Don't feel bad, blog!
You are not the only thing I am neglecting!
I'll be back - one of these days...
I promise!!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
To do list!
My "to do list" is getting longer
Because I only add to it and never take anything off!
I am thinking the name "Not going to do - ever"
would be more appropriate for this list!!!
Because I only add to it and never take anything off!
I am thinking the name "Not going to do - ever"
would be more appropriate for this list!!!
Friday, April 5, 2013
At war with a Robin
I am at war with a Robin and losing the battle!
After seeing itself in the side mirrors of my car and falling in love with itself, it began to use my car for its courting ritual - tracking it's poop all over the car and windows in the process.
We moved our cars to another location!
It moved to my front stoop where it could see it's reflection in my glass storm door, covering my iron railing, stoop, and front door with it's poop as it continued its mating ritual with itself!
I tried covering the door with a sheet, which kept blowing all over the place, even after I tried to tape it in place.
It moved to my front basement window!
I consulted with the Internet and was advised to tape paper owl silhouettes on the glass.
Didn't faze it at all! It just keeps having one big freaking poop party with itself!
Now its building it's love nest in my dryer vent outlet.
We pull the nest stuff out, it fills it back up!
Tonight it laid siege inside the 9ft long vent pipe.
I am thinking of smoking it out!
Anyone have a BB gun I can borrow for when it flies out?
The way this battle is going so far, I am thinking I am going to end up with a dead bird stuck in my vent which is going to cause me to have to spend mega bucks to cut into the drywall ceiling to take the vent apart and get the dang stinking thing out!
Maybe I should just stick my white flag up and surrender!
"You win birdy! You can come out now!"
(fingers crossed behind my back and gun pointed at opening)
After seeing itself in the side mirrors of my car and falling in love with itself, it began to use my car for its courting ritual - tracking it's poop all over the car and windows in the process.
We moved our cars to another location!
It moved to my front stoop where it could see it's reflection in my glass storm door, covering my iron railing, stoop, and front door with it's poop as it continued its mating ritual with itself!
I tried covering the door with a sheet, which kept blowing all over the place, even after I tried to tape it in place.
It moved to my front basement window!
I consulted with the Internet and was advised to tape paper owl silhouettes on the glass.
Didn't faze it at all! It just keeps having one big freaking poop party with itself!
Now its building it's love nest in my dryer vent outlet.
We pull the nest stuff out, it fills it back up!
Tonight it laid siege inside the 9ft long vent pipe.
I am thinking of smoking it out!
Anyone have a BB gun I can borrow for when it flies out?
The way this battle is going so far, I am thinking I am going to end up with a dead bird stuck in my vent which is going to cause me to have to spend mega bucks to cut into the drywall ceiling to take the vent apart and get the dang stinking thing out!
Maybe I should just stick my white flag up and surrender!
"You win birdy! You can come out now!"
(fingers crossed behind my back and gun pointed at opening)
Monday, March 18, 2013
God's Tender Mercies - A phone call
The month of January was a rough one, and once again God chose this time to share another of His tender mercies with me.
About a week after I came home from Hawaii, I started having some pain in my left shoulder and neck area. I had the pain most days off and on, but it responded to Ibuprofen so it was tolerable. I sought help from a chiropractor and massage therapist that I had been seeing off and on since last summer when I had pain in my left shoulder blade area. That issue had been resolved, or so I thought. This time the pain was more in my left upper shoulder and lower neck area. My chiro told me my muscles felt like a tight unyielding rope. She and the massage therapist worked on helping me get the issues resolved again and was able to give me some short term relief.
However, the week after Christmas, my shoulder muscles pulled into a extremely painful tight spasming knot that I could not get to release. Suspecting this might have something to do with Parkinson's I tried to get an appointment with my neurologist. Frustratingly, I could not get in to see him until early February so I made an appointment with my primary care doctor instead. Based on the MRI report I had done during the summer because of the other shoulder issue, which showed minor arthritis in my neck, she diagnosed a neck strain and said it was aggravating the arthritis. She referred me to physical therapy.
I had now been dealing with this constant pain for almost 3 weeks and the pain was no longer responding to any pain medication. When I saw the physical therapist, she tried several tricks to get the muscles to release, but they were unresponsive. She said the muscles were pulling my left collar bone and ribs up towards my head about an inch. She put me in a position to release the tension in the muscles, but instead it actually cramped them even more. "It should not be doing that", she exclaimed. Well it was! The next day, I desperately tried to get some relief from a message, but after it was over I was tighter than ever and still in terrible pain. I left her office and got into my car and just sat there on the verge of tears. "Father, I can not do this. I can't live like this - what am I going to do?", I silently prayed.
