A Parky Christmas Wish

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through my home,
This Parky was stumbling around in the dark, alone;
The stockings were hung by the chimney askew,

Because that’s the best this Parky could do.

The children were sleeping, I heard sniffles and sniffs,

As I was struggling, to wrap their Christmas gifts;
And hubby was sound asleep, I could hear him snore,
As my foot cramps made me, hobble across the floor.

When out in the kitchen there arose such a clatter,
As I dropped and broke the big turkey platter.
I tried to pick up the pieces, to put in the trash,
And ended up giving myself a nasty old gash.

I tried to bandage my hand, to stop the blood flow,
But it was difficult, because I move so slow,
As I was trying, I felt a sensation,
Was someone else here, or just another hallucination?

Over by the chimney, carrying a walking stick,
Stood a man who looked very much like St. Nick.
Was I dreaming, was I awake, had I gone insane?
I wasn't sure, then he called all my symptoms by name;

"Now, TREMORS! now, FALLING! now, INSOMNIA and STIFFNESS!
Now, FOOT CRAMPS! Now DROOLING! Now, MASKING and SLOWNESS!
To the top of the porch! To the front lawn!
I am telling you, symptoms, from this girl be gone"

As a dust storm caused the leaves to fly,
I watched as my symptoms disappeared in the sky,
So up to the heavens my symptoms they flew,
And I knew I would have a good Christmas, too.  

Before I knew it, he had turned and fled,
And I, quite dazed, went back to bed.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

You can find all my videos on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/ParkinsonsHumor

Parkinson's DBS Surgery: Part 3, the Generator Implant

Warning: This story has a few graphic photos, so if medical stuff bothers you, consider yourself warned.

I couldn't sleep, so I got up at 2 am. My Wonderful Husband didn't sleep well, either. We left for Tucson (220 miles away) at 6 am, and arrived at the hospital at 10 am. It was exactly a week since they drilled holes in my head and today they would implant the generator in my chest and run wires under my skin and connect them to the leads in my brain. I would be asleep for this procedure, so I don't know how they do this, and I'm not sure I even want to know.

At 10:30 am, I was sitting in the pre-op area, waiting for the nurse. At noon, I was in the operating room waiting area talking to Bill and Adam from Medtronic (they make the device). The last thing I remember is me saying, "Do you want me to move over to that gurney or are you going to move me?" and this answer, "Dr. Norton likes us to move his patients." That was it. I don't remember anything after that. 

Checking Facebook & Twitter

Next thing I remember is waking up in recovery with my Wonderful Husband standing next to me. It was 3:30 pm. My chest hurt, my throat hurt and it felt like someone was pulling on my right ear. The nurse came in with a wash cloth and wiped off my neck and behind my ear. Soon I was getting dressed and being wheeled out to our car. I was wobbly to say the least.

YumaBev right after surgery

We went to the Holiday Inn Express and got checked in. I was still feeling wobbly, so my Wonderful Husband got me to the room first and then went and got our luggage. I hurt; not as bad as when I had a wisdom tooth extracted or when I got Montezuma's revenge after a trip to Mexico, but I hurt, mostly behind my right ear. The doctor had warned me that Tylenol wouldn't be enough for this, so I had filled the prescription for Vicodin ahead of time. There was a restaurant nearby, so Wonderful Hubby went and got us some food and I took the first pain pill. Within an hour, I was feeling much better, except for some nausea. 

I managed to stay awake long enough to take another pain pill and then we both went to sleep. I slept on my left side and placed an extra pillow between my right arm and my chest. I got up once in the night and took another pain pill and then fought nausea for an hour or so. I woke up about 7 am and took my usual morning Parkinson's medications. We went down to the hotel lobby for breakfast and afterwards, I took another pain pill. The nausea returned, so I laid down for a while and then, when I felt better, we headed back home to Yuma. The Holiday Inn Express was clean, quiet and the bed was comfortable, I will definitely stay there again.

I did okay on the drive home, but we stopped several times for me to walk around and get some fresh air. I ate a sandwich when we got home and went back to sleep. The nausea from the pain pills was worse than the pain, so I went back to Tylenol. I slept a lot that day, but felt well enough on Saturday, two days after surgery, to go to a Halloween Party at the Yuma Camera Club. I went as Dolly Parton.

