are getting difficult.     Don and I will probably spend the afternoon Christmas Day at the theater watching the movie Les Mizz.   We've seen the Broadway production two times, but want to see the movie now just to compare!   Loved the Broadway production.

Oh, we did survive our first Blizzard of the season.  Well, the media called it a blizzard.  I don't think our city actually experienced one.  I never did see any whiteout conditions in our block and the snow was so heavy with moisture that it did not drift here.  I was so thankful for the man who will take care of our snow removal this winter.  He came after about 5 inches had fallen to simply try to stay ahead of it.  His theory is 6 inches is easier to clean up than the 12 that were predicted.   Then he returned the next morning after the storm had blown itself out to do final cleanup.   What a blessing he will be to us this winter!

Hope you all have a blessed Christmas or Holiday Season - whichever you celebrate.   

Thanks for reading my blog and being our blogging friend.

Mary and Don

  

Long Overdo Rant - Personal Family Story

Clip Art from Microsoft Office

Dear Friends,

Today is my RANT DAY - something I have never done before on my blog  I usually tend to not get involved with controversial issues because I don't exactly want lots of negative comments.  But after yesterday's shooting at an elementary school, I have to say something.

My heart goes out to the parents of the students involved.  This was another senseless act that could probably have been prevented.   I'm not Einstein and my brain  isn't always all there, but we need to wake up in this country.   I know this is a very complex issue and one that is not going to be solved anytime soon.  But we need to start somewhere.  

When are we ever going to stand up to the gun control issue.  I value the freedoms we have in the US, but when it comes to guns, why do we need so much freedom.   Yes I know our Constitution says we have the right to bear arms.  But I don't remember where it ever said we had the right to kill people!  And apparently the public can't be very responsible to having those same guns so readily available.  Just yesterday a twitter friend from another country made the comment "The US's gun laws are too lenient!"  My sentiments exactly!

I live in the "hunting state of Wisconsin" and am apt to have everyone I know down on my neck.   I have nothing against hunters using their guns to hunt (although I find this idea repulsive myself because I love the same animals they hunt).   But I don't like those same guns sitting around at home in a closet or gun case that can easily be broken into.  If you are a hunter, I certainly hope you have whatever guns you have safely locked up somewhere were children or young adults cannot get to them.   You never know when someone will get into those guns (yes, even the best behaved kids experiment with them).  

Case in point:  My husband (Don) comes from a family of 3 boys (all 2 years apart in age with Don being the oldest) and a girl about 10 years younger than Don.   All three boys grew up with guns, learned all the safety rules, took hunter's safety courses, and went hunting quite often to kill rabbit and squirrel (they always ate what they caught).   One afternoon, Don and one of his  brothers were fooling around in a basement room with the guns.  Don had pointed the gun out the window just to check the site.   He put his finger around the trigger, just for fun, and accidentally pulled it.  It blew out the basement window and made a hole in the curtain.   The sad part is that his youngest brother had just seconds before walked by the same window.  Had Don shot that rifle seconds earlier, he would have shot his brother.  A very close call indeed and a move he regrets to this day..

My point is - why were those guns so readily available in the house.  Why were they never locked up! Don was in high school at that time and certainly knew better, but he still took a risk!  Now you put those same guns into the hands of someone who might have some mental problems and it's an accident waiting to happen,.. It was an accident waiting to happen in Don's house.  I don't know the situations behind the shooting yesterday, but obviously the guns were not that hard to get.   My guess would be they were available right there in his home.

I have also heard in the media that this young man had been diagnosed with Asbergers Syndrome .  Now this should have certainly been a red flag.   Why was he allowed around guns.   I don't know and we'll probably never know.

Wake up people - this same thing could happen anywhere, anytime and to any of you.  Schools can only go so far with protecting our children.   It's up to parents to get guns out of your homes so that no student has easy access to a gun.   We have seen this same thing happen too many times over the past few years.  The problem isn't going to go away by itself.

If writing this saves one child by a parent removing guns from their house, then I will consider it a personal victory.   If you know of someone with gun around the house, speak up and express your concern.   We have to start somewhere!

Mary

The Ongoing Drug Saga!

Photo of the Bay of Green Bay, Wisconsin

Hi Friends,

I feel like I'm writing an ongoing saga of drug problems!   I'm sure they are the work of the devil but  they are a necessary evil!  Just kidding  but that's how I feel some days.

The newly prescribed Sinemet drug arrived 2+ weeks ago. .  I purposely waited until a Saturday to take it.  It's a good thing I did because I got very sick to my stomach again!!   Nothing like spending 4 hours on a Saturday morning bent over the toilet "flipping my cookies,"- unable to leave!  I was really hoping the major brand (not a generic) would solve the problem.  But NO!  

