A Happy New Year to All

"Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late."  Mike Tyson

So true, so true!

I can't believe this year is over already!  Time flies has new meaning to me these days and it just keeps flying faster and faster.  But for some odd reason, I feel like I just stay the same age - at least in my mind.  (sigh)

Side note:  We took the grand-kids to see the movie "Chipwrecked".   I am not saying the movie is bad or anything - but I would rather have sat in a room with someone screeching their nails on a chalkboard!  

Nuff said!!!!  

Enjoy your New Year Celebrations! 

May this new year bring peace and joy to all...

and a cure for Parkinson's would be great too!!!

 

For my Hubby - Chicago - Colour My World with Lyrics

What does one do when they plan a wonderful get-a-way for their wife on their anniversary and the wife has an emotional melt down lasting most of the trip???





My husband is a saint and handled it pretty well - mostly. That's why we have been married 37 years! Still - I know it sucked big time for him... and it was not a whole lot of fun for me either.  But I could not contain the emotions, nor the tears any longer.  So they both flowed and flowed and flowed some more.  Poor Hubby!!!!

I love you Hubby! Thank you for coloring my world!

Oh - and I owe you a trip!  One with no melt downs, I promise!
(None from me at least - feel free to have your own though.  After all, it's only fair!)

Chicago - "Colour My World" - YouTube

Where Are You Christmas? Jon Schmidt & Steven Sharp Nelson (Live in conc...

Ziddy Sticks

"Do you want your arm swing back?", David Zid asked me!  "Sure - is that possible?", I responded!

This is where I get introduced to "Ziddy Sticks" - one of David Zid's inventions.  (Ignore the floor shots at the end of this video.  We have several floor shots in our other family videos too. It's become a family tradition.)

The Parkinson's patient walks in front, while a non-Parkinson's person walks in the back providing the natural arm swing.  When David first came up with this concept, they used plain poles, but did not get results.  Then they toyed with adding sound by adding steel shots to the poles, causing a cadence effect.   TADA - it worked like magic!

Thus the invention of "Ziddy Sticks" - and a wonderful addition to my work out routine.  Ten minutes a day Hubby and I walk around our court together (ignoring the curious looks!)  "Ziddy Sticks" also work for marriage counseling!!!  :)

Exercise - adding strength training and Interval cardio training

When I asked David Zid what the key ingredients in an exercise program to fight Parkinson's Disease are, I was a little surprised and taken back when he answered  -
     Strength training -
     http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01710 
     and
     Intensity (which I later figured out meant Interval training) - 
     http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/interval-training/SM00110 

Really???  These two types of training techniques are basically what MOST trainers say are key ingredients to ANY exercise program.  I was expecting something new and innovative made especially for people with PD!

However, the more I thought about it and the more David explained these two techniques to us - the more it made perfect sense.  I think everyone agrees that it is very important for people with Parkinson's to move, move, move, and then move some more.  Wouldn't it follow that we also need to work on making ourselves as strong and healthy as possible while we keep ourselves moving?   In most ways we are no different from our non-Parkinson's friends.  A strong, healthy body functions better, it moves better, and it fights disease and sickness better - doesn't it?  So if we really want to fight this disease the best we can, shouldn't we work at making and keeping our bodies as strong and healthy as they can be?  Isn't that the real goal of an exercise program?  It should be IMHO!  Read the two above links on these techniques and see all the health benefits they have to offer!

Here are some things I learned from David Zid:

Are these techniques something that can be incorporated into Parkinson's patients exercise routines?  Barring any special health issues - David Zid thinks the answer for many of us is - yes it can be and yes it SHOULD be.  We just need to start (with the permission of our doctors of course) at what ever level we are at and WORK, WORK, WORK, regularly and consistently to improve our ability to move and control our bodies, to become stronger, and to be healthier -  lift by lift, step by step - pushing just a little harder and a little harder each and every day (or at least 6 days a week).

Do you need David Zid to exercise?  He would be the first to tell you that you do not!  Although I will tell you his energy and enthusiasm are contagious, his knowledge is invaluable, and his experience with people with PD was extremely beneficial and comforting to me. His book and DVDs are a great resource to get started on an exercise path, however you don't need to travel to Ohio to develop an effective exercise program with him.  (It was a great experience though!!!)  David Zid and Jackie Russell are spending a great deal of time and effort in trying to get the info out to all of us and to the medical community about just how important and valuable exercise is in combating the debilitating effects of this disease.  They really believe this and have witnessed how it works so well!  But anyone can learn the principles of exercise with DVDs, books,  internet, gyms, or with other personal trainers.  Go to YouTube and watch a bunch of videos on exercises for Parkinson's Disease.  They are all good! (Maybe not all, but the ones I watched were good).  Google and read about strength and interval training techniques and work them into your regular workout sessions.  Just do it - EXERCISE!!