YumaBev as Dolly Parton

Overall, the surgery wasn't too bad. The nurses forgot to take a couple EKG pads off me and my skin is still red where they were stuck to me, but it didn't blister.

Marks left from EKG pads.

I have a bulge under my skin where the generator is implanted, but it won't be noticeable under clothing. I'll probably have a scar, but I didn't plan to enter any bathing suit contests. 

They shaved a little more of my hair off, but the rest covers it pretty well. 

A few more stitches

Now comes the hardest part of this whole procedure; waiting for the unit to be turned on (next week) and programmed (two weeks later). It looks like I will have to be a patient patient. 

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How Does One Prepare for Brain Surgery?

My copy of Robyn's book

My friend Robyn was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at age 43, then eight months later with breast cancer. She wrote a book called Most of Me in which she details her medical meltdown using bawdy humor. She had less than three weeks to prepare for a mastectomy, so I found it quite funny when she asked me, "How does one prepare for DBS?"

Favorite legal tee shirt

Obviously, since I am having brain surgery, I should "put my affairs in order." Years ago, I made my Last Will and Testament (I leave all my blah, blah, blah), Durable Power of Attorney (in the event I can't blah, blah, blah) and Advance Health Directive (I only eat vegetables, I don't want to be one, blah, blah, blah), so I can spend my last days before surgery doing really important things like dinner and a show with friends, ice cream with my Wonderful Husband's car club, going on a photo walk with the Yuma Camera Club and having dinner and tons of laughs with my neighbors. In other words, having fun.

I only have a few days left before my surgery, so I am writing some extra blog stories, in case I don't feel like it while recuperating. I'm also designing a Halloween costume with antennae and thinking up lyrics for a new song "I've got Two Holes in My Head." I'm trying to figure out how to sneak my camera and laptop into surgery so I can take pictures and post updates to Facebook and Twitter during the procedure. Yes, I will be awake. 

I can't decide what to wear to the hospital. No, I am not a diva; I just need to pick something I can get into and out of easily, since I will be off medications that morning and barely able to move. Two people from Medtronic (they make the DBS device) are coming to my surgery to meet me and a researcher doing a study funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation is coming as well. It's a good thing I don't care what I look like, because I am sure I won't be at my best. I mean, what WOULD look good with a stereotactic frame bolted to my head? Hot pink lipstick? 

stereotactic frame

My Wonderful Husband's birthday is just days after my surgery and I think the best birthday present I could give him is to still be a Happy Parkie afterwards. Wish me luck.

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Why DBS?

I am a week away from DBS surgery. I have had a lot of people contact me and ask why, specifically, I am considering such a step now. To most, it seems like an extreme measure; a last resort, but it actually is a quality of life decision.

Even though I was only diagnosed with Parkinson's five years ago, I have had the disease for at least sixteen years. I had excellent results from medication when I first started taking it. The change in my physical condition after just five pills was miraculous and I wish I had before and after video to show you. 

I got by on just three doses a day for almost four years, but then the disease progressed again. With Parkinson's; you develop symptoms then stay at that level for awhile; develop more symptoms and stay at that level for awhile; develop worse symptoms and stay at that level for awhile, etc. I am now in my sixth "get worse" period and my "stay at the same level" times are decreasing. A year ago, I was doing well on three doses; a few months ago, I was doing okay on six doses. Now, I am not doing well at all. (Every person with Parkinson's progresses differently.)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this video should explain why I am having DBS. This video is eight minutes long and shows a typical day for me. I repeat the same routine (typical things done daily) over and over again, every hour or so. Rigidity and slowness (bradykinesia) are difficult to capture, but I think I've done a pretty good job. Have a look:

If the surgery goes well, I expect to have an increase of six hours of ON time a day and hopefully eliminate some side effects (foot cramps) at the same time, which would definitely improve my quality of life. 

You can find all my videos on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/ParkinsonsHumor

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A Moonwalking Parkie

I remember watching, in the summer of 1969, the first moonwalk. We had a small black and white TV and the picture was grainy. You could just barely make out a bulky figure climbing down from the spacecraft and stepping on the moon. It was thrilling for this little nine-year old girl. I lived in Orlando, Florida back then and used to watch, from my front yard, the rockets blast off into space.

