Everything happens for a reason

Thanks to Dan for sharing this on DS. 
And thanks to all those who are in my life for a reason!!

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there. They serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be; your neighbor, teacher, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you and at the time they seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would never have realized your potential, strength, and will power of heart.
Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments or true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of our soul. Without these small tests, if they be events, illnesses or relationships, life would be like a smooth paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life and successes and downfalls you experience, they are the ones who create who you are. Even the bad experience can be learned from.....those lessons are the hardest and probably the most important ones.
If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart...forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them.
Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen, let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it.
I wish you all the best in your endeavors as well as struggles in life. Have a fighting spirit and never hesitate to get back into the struggle!
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

The trick is to figure out the reasons and learn from them.  Something I am not always good at!!

Enjoying the calm after the storm

And what a storm it was!!! Between my son and family's never ending catastrophes and the decline and resulting death of my sweet mother-in-law, the past couple of months have been a doozy for me.

But things are calming down and I am finally getting back into my routine, back to my exercise schedule, and even eating better (mostly).  Now if I can just get caught up at work...

Good news and bad news

The good news first:

  A Chick-fil A is opening close to my house.  I just love their chicken, waffle fries, and especially their chocolate shakes.  Yum Yum!!!  I am so excited!

Now the bad news:

   A Chick-fil A is opening close to my house.  I really love their chicken, waffle fries, and especially their chocolate shakes.  Oh boy!  This is so NOT good!!!   Nope - not good at all ... especially not good for my waistline!!

It's a Beautiful Morning ~ Written by: Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati

 



Now if I can just find some energy to enjoy it!!!

Impulse Control Issues with Parkinson's Agonist Drugs

Part 2 - Continuation of previous post - http://cmfalling.blogspot.com/2012/04/this-might-be-funnyif-it-happened-to.html

One of the topics,  Dr. Greg Pontone, MD - Director of the Movement Disorder Psychiatric Clinic, discussed with us was Impulse Control Behavior problems that can occur with the Agonist drugs.  (Mirapex & Requip are the 2 most popular agonist used as Parkinson's treatments).  These issues include impulse control behaviors such as compulsive behaviors, and addictions (often gambling, shopping, or sexual). One lady in the discussion group said she experienced the compulsive behavior of picking her moles.  (The Doctor said there is actually a name for it - and he pronounced it too.  Surprisingly, I did not write down such an important piece of information.  Sorry!!)

The Doctor said most people (85%) do not have any of these behavior issues with these drugs, but about 15% do.  The problems are real and serious when they occur and can ruin peoples lives.  He asked us to get this info out to anyone we know who has Parkinson's.  So here it is - to the best of my memory!!

The meds may start the problem, but going off the meds does not necessarily stop the problem.  The earlier the symptoms are reported to the doctor, the better!  Let me repeat that - THE EARLIER THE SYMPTOMS ARE REPORTED TO THE DOCTOR, THE BETTER!!!! 

Many will not report the problem to their doctors because they are embarrassed, they don't recognize they have a problem, or they think they can control it.   It is IMPORTANT that family members know about these possible side effects and watch for signs.  The earlier it is caught the easier it is to stop.   If it gets to the addiction stage, the person has to fight it like any normal person fights addiction - usually by enrolling in an addiction 12 step program. And like any addiction, they are hard to overcome - even after going off the meds that caused it.   If the behaviors are caught early before the full blown addiction stage, they can often be treated by just changing the meds. 

One interesting side note  - the Doctor said for those patients whose Parkinson's symptoms are responding really well to the agonist drug, but are experiencing the impulse control issues, they can sometimes keep them on the agonist by adding a drug like Naltrexone.  For some adding the Naltrexone will stop the compulsions and allow the person to still enjoy the Parkinson symptom control from the Agonist drug for awhile longer.

Disclaimer:  The above was written with the help of my very disorganized notes and faulty memory! However, I did run it by Hubby who also attended the session.  His response when I asked if it was accurate according to his memory:  "I don't remember - where's your notes?"  Oh well!  Please consult your doctor for more accurate info!   In other words - Don't quote me!!!!  ha ha

This might be funny...if it happened to someone else!!!

I was going to share some info on this blog that I received when I attended a "Sessions With Your Neurologist" meeting a week ago put on by John Hopkins University Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center. One of their Neurologists, Dr. Ray Dorsey, MD - Director of the Movement Disorder Division at John Hopkins puts these sessions together quarterly with the subject matter decided by the participants at the previous session. The sessions are for anyone with Parkinson's Disease and their family members. This is the first session I have had the opportunity to go to and I hope to be able to attend more in the future.

This particular session's topic was "Mood and Behavior in Parkinson's Disease". Dr Ray invited Dr. Greg Pontone, MD - Director of the Movement Disorder Psychiatric Clinic, to do a presentation. Along with his presentation was a discussion with questions and answers. He broke the topic into the following areas:
    Anxiety
    Cognitive
    Impulse Control
    Mood
    Psychotic
It was very informative and helpful.

I would like to share with you what I learned about these areas...except there is a problem. I opened up my notebook where I took notes and I can not make heads or tails of what I wrote.

You see, I started taking notes on one page, while trying to listen and write fast at the same time. I flipped to the next note book page to continue writing, skipping the back of the first one I wrote on. Then I turned that page over and wrote on the back of it, (I think). Then somewhere during the session, I apparently decided to go back and put notes on the back pages I had skipped, then... well you get the gist. And to make matters worse, I didn't put any topic headings on the pages so that I know what the notes are referencing.

As I look through my notes - it is all jumbled together - but there is some good stuff in there. Trust me!

Like...on one page I wrote:

Executive Function - Breakdown - organizing, planning, and sequencing.

Reasonable efforts aren't translating into productivity.

HHMmm... Kind of sounds like my note taking efforts!
I wonder what that breakdown signifies....????

Easter and what it means to me

Like many other Christians around the world, I find Easter season to be a special time that allows me to reflect on the resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and what He means to my life. Here is a song that expresses my thoughts and my beliefs in such a beautiful way that I could never even come close to with mere words.



And here is another one. Grab tissues!!!