As I sat there trying to pull myself together so I could drive, my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number and just about ignored it, but for some reason decided to answer it. To my total shock and amazement, it was my neurologist. "I haven't seen you for awhile and decided to see how you are doing.", he said. I pulled the phone from my ear and stared at it for a couple of seconds. No doctor has ever just called me out of the blue - ever. "Really?" I responded, "were you inspired by God to call me?" Surprised, he answered, "I occasionally call my patients to see how they are." Yeah - right!! I knew better!
To make a long story short, my neurologist's phone call was literally a God send and he was able to determine that I was experiencing dystonia caused by the Parkinson's and helped me get the pain relief I so desperately needed - which included putting me on the gold standard Parkinson's medicine, Carbidopa/levodopa or in lay terms - the dopamine medicine. The pain is gone and I am so much better. I did not realize just how much the Parkinson's was really affecting me until I got some of that dopamine back in me! That's good stuff - that dopamine is!!!! Good Stuff!
Never before has a doctor called me out of the blue - ever, so I know in my heart of hearts who was really responsible for that phone call. I am grateful that the doctor acted on a thought that was placed in his mind and even more grateful for a loving God who constantly showers my life with his very timely tender mercies!
About a week after I came home from Hawaii, I started having some pain in my left shoulder and neck area. I had the pain most days off and on, but it responded to Ibuprofen so it was tolerable. I sought help from a chiropractor and massage therapist that I had been seeing off and on since last summer when I had pain in my left shoulder blade area. That issue had been resolved, or so I thought. This time the pain was more in my left upper shoulder and lower neck area. My chiro told me my muscles felt like a tight unyielding rope. She and the massage therapist worked on helping me get the issues resolved again and was able to give me some short term relief.
However, the week after Christmas, my shoulder muscles pulled into a extremely painful tight spasming knot that I could not get to release. Suspecting this might have something to do with Parkinson's I tried to get an appointment with my neurologist. Frustratingly, I could not get in to see him until early February so I made an appointment with my primary care doctor instead. Based on the MRI report I had done during the summer because of the other shoulder issue, which showed minor arthritis in my neck, she diagnosed a neck strain and said it was aggravating the arthritis. She referred me to physical therapy.
I had now been dealing with this constant pain for almost 3 weeks and the pain was no longer responding to any pain medication. When I saw the physical therapist, she tried several tricks to get the muscles to release, but they were unresponsive. She said the muscles were pulling my left collar bone and ribs up towards my head about an inch. She put me in a position to release the tension in the muscles, but instead it actually cramped them even more. "It should not be doing that", she exclaimed. Well it was! The next day, I desperately tried to get some relief from a message, but after it was over I was tighter than ever and still in terrible pain. I left her office and got into my car and just sat there on the verge of tears. "Father, I can not do this. I can't live like this - what am I going to do?", I silently prayed.
As I sat there trying to pull myself together so I could drive, my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number and just about ignored it, but for some reason decided to answer it. To my total shock and amazement, it was my neurologist. "I haven't seen you for awhile and decided to see how you are doing.", he said. I pulled the phone from my ear and stared at it for a couple of seconds. No doctor has ever just called me out of the blue - ever. "Really?" I responded, "were you inspired by God to call me?" Surprised, he answered, "I occasionally call my patients to see how they are." Yeah - right!! I knew better!
To make a long story short, my neurologist's phone call was literally a God send and he was able to determine that I was experiencing dystonia caused by the Parkinson's and helped me get the pain relief I so desperately needed - which included putting me on the gold standard Parkinson's medicine, Carbidopa/levodopa or in lay terms - the dopamine medicine. The pain is gone and I am so much better. I did not realize just how much the Parkinson's was really affecting me until I got some of that dopamine back in me! That's good stuff - that dopamine is!!!! Good Stuff!
Never before has a doctor called me out of the blue - ever, so I know in my heart of hearts who was really responsible for that phone call. I am grateful that the doctor acted on a thought that was placed in his mind and even more grateful for a loving God who constantly showers my life with his very timely tender mercies!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
OOPS!
Hubby and I went to the movies tonight. Unfortunately nothing we wanted to see was playing during the time frame we needed, except one independent film that had caught my eye, "A moment in time". I enjoy going to independent films, although I have to admit, they are sometimes a hit or miss event. I usually go to see them alone, as Hubby is not so enamoured with them. But he agreed to see this one with me ...