Fast forward to 1983 and I watched Michael Jackson moonwalk on the Motown 25 Special, this time on a color TV. Within a few weeks, I managed to do the tricky dance-step myself, but only if the flooring was slick and I was wearing the right shoes.

Fast forward to 2012 and I still moonwalk, but it's a very different moonwalk. I take my camera and try to catch the full moon as it sets. I was moon-walking at 5 am the other morning and snapped these pictures as the moon set. Not bad, considering I didn't have a tripod, or anything to rest the camera on and the fact that I have Parkinson's. 

The moon is almost touching the street

As I was shuffling back towards the house, I realized how much I walked like the astronaut from 1969, stiff and clumsy, like I was wearing a bulky spacesuit. Parkinson's has taken so much from me, but given plenty in return, such as this new kind of moon-walking.  Maybe I can't move like Michael Jackson once did, but I can still wear sparkly socks!

Psyching Out the Neuro-Psychologist

The day of my Neuropsychology exam started at 4 am, since we had to drive 219 miles to Tucson, Arizona for my appointment. We could have gone the day before and stayed in a hotel, but I figured I'd sleep better in my own bed and since I'm usually up by 4:30 or 5, it wouldn't make much difference. I was wrong; I didn't sleep well at all.

The drive over was fairly easy, there's not much between here and Tucson except cactus and jackrabbits, and the rabbits were all sleeping. I did see some interesting signs on the way. The first one read, "Solar is the Answer," then there was, "Christ is the Answer" and finally, "Jesus is the Answer." Right then, I knew I had three possible answers to whatever questions the tester might ask.

We arrived a few minutes early and soon Karin (the Neuropsychologist) called both of us back to her office. The first part of the exam was an interview. I answered all of her questions and my Wonderful Husband bragged to her about my Parkinson's advocacy, this blog, my book and how I'd done a TV interview the afternoon before. I wore my "What's Shaking? Just Me!" t-shirt just for fun and Karin noticed it, so I was pretty sure I passed the "no signs of depression" part of the test. 

My Wonderful Husband was sent out to the lobby and the real testing began. She told me she was going to say three words and I was to repeat them back to her and try to remember them because she would ask me to say them again later. When she said the three words, which I won't repeat here, I smiled because I immediately thought of my good Parkie buddy Jim and his wife Penny.

After the three words, we did all kinds of memory tests. I drew my renditions of geometric shapes she'd shown me. I repeated numbers, forwards and backwards. I answered questions and tried to repeat back stories. I did well with the numbers in the stories, but not so well with the names, which didn't surprise me one bit. I warned her I was good with numbers and terrible with names. I did math problems and connect-the-dot games. 

shape drawings

Then it came time for the dexterity tests, the dreaded pegs-in-holes. I did terrible with my right hand and not much better with my left. No surprise with this outcome, I actually did better than I thought I would. Sometimes, I can't even pick up a fork right-handed, much less a tooth-pick sized peg.

We took a break for lunch, then two more hours of testing and we were done. She said I had an amazing memory and she didn't see any reason why I couldn't proceed with the DBS surgery. She asked me not to detail every single test, verbatim, in this story. I promised I would not and we left.

My Wonderful Husband and I headed back to Yuma, 219 miles away. All the way home, and most of the evening, I kept trying to remember the three words on a list of fifteen that I missed. Karin kept repeating these fifteen words over and over and I would say them back and only come up with twelve. It was driving me crazy.

When I walked with my neighbor Freida the next morning, I was telling her about the tests and how I kept missing three words. She asked me to say all the words to her, so I did. When I was done, she laughed. She said, "You just named off sixteen words, not twelve." Karin was saying sixteen words, not fifteen, and I was repeating ALL of them, not twelve. Apparently, I can't count and talk at the same time. Gee, I hope Karin doesn't read this and change my score.

By the way, I didn't get to use Solar, Christ or Jesus as answers to any of the questions Karin asked.

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Studying for My Psych Test

I am planning on having the DBS surgery and to qualify, I need to have what is known as neuropsychological testing. This is a big medical word that simply translated means: Is she alright in the head? 

They will check for signs of depression, dementia, cognitive and memory problems. Having any of these isn't necessarily a surgical no-no, but they might follow you more closely afterwards.

