YumaBev gets new glasses

Optical, dental, pharmacies line the roads

When I was in Mexico last week, I got an eye exam and new glasses. Just like Pharmacies and Dentists, Optical Shops are prevalent in Algodones. I didn't need a change for distance, but I did need a change for close-up (easier to get new glasses than lengthen my arms). This particular change has nothing to do with Parkinson's Disease, it, unfortunately means I'm just getting older. Darn, I can't blame it on the PD!

Lots of frames

We got there early, and surprise, the Algodones Optical Shop was already open, so I had a chance to try on some new frames before the optician arrived at 8:30am. They have frames of every size, shape and price range. I tried on a few and then got called into the exam room.


First he checked my pressures for glaucoma, they were good. He had me read the distance chart and began the usual "Which is clearer, lens A or B?" routine. Next he handed me the small print card, and my hands promptly began to shake. My tremors aren't bad, unless I am holding something in my hand with my elbow bent. I don't read books for this reason and I read the newspaper with it laying flat on the dining room table, so I don't have to hold it. Finally, he held the card for me and we got to where I could read the smallest type. He sent me out to pick out frames.

Rows of frames

Picking out new frames is difficult, and I rely on my Wonderful Husband to choose what looks best. He hates this, but I tell him he sees me more than anyone, so I only care if he likes them. I tried on dozens and we finally settled on a smaller frame than what I usually wear. I found a duplicate and gave both to the girl behind the counter (it was buy one, get one free). 

Not these frames

Not these frames

The Optician came back over, took some measurements and I was done. I decided to add some tint to one pair and asked to have my old glasses made into sunglasses. They said my new glasses would be ready in 2 hours, so I left and went to my Dentist appointment.

When I was done at the Dentist, all 3 were ready, my 2 new pair and new "old" sunglasses. They did some final adjustments, gave me a couple of cases and cleaning cloths and I wrote them a check for $50 (now you know why I go there). I checked out my new sunglasses and my brand new ones. I really like them, Hubby did good!

new frames

new sunglasses

We strolled the sidewalk where you line up to leave Mexico and headed back across the border. 

In winter, there are people for blocks 

Not a bad day, walked over at 8:15am, got Rx, new glasses and teeth cleaned and walked back at 11:30.

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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!

YumaBev goes to the Dentist

While I was in Mexico last week, I went to the Dentist for a cleaning. I have a lot of teeth in my mouth, 30 to be exact, and I don't have a big mouth (despite what my Parents said), so cleaning my teeth can be a challenge. The Parkinson's Disease makes it difficult for me to obey commands, my jaw and tongue have a mind of their own, so I need a tech with a sense humor and who's not afraid of being bitten.

I'm not sure how many Dentists occupy the small town of Algodones, but I'd guess it's close to 100. The Dental offices are right next to each other. You can get everything from a simple cleaning to fillings, dentures, and even implants, all done at very reasonable prices, compared to USA. I had a crown replaced several years ago for about $200.

Dental row, one of many

Appointment times are subjective in Mexico, if your appointment is at 10, the Dentist might not show up until 11, so you need to be a patient patient.  I was lucky on this day, the Dental Assistant (probably a recent Dental School Grad) was there when I arrived and I only had to wait 30 minutes to be taken back to the room. She was very pretty with perfectly straight white teeth and long thick dark curly hair, it was like having a super-model clean my teeth. Too bad she wasn't a he, it would have been more fun for me.

My Dentist

The exam room looked just like every other Dentist office I have ever been to. They give you dark shades to wear, so the bright light doesn't hurt your eyes. They put Vasoline on your lips, so they don't crack from having your mouth wide open and they put a real towel under the paper one that clips around your neck, so your shirt doesn't get all wet. At my last visit to a USA Dentist (which was 6 months ago), they did none of this.

typical dental tray 

The first thing she did was hang the suction tube thingy on my lip. It promptly fell off. She tried again and it fell off, so I reached my hand up and held it in place for the rest of the visit (you can't expect a Dental Tech to have 3 hands). Then she went to work, trying to wrangle the mirror and ultra-sonic wand around my moving tongue and lips. She kept asking me to open my mouth and to turn my head towards her. I didn't realize I was doing the opposite. She had a very difficult time reaching the back teeth, but managed somehow and I did NOT bite her, so it was a successful visit. 