... And his response to it was ... Several very loud exaggerated "just shoot me now" sighs throughout the movie ... and I think at one point he may have been snoring ... As we walked out of the movie he asked me why I thought he would like such a hideous, screechy, obnoxious, boring, horrible, sappy, sickeningly drawn out, torturous movie? Hhmm - do you think he liked it?
Oops! I think this is one I should have gone to alone!
(Somehow I knew I might be in trouble when I saw the theater was full of Philippine teenage girls. Oops!!!!)
... And his response to it was ... Several very loud exaggerated "just shoot me now" sighs throughout the movie ... and I think at one point he may have been snoring ... As we walked out of the movie he asked me why I thought he would like such a hideous, screechy, obnoxious, boring, horrible, sappy, sickeningly drawn out, torturous movie? Hhmm - do you think he liked it?
Oops! I think this is one I should have gone to alone!
(Somehow I knew I might be in trouble when I saw the theater was full of Philippine teenage girls. Oops!!!!)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
A wasted snow day! How sad!
My boss told us yesterday that if it's snowing today he was going to close the office. It did snow, not that bad, so I thought maybe I would go in to work anyways and get caught up while it was quiet. Hubby had to go in to work early this morning for something very important (not), but said he would come home around noon. So I decided not to go to work and spend the day with him instead.
Did some laundry, got caught up on some of favorite blogs and Internet sites, read, watched some TV, and waited. No Hubby! I waited and waited and waited some more. Took a nap and piddled away the rest of the afternoon. Still no Hubby! Finally at 7:30 p.m. he showed up (his normal work day time to come home).
Such a waste of a perfectly good snow day! :(
At least I had a relaxing (not to mention very non-productive) day.
Did some laundry, got caught up on some of favorite blogs and Internet sites, read, watched some TV, and waited. No Hubby! I waited and waited and waited some more. Took a nap and piddled away the rest of the afternoon. Still no Hubby! Finally at 7:30 p.m. he showed up (his normal work day time to come home).
Such a waste of a perfectly good snow day! :(
At least I had a relaxing (not to mention very non-productive) day.
Monday, January 28, 2013
One of God's Tender Mercies - Finding the PPMI study!
I have been meaning to write this now long overdue post about how I became a participant in the Parkinson's PPMI study. Finally - here it is!
https://www.michaeljfox.org/get-involved/parkinsons-progression-marker-initiative.html
Things happen in my life that many would call coincidences. But I know differently and that they are truly just God showing his love for me. I wrote about a few examples before:
http://cmfalling.blogspot.com/2011/06/strange-coincidences.html
I have had several more experiences specifically connected with my Parkinson's journey, and in fact just had another one recently that I will write about in the next post. I call these incidents "God's Tender Mercies" for I know that is what they are! I don't deserve them, yet he is merciful and continues to bless me anyways.
If you have followed this blog since the beginning or if you are one of my Daily Strength support group friends, you know already that I struggle with deciding to go on the meds. While each new drug recommendation sparks another struggle within me and probably always will, these struggles are nothing compared to the struggle I went through the first several months after being diagnosed and my neurologist recommended I start on a neuro protective drug. I wrote about some of my struggling thoughts here:
http://cmfalling.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-dilemma.html
That post was written in August 2011, I had already been struggling with the decision of that drug for 2 months previous. While most of those concerns were eventually resolved by my research and by my doctor, I still could not make the decision to go on the drug - even though everything pointed out that it would be a wise thing to do. I struggled, to the point of obsessing about it. I went back and forth with yes I would go on then quickly changing my mind to no I won't go on it - driving crazy my husband and everyone else who would listen with my wanting to discuss it over and over. This went on for even more months after I wrote the above post in August.
Finally, sometime the end of October or early November 2011, I came to the conclusion that I really should just go on the drug and quit worrying about it. So I sat down to the computer and wrote an email to my doctor to go ahead and write the prescription. I went to press the send key and I could not press it. A very real irrational uncomfortable feeling came over me and I literally could not send the email. I was beginning to wonder if I was nuts, or if it was just Parkinson's caused panic attacks, as I had experienced some of those over the past months. But this felt different.
A couple of nights later I was talking on the phone to my sister who is a nurse and described the dilemma of the drugs. After sharing the email experience, I said to her "i can't figure out if this is just an irrational Parkinson's freakout or if God is telling me for some reason not to go on the drug." She told me to stop worrying about it and my answer would come.