Some of my Parkie friends, who have had such tests, gave me advice. They warned me about lists and lists and lists, plus math problems and putting pegs in holes, so I figured I better study before I went.

I'm not worried about the depression part, I'll just show them my blog or sing one of my songs and pass that test.

I didn't have any pegs or holes to practice with, so I used a seven day pill container and a bowl of M&M's. The idea was to put the various colors in the separate sections as fast as I could, but I had a problem, I kept eating them (red is my favorite). 

The math problems shouldn't give me trouble, I was somewhat of a math genius in school and even wrote a computer program to do my homework. However, if they do those "Bob got on bus # 7 at State Street and there were 5 people on the bus, 4 got off at Main Street, 3 got on at Harley Street and 2 got on at Grover Street" and then ask, "What was the name of the guy who got on at State Street?" I will be sunk. I am terrible with names, always have been, always will be. Why do you think I always say Wonderful Husband in these stories? 

I was told they will say lists of words and ask you to repeat them back and the lists will get longer and longer. I can usually remember what is on my grocery list, until I get to the grocery store, then I promptly forget until I am back home. One person said they asked her to name as many items as she could that would be found in a grocery store and started with the letter B. So, I said, "Beer, beer, beer and beer." which is funny since I don't even like beer. The letter C is on my usual grocery list: Cereal, cereal, cheese, cereal, cookies, candy, cereal, croutons, cereal, carrots, cereal, canned veggies, cereal, chicken, cereal, chips, cereal. I eat a lot of cereal.

Well, I guess I have studied enough. I will let you know if I passed or not. 

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But You Don't Shake

But you don't shake. I HATE those four words and every time I hear them, I want to scream! 

And I hear them often, from strangers, from cashiers, from salesmen, I have even heard it from Doctor's, Nurses and Pharmacists. They always come right after I say "I have Parkinson's Disease". 

My Wonderful Husband and I drove 200 miles to San Diego to attend a Parkinson's Seminar hosted by UCSD and the Parkinson's Association of San Diego. My built in GPS failed me, or I just couldn't remember what I saw on the map, I'm not sure which, but I took the wrong exit and got lost. I quickly realized my mistake and after several U-turns, found the signs and made it to the program, 20 minutes late. We signed in and found seats.

During the break, I met Karen & Sue, people I've met online through Twitter. I'm not sure which of us was more excited to meet the other, I guess it was a tie, but either way, I was glad to meet them in person.

I wandered around and introduced myself to some of the folks who were attending the seminar, told them about this blog and gave them refrigerator magnets with the Parkinson's Humor web address on it. I even told a funny story or two.

And then it happened, those four words "but you don't shake". I didn't scream, I didn't even get mad. I just said "You're right, I don't". I explained that tremors have always been the least of my problems and are controlled fairly well by medications. He asked "How long have you had PD?", I said 12 years. Wow, he said, how do you manage your symptoms so well? I explained about  Charting my symptoms and a great relationship with my Neurologist. A few others nearby, heard our conversation, and asked me about charting. I explained it, told them I had written a story about it and gave them magnets with the Parkinson's Humor web address and told them how to find the story on my blog. 

The seminar was very informative and afterwards I handed out a few more magnets and told a few people about my Parkinson's songs.  I got to talk to several of the Doctor's who spoke at the seminar. The best part? None of the Doctors said "but you don't shake" when I told them I have Parkinson's. That gives them an A+ in my book.

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Thank you for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed it. This is just one of a hundred stories in my book, Parkinson's Humor - Funny Stories about My Life with Parkinson's Disease. Please consider purchasing a copy from Amazon or your favorite online book seller. Thank you and have a Happy Parkie Day!

Pharmacology of Parkinson's Disease

Reading all the fine print on those fact sheets that come with Parkinson's disease medications is confusing and boring, so I decided to use humor to try to explain it.  I got the idea of using farm references by the phonetic pronunciation of Pharmacology (FARM-a-college-ee).


Parkinson's disease is caused when certain neurons in our brain die and quit producing dopamine.  Low dopamine levels cause the signals from our brain to our muscles to get scrambled and produces the erratic movements. Okay, easy enough, just give us dopamine.  The solution sounds simple, but there is a catch: our bodies are very protective of what it lets in the barn (brain) and dopamine can't even get on the farm.  