My guess is she will call in sick the next time I have an appointment. She wouldn't be the first. The reason I have 30 teeth is my teeth don't want to come out. The two I had extracted proved so difficult for the oral surgeons, they asked me to never come back!

Dental Health is important if you have Parkinson's Disease and taking care of your teeth can be challenging, so I go regularly for cleanings and exams.  I use a power toothbrush and floss picks, since I have dexterity problems, but I still have all my fingers.

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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!

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.

Clicking on colored words in a story will open a new window and take you to the appropriate 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 or your favorite online book seller. Thank you and have a Happy Parkie Day!

YumaBev goes to Mexico

The walk over to Mexico

We took a trip to Mexico. The small border town of Algodones is just 25 miles away, so we park on the USA side and just walk over. Once you cross into Mexico, the hawkers start their chants: "Need a Dentist?", "Need Glasses?", "Best prices on drugs" are standard ones. Then there are those who have a sense of humor: "Leather purses, made from real cows" or "Gold chains, almost free" and my favorite "Pretty dresses, for teenager like you".  The sidewalks are uneven, the alleys are narrow and the hawkers sometimes get too close. I'm afraid of falling, so it's stressful.  If I didn't have Parkinson's Disease, I might enjoy it and look around, but I am in a hurry to get what I need and get back to the USA.

Mary's sells everything

Why go there? Because Algodones is filled with Dentists, Pharmacies and Optical shops. You can buy leather goods, jewelry, liquor, pottery, clothes, hats, paintings, etc.  You name it and Algodones probably has it and some of it is actually made in Mexico.  And you can buy all these items cheap, sometimes one tenth of what it would cost in the USA.

Shelves full of medicines

I went to get medication for my Rosacea (red face) and $20 is a much better price than $85. The medicine is made by the same Big Pharma, the only difference is the instructions are in Spanish.

Even Viagra is available

First time visitors are shocked by the Pharmacies, long shelves of medicines and sign boards outside with prices. No prescriptions needed, but there are limits to how much you can bring back to the USA, so we make several trips each year. Some folks go every few weeks.    

Getting in takes minutes, getting out can take hours depending on the time of year. When my step-daughter was here in February, it took 2 1/2 hours to get up to the gate, today there was no line at all.

No line to get out on this trip

It was a hot and slow day in Algodones, even the watch dog was sleeping, but the hawkers were more gregarious than usual, so I didn't stop to look at purses or hats.  I didn't even get a cinnamon roll, the bakery has closed for the summer.

Let sleeping dogs lie, but take a photo, might come in handy

I did go to the Dentist and got some new glasses, but I'll tell you about those adventures another day. After my foreign excursion, what I really wanted was lunch and a nap (and I got both).

Que tenga un excelente día - Have a great day (in Spanish) 

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!

It was a serious day for YumaBev

Things in my neighborhood got serious this morning, seriously Cereus.  Seven different Cereus cactus plants bloomed early today. Three were in Carole's yard (she lives next door) and four were in Sharon's yard (she lives next to Carole).  I knew last night some would bloom but I was pleasantly surprised when ALL of them did.  I must have taken 50 photos to get the seven ones shown here (even with Image Stabilization, a lot of my shots are blurry).  The first one opened around 5 am and the last one waited until almost 9 am (I guess no one set the alarm).  It was a stunning display of color.  Too bad only a few people got to see them in real life.  Even their owners will only get to see the photos.  Enjoy the flower show, by 4 pm, all of them were closed up. See, there is something good about Parkinson's Disease, I wake up early and get to see beautiful things like this.  Life is good.

