Parkinson's Disease: Life in the Slow Lane

It happened again this morning. I was doing laundry and folding the items as I pulled them from the dryer. I normally fold fast, so, why was I having such a hard time folding this sheet?  

I learned how to fold stuff when I worked at Disney World as a teen. I worked in Re-Wrap. Visitors open packages, look at the items and then purchase unopened ones. All the opened items (shirts, towels, bedding) went to Re-Wrap. Items that weren't damaged were re-folded, re-wrapped and put back in the shops and I was one of their best. 

So, what was going on today? I wasn't stiff; I could bend my joints easily, so it wasn't the rigidity thing. I was just moving in slow motion. I thought I knew the answer, but I wanted to double check, so I went online and searched "Parkinson's slow motion", and there it was.  

Bradykinesia - slowness of movement. 

Darn! I now had another symptom of Parkinson's to add to the list. I may have had it for a while and just mistook it for rigidity, after all, the effect is almost the same, you can't move fast. 

Since my body wasn't rigid, what was causing the slow motion? I read all the medical gobbledygook and decided it was a speed problem. The instructions from my brain to my hands used to come at Star Trek warp speeds and now they were coming by Pony Express.

When I explained this to my Wonderful Husband, he chuckled and said “I think your horse died.” I agreed.

Looks like we both still have a sense of humor.

 Yee Haw!

Senior citizens .......... I love them!

Parkinson's Disease has a sense of humor and likes to sneak up on you if you aren't paying attention.  Sure, I noticed the tremors, but the rigidity or slowness, not so much. The first time I noticed how slowly I moved was on a cruise ship filled with seniors and I was completely shocked. My Wonderful Husband was taking the stairs two at a time and then I noticed that almost everyone was walking faster than me, even the folks with walkers and canes! 

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The real kicker came when I went to visit my Aunt who lived by herself in an upstairs apartment. I hadn't seen her in years and yet, when my Wonderful Husband and I got to the door, she asked me if I could make it up the stairs. Somehow she knew that those 13 stairs would give me trouble. So there I was, 46-years old and being helped up the steps by a tiny and almost blind 94-year old  woman. We joked about it every phone call after that. She lived to be 97 and could still take those stairs better than I could.

I look healthy, and except for the Parkinson's, I am healthy and I can sometimes fool younger folks but I can't fool the older ones. If there is one thing I've learned in life, it is never under-estimate senior citizens. They watch over me and know instantly whether I am doing good or bad.

I used to live in a RV Park filled with seniors, and if they noticed that I was having trouble, they would come rescue me in a golf cart. Of course, they would never say they were rescuing me, they would come up with a good excuse to give me a ride home.  

The ladies were more creative:  "Hey I need your advice, can I give you a ride while we talk" or "Can you show me where Ann lives, she's near you, right?"  

But the men were more fun. They would say things like: "My wife isn't looking, can I give a ride to the prettiest girl in the park" or "Let's stir up some gossip, will you ride with me". These were extremely funny to me, since I knew their wives had sent them to get me, but I played along. I no longer live there and I miss all my friends and the golf cart rides.

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Now I live in a new housing community and I walk every morning with George, a neighbor of mine who is 78-years young.  Some days we walk for 45 minutes, some days we only do 10, it all depends on how we feel.  We watch the sunrise, check out the new construction and see how people have decorated their homes and yards. Sometimes, we even get to see a cactus blooming. But the best part of all is sharing stories and laughing!  What a great way to start the day!  

Beautiful metal wall decoration

 

Arizona Loch Ness Monster

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 Parky Day!

YumaBev has Parkinson's Disease and goes car shopping

I was having trouble getting out of our car due to Parkinson's Disease. Getting IN was fine, but getting OUT was becoming difficult and even though it was a luxury car, the seats were uncomfortable for me.  We had a second car, a convertible, but it was even harder for me to get out of.
 


So, I decided to go car looking.  I say looking because I was doubtful that I would find the right car for me.  We have all the big brands in our town and all the dealers are in a row.  I don't LOOK like there is anything wrong with me.  I have a small window every morning when I can move like a normal person.  Almost.

I started with the bigger SUV types, thinking that higher off the ground would be better.  They were easy to get OUT of, but not so easy to climb IN to.  I am short, barely 5 foot 2, and these are for tall Pappy Bears, not this little Goldilocks.  The salesmen kept asking what color I wanted and what options and were terribly confused when I would say, I just want one that fits me.


My Wonderful Husband said "lets look at the sporty models".  So I tried them, they looked sharp, but I needed the salesman's help to get out.  These cars are designed for middle age Guy Bears, not me. We had ruled out the sedans and I didn't want a Momma Bear mini-van.  I could only try a few each day, before I got too rigid.  I tried the smaller SUV types, but nothing fit.

YumaBev's boring white PT

I was just about to give up when I saw a PT Cruiser.  I gave it a try, and it FIT.  Perfectly.  It was easy to get in and out of and had an armrest that moved with the seat and I could reach the pedals without being up against the steering wheel.  So I bought one.  But my Wonderful Husband missed me riding in his convertible, so we found a PT Cruiser convertible and bought it, too.  Now I have my run errands car and can go riding with him in his, too.  

Wonderful Hubby's colorful PT

Goldilocks and her handsome prince Cruise happily ever after.

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 Parky Day!

What does Parkinson's Disease feel like?

People often ask me that question and I have thought about it a lot over the years. Probably the easiest to duplicate is the lack of dexterity in my fingers and hand. Want to give it a try? See what it feels like?

Okay, go dig out your winter gloves. Got them? Good. Now, we will set up some tests for you. Grab a deck of cards or a stack of dollar bills. Are you wearing a shirt with buttons? If not, grab one out of the closet. Ready? 

YumaBev trying to button

Put the wrong glove on backwards on your dominant hand. Now, try to deal the cards or count your dollar bills. Having trouble? Now try to button or unbutton those buttons. Fun, isn't it? That's pretty much what my right hand feels like 60% of the time. The other 40% of the time, my meds are operating at their peak, and then it still feels like I have an invisible glove on, just not the wrong one backwards. So, now you can understand why I could no longer work as a bank teller.

There is no pain in my hand or fingers like you get with arthritis. There is no tingling, numbness, loss of strength or feeling. The fingers just won't cooperate with my brain. If I need to open a jar of pickles, the right hand is the one I use, when I can get it to grasp the lid. It makes cutting steak difficult, trying to coordinate both pushing down and moving back and forth.

So, we Parkies adapt. My Wonderful Husband cuts my steak when my fingers won't. I donated all my shirts with buttons to the Salvation Army or now wear them like this. See, I just tie the tails in a knot and skip the buttons. It works for me, and looks fashionable, too.  Plus, it was fun shopping for the right color tank tops to wear under them. 

YumaBev fashion - Parkie style

YumaBev's Parkie fashion

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 Parky Day!