Dopamine - stay out!!!

The scientists developed levodopa which can get on the farm, but by itself, levodopa causes intense nausea and vomiting and turns into dopamine and still can't get in the barn (brain).  The scientists found that by adding carbidopa to the levodopa, they could prevent it from becoming dopamine and quell the nausea.  Carbidopa is like a Judas Goat, it leads the levodopa past the guard dogs and right into the barn (brain). The combination of carbi/levodopa is called Sinemet.

Sneaks the dopamine in

The problem with Sinemet is that our bodies try to get foreign items out of our bloodstream.  It takes about 45 - 75 minutes from mouth to blood stream and then our efficient blood cleansing organs get rid of it about an hour later, so not much makes it into the barn (3% according to the experts).


The scientists went back to work and found out that if they added another drug called entacapone (Comtan), they could keep the Sinemet in our bloodstream longer and therefore more can be herded in to the barn known as your brain.  The brand name combination of Sinemet and Comtan is called Stalevo.

Herding more into the barn

Comtan has a wonderful side effect of making your urine turn bright yellow, orange or even brown.  This has a tendency to freak out the lab techs when they ask you to pee in a cup.  It is my own personal observation that this yellow stain also creeps into your saliva and perspiration and I am pretty sure that it is staining my teeth as well (just call me mellow yellow).


There is another class of drugs called dopamine agonists. These drugs aren't designed to replace the missing dopamine, they are designed to make the receptors that use dopamine work better without it. It's kind of like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey.  

Agonists act like a carrot and can cause you to act like a donkey

There are 2 main agonists: Ropinirole and pramipexole, known under the brand names of Requip and Mirapex. These drugs do such a good job of stimulating the receptors that they can cause dangerous obsessive or compulsive behaviors such as gambling, uncontrollable shopping or risky sexual activity.  IF you are taking an agonist, you need to be aware of these potentially life altering side effects and find someone you can trust to monitor you. On the up side, agonist's have also been tied to increased creativity.  People start writing poetry or take up painting when they had no interest prior.


Rasagiline (Azilect) and selegiline (Eldepryl) are other drugs that are used in Parkinson's and are in a class of medications called monoamine oxidase (MAO) type B inhibitors.  They work by increasing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain and act similar to the agonists.  They are often prescribed to recently diagnosed Parkies in an attempt to delay prescribing the Sinemet.

There are many other drugs used to either treat the symptoms of Parkinson's or the side effects of the drugs we take to relieve our symptoms.  

Treatment of Parkinson's consists of easing our symptoms only.  None of the currently available medications will stop the progression or cure it.  Over time, Sinemet causes unpleasant side effects (Parkinson's Drugs Side Effects) and becomes less effective, requiring us to take higher and higher doses, so Doctor's try to reduce the amount of it we take or delay its usage.

The reason Sinemet loses its effectiveness is the brain needs healthy dopamine producing neurons to convert the levodopa into dopamine, and, as the disease progresses, there are less and less neurons to do the converting.


I wrote a song about Sinemet, well, just the lyrics, the music is borrowed.  Have a listen:

Clicking on colored words will open a new window and take you to a different story or link. 

Thank you for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed it. This is just one of a hundred stories in my book, Parkinson's Humor - Funny Stories about My Life with Parkinson's Disease. Please consider purchasing a copy from Amazon.com or your favorite online book seller. Thank you and have a Happy Parkie Day!

Singing for Parkinson's Disease

Sylvia singing

Monday afternoon is karaoke time for me. Bob & Sylvia host it at a 55+ RV park not far from my home. I am under 55, but since it is open to the public, I am allowed to join in. I am the only Parkie who comes, but there is a lady with Essential Tremor who also attends, so I am not the only singer with shaking hands.

Bob wearing a halo

The people seem to look forward to my humorous song parodies and I have done 1 or 2 that I wrote about Parkinson's disease. Bob will usually say "Here comes YumaBev, I wonder what surprise she has for us today".  Last week I shocked everyone by singing the real words to a song. They clapped, but I think they were a tad disappointed. I will sing my song parodies from now on.

I sing at karaoke for several reasons.  