  

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!

Why I drive with Parkinson's Disease

People are surprised to learn I drive. I was, and still think I am, a good driver. As soon as I got my license at age 16, my parents handed me the keys every time we went anywhere. I was the only non-employee allowed to drive my husband's company car. I have driven everything from a very tiny car to a 34-foot motor home, automatic transmissions and stick shifts, and I've towed boats, campers and big 5th wheels. I have never been in an accident and never get tickets. I am the annoying person who uses turn-signals and drives the speed limit.

Yes, I am really driving it, not just posing!

There are other reasons I drive:


1. I don't like to ride and if I close my eyes in a car, I get car-sick (so, no sleeping for me).


2. It is easier for me to get in and out of the driver's seat, because my left leg works better than the right one. I guess I won't be driving in those countries where you sit on the right side of the car (looks like England and Australia are spared).

YumaBev driving big car

3. I have an exceptional sense of where I am and where I need to get to. I can usually just glance at a map and then find my way there. I joke that I came with MapQuest installed in my brain.

Yuma Bev driving truck with camper on back

Now, if my Wonderful Husband also liked to drive, we'd have a problem, but unless it's a convertible with the top down, he'd rather be a passenger, so we're good for now. I have driven in 49 of our 50 states and most of the lower Canadian Provinces. I did, actually, have my hands on the tiller of a cruise ship in Alaska, but the Captain wouldn't let me drive it.


PS  There is a good reason there aren't many photos of me driving, I am the "candid photo taker" in our family and I can't take pictures of myself driving.

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!

Local Parkinson's Support Groups are good for you

I go to a local Parkinson's Disease Support Group, but a lot of my Parkie friends won't go to these meetings. They say it is too depressing, seeing people who are worse off then they are. I think they are wrong.

I am the youngest Parkie in my group, but sometimes younger people come to learn how to help Mom or Grandpa. We have members in all stages of this disease and the one thing I have noticed is: We all look forward to these once a month lunch time gatherings. Why? Because we share stories, we laugh, we see how people have adapted and we see hope. And of course, the desserts are great!

There are a few who still work for a living, which I cannot, unless someone wants to pay me to write these funny stories. There are a few who have had the DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery, there are some who can no longer walk, but we all connect with one another, plus our care-partners get to talk to other care-partners and there are a lot of hugs.

Support Group Members

The way I see it, if seeing other Parkies in worse shape than you are is depressing, then I guess you shouldn't go visit your Parents when they get older and forget the Grandparents completely. After all, they aren't young anymore and you will probably end up looking like one of them someday. I already have the "Goshert" family chin, so prominent in family photos of my Aunts, Uncle and Grandpa.

I've already got the Goshert Family chin

Maybe it's because I grew up with senior citizen parents, but I like being around older people. Most don't complain about what they can't do anymore. Joke about it? Yes. Laugh about it? Yes, but complain? No.  

Plus, they have unique ways of adapting, like the man I saw yesterday using his golf putter as a cane, "Works much better this way than it ever did on the golf course!" he said. Or the one that had all his buttons on his favorite shirts replaced with snaps "I can pretend I'm a Chippendale at bed time and just rip it open" he laughed.  

Check out a local support group, if there is one near you, you might just have a good time and make some new friends!  Plus the desserts are really, really good.

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!

Yuma Bev takes a Picture

I like to take pictures, but since I have Parkinson's Disease, I am not exactly steady.  I have an inexpensive Point & Shoot camera with a viewfinder as well as the display screen.  Holding the camera against my face helps and it has Image Stabilizer built in, which means it will adjust for some movement (shaky hands, wobbling body).  I should use a tripod, but I'm too lazy, and I'd probably knock the whole thing over. 

