I'm Still Standing; My Walk with Parkinson's

By LadyCeeMarie - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Health & Fitness

Sunday, October 1, 2006

At Least You Have Your Health

Last week I was looking for more ways to slash our budget. The Curves membership, although I hated to give it up, was something I can do at home -- exercise, that is. With my chauffeur/daughter moving away again soon, it's going to be difficult to keep going. The owner just happened to be there when I was pleading my case to their manager. There is a 30 day clause, so I will owe one more month. I was explaining that my reason for quitting was for financial hardship and the owner said even so,... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Lewy Bodies,Olofactories, Constipation, lowered heart, bladder malfuntion,

(Now Back to the Lewy bodies) What is less widely recognized is that Lewy described these bodies not in the nigrostriatal dopamine system, but in other areas of the brain. Also, they have since been found in other parts of the body, including collections of nerve cells that lie just outside the spinal cord (known as sympathetic ganglia) and the wall of the gut. In fact, it seems increasingly likely that Parkinson's does not begin in the nigrostriatal system, but possibly in the lower brainstem... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Just What IS Parkinson's Disease?

This may include more information than you want to know, but I think Dr. Langston has explained how Parkinson's strikes much sooner than previously thought. PD: More than a Movement Disorder J. William Langston, M.D. What exactly is Parkinson's disease? How we answer this question is not just a game of definitions, nor is it getting easier. But finding the answer is important because how we define Parkinson's is likely to be the difference between success and failure as we look for clues to the... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Air Singing

I am one. A BIG one! I am a CLAYMATE. Unless you're a follower of American Idol, that may be a mysterious type of naked pottery for all you know. But no, it's not naked anything -- (sorry). I am a big fan of Clay Aiken. Before Parkinson's took my voice down, I used to sing. Clay was just on Jimmy Kimmel with an impressive amount of Claymates there to Air Sing. He just released his second album that we mates have waited for two years. The songs are so new, you could see the mouths moving, sort... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 25, 2006

I'm Back On!

"Never mind," as Emily Litella, Gilda Radner’s character from Saturday Night Live, used to say. This is where having nurtured the "open channel" to God in my mind comes in handy. When an idea pops into my head, I don't question, I don't argue. I do what it says. I slowly sat down at my computer last night, and I had just slowly penned my dilemma. I looked at my ARC (Access Review Controller), the little hand-held piece of engineering genius that tells you if your battery (IPG or Implanted Pulse... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

MJF to OCD from Mirapex

I picked up prescription drugs yesterday as I usually do, and the pharmacist paused when she got to one with a charge of $200.00. I said I was aware of it. It was the last of the bigtime prescription bills. I perused the rest of my bills and was happy to see $2.00, $10.00, and even $12.48. My husband covered my pill bills this week, $432. left in the donut hole when the money should have gone for flood insurance. I did a little freedom dance as I was leaving the counter. The Pharmacist asked if... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

This Soft-Spoken Voice.....

Parkinson's weakens the muscles of the bodies. That's what happens when the brain doesn't manufacture enough of the neurotransmitter Dopamine; hence the tremor, the rigidity, the wild movements or no movement. Muscles control our whole body. I visited the cadaver lab a couple of times. I had two roommates at two separate times that were enrolled in anatomy at KU. I was impressed with the fact that right under the skin, protecting our vitals organs and skeleton, is a mass of muscles, all... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Good News for a Change

While talking to my husband today, who is a photographer, he mentioned he had received a call from my cardiologist's office. Someone wanted a team photo. It reminded me I had NOT received a call from their office giving me the reports of my Echo Cardiogram last month. I told him thanks, I would make the call myself. The news was not expected, but let me know how blessed I have been lately. The leaking mitral valve, which is mild to moderate, was actually BETTER! I said that was something someone... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Quality of Life Matters, You'd Better Believe It

This picture was taken the day OF surgery, May 20, 1999: the doctor is Dr. O, the "mechanical engineer" who mapped my brain in order to have the stimulators perfectly placed! *********************************************************************** I was recently asked in a Medtronics Ambassador letter about my quality of life with Deep Brain Surgery (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) before and after. This was my response: ************************************************** Boy, I could go on and... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Post 9/11 Parkie Patient at the NIH

I wrote a Haiku poem to commemorate the victims of the attack 5 years ago that robbed us of our innocence. I had to be at the NIH for testing on my brain devices and how they help my Parkinson's. I had just about booked my flight when this happened. My 18 year-old son said, "Mom, you are not going to fly!!!! I will drive you there, but I'm not letting you get on a plane." I had put him through enough. He's only known a mother who had always had to deal with Parkinson's. He was so nervous when I... Sign in to see full entry.

Headlines (What is this?)