1. It gets me out socially. Too many Parkies hide from people because they are self-conscience. No one has ever said anything mean to me, most are supportive.
2. Singing is good exercise for our voices.
3. Singing is fun. Fun is good for everyone.

4. No one sings like the professionals do and no one cares that I sing off-key.  I have never been booed nor had tomatoes thrown at me.  
Every one claps for everyone. We dance and Bob puts on silly costumes to fit the song being sung. We laugh and have a great time!

Here is the video clip of me singing at karaoke. The song is about a runaway golf cart and it based on a true story. If you look, you can see both of my hands are shaking badly, and afterwards, the woman approaching me asks if a music stand would help me.  They all now know I have Parkinson's and encourage me, not discourage me.

  

I advise every Parkie to sing everyday. You don't need karaoke discs, just turn on the radio or type a song you like into an internet search engine and sing along.  Sing loud, sing strong, sing in the shower and sing while you do laundry. Singing will help you keep the ability to speak. Sing! Sing! Sing!  

PS And its FUN!

You can find all my videos on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/ParkinsonsHumor

Thank you for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed it. This is just one of a hundred stories in my book, Parkinson's Humor - Funny Stories about My Life with Parkinson's Disease. Please consider purchasing a copy from Amazon.com or your favorite online book seller. Thank you and have a Happy Parkie Day!

A Parky goes to the Doctor

I recently went to my Family Doctor.  This was a scheduled visit for a normal check up, nothing urgent, and since my Wonderful Husband's least favorite place to go is a Doctor's office, I went in alone.  

The first thing they did was give me some forms to fill out.  I reminded them that I have Parkinson's disease and that writing isn't easy.
  

Then the nurse called me in and asked me to climb backwards onto a scale so that she could measure and weigh me.  (Sure, I thought, no problem, want me to dance a jig, too?) 

Next, the nurse handed me a small sterile cup and asked me to give a urine sample and be sure to write my name on the cup.  (Sure, I thought, urinate in that tiny cup, maybe.  Write my name on it so it can be read, she's got to be joking!)  But, off I went.  

Clicking on any pic will enlarge it

Now, folks, urinating in a tiny cup isn't easy for any of us girls, but just try it when you are rigid and your hands are shaking.  I managed to get a small amount in the cup and didn't spill any on myself; however, the floor wasn't so lucky. 

Then I was escorted to the exam room and directed to get undressed and put on a designer "one size fits absolutely no one in the entire world" paper gown and climb up on the table and wait.

By the time the Doctor came in, I was laughing almost hysterically. Why?  Because we Parkies try to avoid embarrassing or harmful situations and as I sat there, I realized that I had just told a room full of people that I can't write, I could have peed all over myself and maybe broke my neck trying to get weighed.  

When I stopped laughing, I told my Doctor that visiting her was the most dangerous and humiliating thing I did all week!  It turns out she has a sense of humor, too.  She said "Well, at least we know how to dial 911".
  

Thank you for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed it. This is just one of a hundred stories in my book, Parkinson's Humor - Funny Stories about My Life with Parkinson's Disease. Please consider purchasing a copy from Amazon.com or your favorite online book seller. Thank you and have a Happy Parkie Day!

I re-write the songs

I have a knack for re-writing the words to songs, it's easy for me and I have been doing it since my teens. I hear a song and new words pop into my head immediately. I will admit that the words I came up with years ago were not always designed for family audiences, but hey, I was a teenager. 


I kept these lyrics to myself, singing only to the radio when I was alone. You see, I know that I can't sing. I entered a school talent show when I was in sixth grade and my teacher took me aside afterwards and gently said "Beverly, I am sorry, but you hit every note off-key" and she was right, I couldn't carry a tune.

But that didn't stop me from composing new parodies, like the one I wrote a few years ago, about RV'ers heading back home after spending the winter in Yuma. I was living in an RV Park at the time and overheard the manager say "Another one left the park today" and that was all it took. I went home and wrote Another One Leaves the Park to the tune of Another One Bites the Dust by Queen. I surprised everyone, including myself, by showing up at karaoke and singing it. It was the first time I had sang in public since the sixth grade and no one booed. My song made people laugh. If I had a perfect voice, it probably wouldn't have been as funny. 