My neighbor, Sharon, is a Master Gardner, so her yard is a favorite place for me.  She has blooming plants, interesting decorations and an unobstructed view of the mountains to the east. She also finds humor in the blonde girl, still in pajamas, wandering in her yard, taking photos at sunrise.

Sharon's yard

My photos of her cactus blooms have been featured in other blog stories.  I even won a Facebook Flower Photo Contest with one.  The prize was a Worm Farm, (no, I don't know what it is) which I promptly donated, sight unseen, to the local 4H club.

The nice people at the University of Arizona -Cooperative Extension Department contacted me recently and asked permission to use one of my cactus pictures for their brochure.  They offered me a signed book on Arizona Insects by Carl Olson as compensation. I guess I should have kept the worm farm, I could have fed the worms to all the insects I can now identify.  I, of course, said YES and promptly called and told Sharon the news.

The Photo they used

Well, the Insect book and a sample of the brochures arrived today. I was expecting the little 4x8 type flyer found in hotel lobbies.  Instead, it was a big tri-fold fancy brochure and right inside was my photo, prominently featured.  Needless to say, I was thrilled. 

My picture inside brochure

Then I looked closer and there it was, in small print, "Photo by YumaBev". Photo credit was a bonus, it wasn't part of the deal.

It says Photo by YumaBev

So, now I guess I can add Photographer right after Humorist and Songwriter on a job application. Of course, no one will be able to read my hand-writing except a Doctor. 

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!

Yuma Bev and the Sleeping Cactus

I saw the cactus last summer on one of my morning walks, took a picture of it and laughed when I saw it on my computer. I made a humorous Parkinson's Disease cartoon out of it. 

YumaBev's funny Parkinson's Cactus cartoon

A month later, it bloomed and it was even funnier.

The Parkinson's Disease Cactus blooms!

I met the owner, Bill, last fall and told him about his cactus and its funny bloom. He told me the story of how he acquired it. He said it was over in the corner of the Cactus Place, almost hidden from view. It had been a nice cactus, but the wind had knocked it over and now it was ruined. Bill saw it and asked "How much?" and the man said "$5, you can cut the main stem off and the rest will grow fine", so Bill took it home and planted the whole thing, fallen stem and all and then he went home to Canada for the summer. He said everyone called it the Viagra cactus and teased him about it. 

I promised to email him a photo if it bloomed again while he was gone this summer.

Well, the sleeping cactus did bloom again, twice, since Bill left.  The first time was in April and I took a picture of it that I entered in a contest (I didn't win).

The sleeping Parkinson's Disease cactus blooms again

Cropped photo I entered in contest.

The second time was just a few days ago and it was stunning.

The sleeping cactus shines

I guess the sleeping cactus had the last laugh.  All it needed was someone to overlook it's imperfections, take it home, treat it well and let it shine.  Don't we all?

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!

Joy and Sorrow, Worries and Cheers

Last week was a mix of emotions for both myself and my Wonderful Husband. 


On Monday, we celebrated Freida's birthday.  Phil & Ruth invited all of us for lunch, we had cake and spent the afternoon laughing.  Freida had trouble blowing out the candles, but managed to blow most of the cinnamon sugar off the cake and all across the table. We were all giggling like a bunch of teenagers.

Freida's Birthday Cake

Sugar all over

On Tuesday, we attended a Celebration of Life service for a friend who passed away suddenly.  David's death was quite a shock, we had just seen him at pizza a few days earlier. I was concerned the emotional toll might exaggerate my Parkinson's Disease symptoms and make me stand out in the crowd, but I did okay.

They handed out swans at David's service

On Thursday, I went to the Dermatologist, I was worried, but everything was fine. You can read all about it at Red spots, Barnacles and getting older.


On Friday, we went to see a local High School Play and cheered at the very good acting.


It was a week of emotional ups & downs and I took extra naps to Recharge My Batteries, but I lived my life and did NOT let Parkinson's Disease ruin it.  Good advice for all of us.


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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!