The very next day I was reading discussion posts on the Daily Strength site and there was a new post from a John Hopkins medical center nurse saying they were looking for new participants for their PPMI Parkinson's observational study. I had read about the study before and thought I should look into it further, but never did. One of the requirements for the study listed on this particular post was that the PD patient couldn't be on any Parkinson's drugs yet. (Yeah - you all know where this is going!) Shivers ran up my arm and I immediately called the number given in the post and left a message. Arita McCoy, the nurse, called me back almost immediately. We discussed the study, I asked her about the not being on any drugs requirement and when she told me it included the neuro protective drugs, I immediately felt calm and peaceful. The hair on my arms continued standing straight up as I realized I had been given my answer, for whatever reason, I was suppose to be in this study. So I quickly signed up and met their qualifications which allowed me to participate.
I can not begin to tell you the numerous benefits and wealth of information that I have received from the amazing doctors and nurses at John Hopkins medical center who are conducting this research. While some of the tests and procedures are not the least bit fun (including lumbar punctures), I have been given so much more from participating than I will ever be able to give by being a participant.
Those months of indecisive agonizing were awful, but I am slowly - oh so slowly - learning that I need to be more trusting, have more faith, and be more humble - for God is there for me and will guide me, comfort me, and teach me if I will only let Him. .
And now you know - the rest of the story!
https://www.michaeljfox.org/get-involved/parkinsons-progression-marker-initiative.html
Things happen in my life that many would call coincidences. But I know differently and that they are truly just God showing his love for me. I wrote about a few examples before:
http://cmfalling.blogspot.com/2011/06/strange-coincidences.html
I have had several more experiences specifically connected with my Parkinson's journey, and in fact just had another one recently that I will write about in the next post. I call these incidents "God's Tender Mercies" for I know that is what they are! I don't deserve them, yet he is merciful and continues to bless me anyways.
If you have followed this blog since the beginning or if you are one of my Daily Strength support group friends, you know already that I struggle with deciding to go on the meds. While each new drug recommendation sparks another struggle within me and probably always will, these struggles are nothing compared to the struggle I went through the first several months after being diagnosed and my neurologist recommended I start on a neuro protective drug. I wrote about some of my struggling thoughts here:
http://cmfalling.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-dilemma.html
That post was written in August 2011, I had already been struggling with the decision of that drug for 2 months previous. While most of those concerns were eventually resolved by my research and by my doctor, I still could not make the decision to go on the drug - even though everything pointed out that it would be a wise thing to do. I struggled, to the point of obsessing about it. I went back and forth with yes I would go on then quickly changing my mind to no I won't go on it - driving crazy my husband and everyone else who would listen with my wanting to discuss it over and over. This went on for even more months after I wrote the above post in August.
Finally, sometime the end of October or early November 2011, I came to the conclusion that I really should just go on the drug and quit worrying about it. So I sat down to the computer and wrote an email to my doctor to go ahead and write the prescription. I went to press the send key and I could not press it. A very real irrational uncomfortable feeling came over me and I literally could not send the email. I was beginning to wonder if I was nuts, or if it was just Parkinson's caused panic attacks, as I had experienced some of those over the past months. But this felt different.
A couple of nights later I was talking on the phone to my sister who is a nurse and described the dilemma of the drugs. After sharing the email experience, I said to her "i can't figure out if this is just an irrational Parkinson's freakout or if God is telling me for some reason not to go on the drug." She told me to stop worrying about it and my answer would come.
The very next day I was reading discussion posts on the Daily Strength site and there was a new post from a John Hopkins medical center nurse saying they were looking for new participants for their PPMI Parkinson's observational study. I had read about the study before and thought I should look into it further, but never did. One of the requirements for the study listed on this particular post was that the PD patient couldn't be on any Parkinson's drugs yet. (Yeah - you all know where this is going!) Shivers ran up my arm and I immediately called the number given in the post and left a message. Arita McCoy, the nurse, called me back almost immediately. We discussed the study, I asked her about the not being on any drugs requirement and when she told me it included the neuro protective drugs, I immediately felt calm and peaceful. The hair on my arms continued standing straight up as I realized I had been given my answer, for whatever reason, I was suppose to be in this study. So I quickly signed up and met their qualifications which allowed me to participate.
I can not begin to tell you the numerous benefits and wealth of information that I have received from the amazing doctors and nurses at John Hopkins medical center who are conducting this research. While some of the tests and procedures are not the least bit fun (including lumbar punctures), I have been given so much more from participating than I will ever be able to give by being a participant.
Those months of indecisive agonizing were awful, but I am slowly - oh so slowly - learning that I need to be more trusting, have more faith, and be more humble - for God is there for me and will guide me, comfort me, and teach me if I will only let Him. .
And now you know - the rest of the story!
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