Since then I am unstoppable, I write songs about everything and anything, most of them funny. Sometimes all it takes is a comment to inspire a song, or a saying on a t-shirt. I written songs for WWII Veterans, Birthdays, Anniversaries and even a song about Angels (one of the few serious songs I've written). I've even written a few about Parkinson's. I use karaoke versions for the music and copyright my lyrics.  

They all have one thing in common, they are humorous.  Since I cannot upload the songs by themselves to Facebook, Twitter or on here, I make music videos to go along with the new lyrics.  I enjoy taking the silly and sometimes unflattering pictures that I use to illustrate the lyrics.  Here are three of my songs about Parkinson's, have a laugh on me.  Just click the > and it should play the video for you.

                      Laughing at Parkinson's

                            My Dopamine 

                  Just Another Day of Parkinson's

I've often wondered what Mrs. Serles, my sixth grade teacher, would say now.

You can find all my videos on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/ParkinsonsHumor

Thank you for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed it. This is just one of a hundred stories in my book, Parkinson's Humor - Funny Stories about My Life with Parkinson's Disease. Please consider purchasing a copy from Amazon.com or your favorite online book seller. Thank you and have a Happy Parkie Day!

Pikes Peak adventure

We had been to Colorado Springs, Colorado several times, but never to the top of Pikes Peak, so it remained on my Bucket List until last week.  We had two choices:  drive up in our car, one way: 19 miles and 53 hairpin turns with no guardrails or we could sit back and take a narrated tour on the Cog Railway.  We elected for the train so we could both enjoy the scenery.  The narration was great but the guide's humor was awful.

Blue Spruce tree

I did not ask my Doctor whether the 14,110 ft altitude would affect my Parkinson's disease; I never gave it a thought.  I knew it would be cold up there, 30 degrees colder than where you boarded the train, so I packed two jackets each for my Wonderful Husband and me.  The ride to the top took approximately 1.5 hours and was absolutely beautiful, the aspens were bright yellow, the sky brilliant blue with white puffy clouds.  We saw deer, marmots, waterfalls, alpine lakes and my favorite tree, the Blue Spruce.  

Cabin at 12,129 ft

I felt fine, until we almost reached the top.  I had chosen the departure time to be the warmest part of the day, since cold aggravates my Parkinson's symptoms and to be in the 'best' part of a medicine cycle.  But all of a sudden, my left foot began to cramp and my neck stiffened.  I checked my pill container and yes, I HAD taken my pills right on time.  What was going on?  I should be as fluid as I get during a dosing period, but instead it was as if I hadn't taken any medicine at all.  By the time we reached the summit, ten minutes later, I was very rigid and both feet were cramping.  I felt like a 100 year old lady.

Only Big Horn Sheep I saw

I got off the train and slowly made my way into the gift shop and headed straight for the bathroom, along with every other woman on the train!  It took me forever to get there, shuffling along and of course, there was a long line, so I just took my place.  Soon someone was tapping me on my shoulder, it was an employee and she led me out of line and to a handicapped stall and said "I think this will be better for you".  I was thankful and a bit embarrassed.  I think some of the passengers probably thought I was faking, but I wasn't.  I could barely move. 

Posing inside a doughnut

After using the facilities, I managed to walk around a bit and snap some pictures, I ate a high altitude doughnut (yummy) and posed for a picture or two and then it was time (thankfully) to get back on the train for the ride down.  Once we got below the 10,000 ft point, I felt everything relaxing and the cramping disappeared.  I felt better by the time we reached the bottom, but was exhausted (your entire body contracting is very tiring).  We got dinner to go and went back to the hotel and went to bed early.

Proof that I was at the top

Would I do it all over again?  Absolutely!  The scenery was spectacular.  Just look at the photos, wouldn't you be willing to 'suffer' a bit to see something like this?

White tail deer

Lake Moraine

Aspens

Bev standing in snow

Pipe Falls

Snow at top

Minihaha Falls

More Aspens

Looking across valley

Down bound train

Thank you for reading this story, I hope you enjoyed it. This is just one of a hundred stories in my book, Parkinson's Humor - Funny Stories about My Life with Parkinson's Disease. Please consider purchasing a copy from Amazon.com or your favorite online book seller. Thank you and have a Happy Parkie Day!