Will we still have bad days if we exercise?  Pretty much guaranteed!  It's the nature of this PD beast.  David says - "On those bad days, try to do what you can.  And on your good days, do a little more and push yourself a little harder.!!" Exercise does not cure Parkinson's Disease and it is a progressive disease.  But David Zid believes exercise can help slow down the progression and sometimes even reverse or delay some of the symptoms.  He believes it is so beneficial as part of the treatment process that it is hard to understand why anyone wouldn't do it. I am buying into this belief.  It just makes sense to me.

David also says - "We don't have a choice about aging - so why not age well!. 
It's the same way with PD!  Some do not have a choice in having PD - 
so why not live with it well!"  

That is what I intend to do - live with it well!


(More to come on exercising  - along with some tips and helps for us special PD people!)
 For more info on David Zid see - http://delaythedisease.com/

How's your smile?

I know I promised details on my sessions with David Zid, but I have been so busy putting what he taught me into practice that I have not had time to write about it yet.  (That's my story and I am stickin with it.)

As a side note here is a humorous story, well at least it's funny now, but it wasn't yesterday!!! :(

I saw a new doctor for a screening to be part of a PD study (which I will tell you more about later).  For those of you who don't know - I have a hearing loss which I have had most of my life and which finally caused me to get hearing aids several years ago.  The hearing aids help, but are not perfect, and sometimes I still have problems making out what someone says, especially if they have an accent.  This new doctor had an accent...

Doctor:  "So how is your smile?" 

Me: (Grinning from ear to ear to show him!)  "Great"

Doctor:  (Looking at me strangely as I continue to smile as big as I can)  "Any problems that you notice?"

Me:  (Still grinning)  "Well occasionally my cheeks twinge a little"

Doctor:  (Looking at me like I am a fruitcake!) "They do?"  (Totally perplexed)

At this point, Hubby can't stand it any longer, and says "You didn't hear him did you?" 

Me:  "Yes I did - he asked me how my smile was."

Hubby: "No - your SMELL.  How is your smelling ability?"

Really now...Who asks how your smell is?????

"Looking Down the Road" Moments

While I try really hard to stay positive and upbeat as much as possible and focus on the "here and now", every once in a while I have "looking down the road" moments that make me feel incredibly sad.   This past week I have had several.  I don't know why - but I do know I don't like them.  They hit me hard sometimes, making me feel kind of like someone kicked me in the gut.

Moment #1 - I was running late in getting ready for work earlier this week.  I tried to speed up my pace but my body  would not cooperate - it just starting shaking more and more as I tried to hurry.  My left hand shook and stiffened causing me trouble when I tried to tuck my shirt in, put my ear rings in, and tie my shoes.   I finally had to slow down and take a big deep breath and allow myself to move a little slower.  "Down the road" my mind crept ... "I am turning into a turtle.  What's  going to happen if I can't dress myself?  Will I have to quit my job soon?  How will I deal with being an invalid? ..."  

Moment #2 - A couple of days ago while walking, I stumbled when I stepped into a hidden hole that was covered with leaves, apparently causing me to pull a muscle in my back.  I didn't feel any effects and continued my walk and then the rest of my exercise routine when I got home.  However as the day wore on, the pain started up.  It hurt when I sat down and when I stood up or moved a certain way.  All too quickly, "down the road" my mind ran ... "What will happen if I can't exercise anymore?  How will I deal with this disease if pain becomes a major part of it?  How will Hubby handle having to do everything for me?..."

Moment #3 - Last night we babysat two of our Grandsons.   I was trying to burp my precious littlest Grandson by holding him in a sitting position with my right hand and patting his sweet little back with my left hand.  My left hand stiffened and felt very awkward when trying to pat.  It would not work the way it was suppose to, instead of a pat, I only got a jerky motion.  So down the road my mind went again ... "What will happen when this disease moves to my right hand?  Will I be able to hold my Grandchildren?  Will I be able to play with them?  Will I be able to do anything?  ...."
 
Anyone else seeing a pattern here?  You may have noticed how quickly I jump to the absolutely worse case scenario possible. Good grief!!!  This kind of thinking seems so unproductive and useless!   Yet, in a way it does serve a purpose for me.  These moments make me mad, really mad, and even more determined to fight this disease.  My mind may go "down the road" thinking about the worse case scenarios every now and then, however, I will NOT go down those roads in real life, at least not without a fight!!

Don't you dare MESS with ME, PD!!!! GGGRRR!!!  (Do I sound scary enough?)

Does anyone else have these moments?  If so, how do you handle them?

Most of the time, I usually quickly catch myself, give myself a little mental slap (or a good hard one if necessary), and more determined than ever to fight this disease, I try to quickly force my mind back to the here and now - where it belongs!