I immediately stopped that drug and contacted the doctor.,   He prescribed another  pill to  go with it - another dosage of Carbidopa in addition to the Simet pill which is a combination of Levodopa and Carbidopoa.   He feels that it's  the Carbidopa portion that makes people sick to their stomach.  So, he prescribed another pill of Lodosyn (25 mg), which Levodopa only to take with the Sinemet pill.   

I dragged my feet on starting the drugs again for  fear I'd react the same or worse to the addition to the new drug.  Last night was the night to begin.   

Well, I got sick again this morning after the morning doses of pills - only this time I was not as sick as the first time.   I also found myself losing my balance more this morning so have to be very careful to use my cane and hold on to walls etc.  That has encouraged me to give it another try tonight.  We'll just have to stay home tomorrow morning and not go for breakfast.    I want to stay on this drug as it's my only recourse - if I can possibly tolerate it.  It's still in the trial stage!    

Stay tuned for the next  post to see what happens.  I Will be contacting the doctor on Monday, if he's in.  

Have a nice Thanksgiving all. We are invited to our daughter and son-in-law's home for dinner and I for sure want to go to  that - if I have to prolong taking the proper drugs until after the holidays - so be it!

Before I leave I want to bring to your attention the blog of another Twitter Kitty's human - @VincentRocket's mom.   I just discovered earlier in the week that Vincent's human has ET disease.  Essential Tremors is similar to Parkinson's so she experiences similar problems.  Both are often misdiagnosed. Today she posted a wonderful video that explains ET.  It's worth checking out to broaden your knowledge. http://vincentrocket.blogspot.com/2012/10/essential-tremor.html    You never know when one of these neuro diseases will strike you or one of your loved ones - it doesn't just strike old people either.

Until next time, have a wonder Thanksgiving.

Mary




Until next time, thanks so much for visiting.

Mary

Udates - Kitty Jamie and Health

Tree in our neighbor's  yard, which has already shed most of it's leaves!

Dear Readers,

GREAT NEWS - on Kitty Jamie that is.   He left Greenville, S.C. by car with @Brian106sc as the first driver at 8:30 this morning.   So far they are on schedule and he's already past Jacksonville, Fla.   I'm guessing - half way to his new home.  All reports from the drivers indicate he's stolen their hearts and they all wanted to keep him.  I'm so happy Brian decided to rescue him & find him a home.    I'll never understand why someone dumped him!!  

I was a little worried yesterday morning with the hurricane so close to where Jamie was in S.C.  But fortunately, by this morning's departure time, Brian reported blue sky!  The drivers are awesome and all love cats.  So Jamie is in the best of hands while en route.   He's expected to arrive in Hollywood, Florida around midnight - plus or minus  an hour.   We wish him well in his new home and I know @MizzBassie will take very good care of him.

Several of you have left comments wondering if that shot worked that I had a couple of weeks ago!  It might have helped a tiny bit, but it did not help as much as I wanted it to.   I'm still taking pain pills.  So tomorrow it's back to Physical Therapy, and I also meet with the Physician's Assistant tomorrow morning for a briefing.  Meanwhile, the sacroiliac joints are getting very sore,and I'm overdue for that shot.   I'll have to check with the doctor tomorrow to see when I might get that.  I'm debating going back to the doctor in Appleton that has been giving them to me.   With him I know there is no need to be sedated.   Haven't decided what I'm going to do on that.  By the way, the the recent shot didn't hurt at all since I was sedated, and insurance and medicare should cover it.


Regarding the shot and the outbreak of meningitis:  I got the shot on a Friday - the same day they announced that those type of shots were causing problems and it was from one pharmacy located out East.  I was concerned, but not alarmed.  The next morning I did call the hospital just to let them know that I saw the article in the newspaper and questioned if what I received was from that pharmacy.   They assured me that it was NOT that pharmacy - they get their drugs from a different one.  When the news channels talked about the story, they showed the map of the US, and Wisconsin was not one of the affected states.  So I felt pretty confident that it was okay, but still wanted to check with the hospital to make sure they were on top of it too.  They were fortunately.   One just never knows tho so it's good to stay on top of things.

When I saw the Neurologist a couple of weeks ago, he changed my medication back to the Leva/dopa, carbo/dopa.   The medication arrived Friday, but I'm holding off on starting it until I've finished the pain meds for my tooth.  You'll remember I had trouble with the generic version of that drug, so I'm a little apprehensive about taking the new drug.   Part of me wants to test it, but the other part says be careful it doesn't knock you flat on your back again!   So stay tuned!  I'll probably start if later this week on a day where I don't have to go anywhere - just in case.

