Saturday, September 9, 2006
A Fleeting Moment
I have been corresponding lately with a woman who is considering the same kind of surgery I have been corresponding lately with a woman who is considering the same kind of surgery I had for Parkinson's disease. She told her kids if she got batteries installed for her PD, she'd be running around like the energizer bunny. They liked the idea! They said that would be cool!! I told her: Oh, but you WILL be!! If I could just describe the feeling of not moving all the time; you get so used to the...
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Thursday, September 7, 2006
Crown Chakra Meditation
This is from Sylvia Browne's first book, God, Creation and Tools for Life. I am blogging about it here because it is used for healing. This meditation could apply to the spiritual side as well as your relationships. Crown Chakra Meditation This is an extensive and powerful healing meditation that can also be used for remote healing. As with everything, the more you use it, the more powerful it becomes. Usually, when you do a prayer or meditation, you put your hands upward to receive grace....
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Thursday, August 31, 2006
Nuke My Brain! (Please)
We have arrived in St. Louis and I should be sleeping now instead of blogging. I'm participating in an NIH study of the Deep Brain Stimulators and how they work with Parkinson’s. Tomorrow IS Pet Scan Day. I have done this kind of study once before. I will be off medications and be "turned off," having to lie perfectly still (yeah, right) on this narrow little board while they place a wet masque over my face which then quickly hardens (I haven’t had that experience for a while) and forms to the...
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Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Family Member have Parkinson's?
Is Parkinson’s disease (PD) hereditary? It used to be a question/theory that got little credence since 50% of those with Parkinson’s could not recall a close relative who had ever had it, but the question remained, “Were they predisposed to the disease by a mutated gene? Were there external environmental triggers such as pesticides or blows to the head resulting in injury to the pituitary?” The explosion in the research field of genetics is coming up with new discoveries every year, especially...
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Monday, August 21, 2006
My Brain, On Drugs (Prescribed)
DBS part II I was lucky to qualify for this surgery. I had two gentlemen with PD visit me the week I was home, waiting for Part 2 to the surgery. Neither of them qualified. Not all patients with Parkinson's or other movement disorders are good DBS candidates. First of all, age and pre-existing conditions aren't as important as mental state. The team start with a thorough neurological and psychological exam, making sure the original diagnosis was correct and ruling out signs of clinical...
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Friday, August 18, 2006
Brain Surgery? Piece of Cake!
The prognosis on my internal battery today was great! The news is that the battery should get me to Turkey month (November) just fine. They will check it then and change it out before it dies. That is similar to having a stroke. One side of your body quits moving. I went through that for two weeks a couple of years ago. I did find out that I somehow managed to get that one side to "turn off," probably by getting too close to a magnet or magnetic field (like in Bestbuy.) I usually get a little...
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I May Be Running Out On One Side!
The battery which controls the left side of my body may be dying. It just went out two days ago when my fingers on my left hand were straight and would not bend. I noticed because I was typing away at the keyboard. Last night my left hand just tremored. I was still "turned on" but I wonder if the power is weak and running out. I'm getting a lot of tingling in that hand. I am having it 'emergency checked ' today by my programmer this morning at KUMC. She thought it would hold out 'till...
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Monday, August 14, 2006
A Cure?
I feel a cure for Parkinson's is on the horizon. I just don't know if it will come in time to help me. All I can do is pray it will. I also don't think it will come from stem cells but a new surgical procedure that hasn't even been thought of yet. A recent experience with a plant rejuvenating itself from what appeared to be a dried up dead Hydrangea bush prompted me to write some haikus based on my experiences with PD and with breast cancer. I hope they touch you in a positive way. (I think I'll...
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Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Help! I Lost Tuesday!
Help! I’ve Lost Tuesday!! My husband looked at me as if he didn’t hear me correctly before he left for work. I told him that ‘I’d lost Tuesday.’ Because of my softened voice due to Parkinson’s, we are getting in the habit of facing each other when I try to talk to him so he can also read my lips. I indicated that I was missing the Tuesday pill container. “Ooohhhhh,” he said, understanding registering on his face. I’d been missing that day’s container for a week and now I needed to do a serious...
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Monday, June 12, 2006
Not So Sweet Donut Hole
Whoever came up with this idea for Social Security Medicare's Part D ought to be put in front a firing squad. Their demise would be less painful than those of us who are now in what is referred to as the "Donut Hole." Unless you are disabled, as I am, or in the 65+ group, read this as another complaint and a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at being a dependent of Uncle Sam’s. If you are a part of this prescription plan, plan on some pretty tough times ahead. It’s like being in a sand trap if you...
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