My thoughts and prayers these days are with all of our friends out East that are dodging the Hurricane - Sandy.   We hope everyone is safe and has shelter.  The poor animals that don't have food and shelter!  I don't even want to think about it.

Thanks for being faithful readers of my  blog.  It is appreciated.

Stay safe everyone.

HEALTH UPDATE and We Need Your HELP!

Dear Readers,

As most of you know, I LOVE animals - cats, dogs, horses, goats - you name it.  No reptiles tho please - I run from those!   Well this little kitty lives in Greenville, S.C. and desperately needs a home FAST.     

Jamie was abandoned along the road,   The person that found him didn't feel they could keep him, so called shelters in the area.   All shelters were full, except the high-kill county shelter and a dog shelter.  The Dog shelter said they'd take Jamie on a temporary basis - but obviously this isn't  a good situation for Jamie.  They need to turn him over to the high-kill shelter.  YIKES!

Please go over and read @Brian106sc's post about this little guy., http://ow.ly/2syEcK. What is so heart breaking is that this little boy has such a super disposition, is very loveable, and loves laps. What a great cat he will be for someone. Mario is this type of cat, and he's the best cat we've ever had.

We need a permanent home FAST or a foster home until we have time to find him a permanent home.   If you know of anyone  in the southeastern part of the US that might take Jamie, please contact Brian at at


Brianfrum@gmail.com or

Jenna Gutierrez in care of - tomjeng@Charter.net - or - call Jenna at 864-801-3177.

Mini Health Update

As most of you know, I went to the doctor last Thursday to get a shot in the lower spine area to help with the pain in my very arthritic spine.  I'm happy to report that the shot has helped some.  At least my back is tolerable now instead of being painful.  I was "chicken" tho and opted for getting "happy juice" so I wouldn't remember anything or feel any pain.  It's the way to go, although I think I might have been okay with out the shot.   

I'll do a better up date early next week - I promise!   I want to keep rolling on trying to resolve the issue about Jamie.   His situation really weighs on my mind because he's such a sweetie.

Until next time.   

Mary

Finally!!

Dear Friends,

Some good news for a change (I think!)   Yes, I'm headed for the big needle with the hopes of getting relief for my back.   That will happen next Thursday.    I met with a new spine doctor (Pain Management doctor actually) this morning and she confirmed that my back is a mess.   
She is the first doctor to tell me that in the past 18 years.   (Yes, I've been complaining about my back at least that long.)

Most doctors usually tell me "well it's not that bad to be causing you that much grief".   Well, maybe it's not that bad compared to some, but I'm very sensitive to pain.   We'll try an epidural and see if that helps.   I've been getting shots in the sacroiliac joints for at least 4 years now (or longer), which really helps my butt cheek and leg,, but it never did much for  the back.  The doctor in Appleton kept saying all my problems were related to the sacroiliac joint when I felt all along that it was back related.   Sure enough, the MRI shows that L1 in the spine is bad - no wonder I've been complaining for so many years.  (It's all  arthritis related.)   I  will be one very happy person if this works.  ha ha - If it doesn't work, I'll eat humble pie and you'll hear me complaining again!!

The doctor also approved a back brace for me to try, and she's authorized PT starting next week.   My friends have had the back brace, so I know it will be uncomfortable sometimes, but maybe give me some relief overall.  We'll see.  I'm willing to try it and she recommended trying it as a possibility.   At least she's willing to try whatever is necessary to give me relief.  

She did mention the possibility of stronger medication, but then said she felt it might be too much for me since I'm taking Parkinson's meds that already make me tied.   I might turn into a zombie if I take anymore drugs.  We don't need that as there are already days that I feel really out of it.

Our  days presently are wonderful weatherwise.   Bright sunshine, temps hovering in the high 60's - just perfect for fall.   Don took Mario outside this afternoon, and he was one happy cat. These types of days are numbered - in another week it's going to turn very cold.  It's my kind of weather for sure.

Will close for today.  Just wanted to share some good news for a change instead of always griping.   By the way, Harrison and his dad are still doing the yard for us.   His grandmother/mother just had serious back surgery - they put 2 steel rods down each side of her spine - from the tail bone up to the shoulder.   Her husband called Wednesday night after surgery and said all went well.   I'm hoping that is still the case, but he hasn't corresponded since Wednesday night.  She needs some prayers, if you can, because she has really suffered with her back longer and more than I have.   This is her 3rd surgery on her back.  It makes me shudder to think about what she has gone through and will go through before she's healed.

Thanks for reading my blog and taking this walk with me.    I'll get back on track with PD related things soon but presently I'm status quo on that subject,

Mary