I Am Still Here!

I think I may have set a new record for days (months!) between posts!  It’s been over 75 days since my last post on March 25th.  I’m happy to report that the long delay was not due to health problems, well maybe a bit of apathy, one of those non motor symptoms PwP’s sometimes suffer, but to a busy schedule. 

Here’s a quick summary:

March – closed on new house, start moving.

April – Son Dale, daughter-in-law Monica and Granddaughters Angeline and Ariana arrive, they helped us finish the move from the townhouse to the new house, what a lucky coincidence, they were a great help.

April – home in Tennessee is FINALLY  back on the market, just 7 months after the flood.

April – we attended the PD Expo in Sarasota and performed with the PD in Motion dance group.

April  – Son Darrin arrives, again a great help, he painted two walls and some furniture for us.

April – short trip to Orlando to meet up with fellow PwP Ted and his wife Jan, enjoyed a nice day in Epcot.

April  – after much negotiation, we accept offer on Tennessee home.

May – inspection of Tennessee home reveals more problems and we start another agonizing negotiation.

May  – finally agree to reduce price of Tennessee home to facilitate the sale and get it over with.

May – in  Memphis for Grandson Garrett’s graduation from Rhodes College.  He graduated Summa Cum Laude and will attend Wake Forest Medical School next.

May  – painted the great room in new house in anticipation of some new furniture delivered on the 23rd.

May – left Sarasota for Colorado, Arizona and California to attend graduations and visit friends.

May – closed on sale of Tennessee home!

May – Attended Grandson Charlie’s high school graduation, what a delightful ceremony. I have never seen him happier than he was on graduation day!

May – visited with friends and relatives in the Denver area.

June – Arrived in Aspen to visit friends and we got them excited about playing tennis – it is interesting to play at 8100 feet above sea level!

June – Arrived in Sierra Vista, AZ to visit friends

Coming up June 9th – off to San Diego to visit son Ryan, daughter in law Sarah and Grandson Julian who will also be graduating high school next week.

You may have noticed that there is no mention of a trip to NYC for the Parkinson’s Unity Walk in April.  With all of the problems with the Tennessee house along with the move into the new house and the upcoming travel, I decided to lower my stress level a bit and opted out of the Patient Advocacy Group.

And of course, we continued to keep up our exercise routine as much as possible, playing tennis 2 -3 times a week and cycling twice a week along with the PD in Motion class.   So there you have it, all the excuses I could think of for why I haven’t posted in the last 75 days or so.  By the way, this delay does not set the record for not posting, that dubious record was set last year when I went 126 days between April and August.

About two months ago, I felt that my medication was wearing off about 30 – 45 minutes before the next dose.  I tried a one week experiment increasing my Sinemet to 2 pills 4 times per day which eliminated the problem for the most part.  So I emailed my Doctor in Nashville (no, I haven’t changed to a local doctor yet) who agreed to the change.  So it’s been almost five years with only two changes to my medication and I firmly believe continuing to exercise  is the key.  In fact, we are traveling with our tennis rackets and have played tennis almost everyday on this trip.  Our tennis coach in Sarasota had recommended we purchase new rackets that would fit our grip and our game so this has been a good opportunity to play with the new rackets and get comfortable with them before we return to Sarasota on June 18th.

That brings things up to date for now,  I will start working on my next post soon where I want cover some of the latest news about Parkinson’s Disease research.  The plan is to publish that post in the next two weeks.  I hope that setting a goal will make it happen!

One last note – It Is What It Is was recently named one of 10 Parkinson’s Blogs to Keep you Fit and Positive by EverydayHealth.com.  I am honored to be included on this list with several of the bloggers that I already follow and some new ones that I will be adding to my list.

Thanks for reading.

 “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

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6 Comments

  1. As much as I loved reading this I already knew all of it I love calling and talking and staying updated with you guys you’re the most out standing pair of grandparents and I’m so lucky to have you guys thank you for being so incredible lots of love ~ mckenna

  2. Catherine Porter

    Interesting blog. I clicked on subscribe but nothing appeared where I could put my email in. Am I missing something?

    • No, the sign up process seems to be broken and I haven’t figured out the fix yet. I will send you an invite that will allow you to subscribe via email. If you accept the invitation you will be subscribed to the blog. thank you for your interest in my blog.
      Tom

  3. Enjoyed reading this
    Would like to subscribe- ha I first wrote prescribe
    I also have a question for you
    I found online info about a study on using inosine for PD at UT health center & Memphis univ but the link didn’t work. Do you know who I contact?to be in it?
    Ilene Jones
    865 247-6367

    • Thanks for your interest in my blog. You may subscribe by entering your email address in the Subscribe by Email link on the bottom left of the home page.

      The SUREPD-3 study using inosine has reached full enrollment and they are no longer looking for participants. You may find other clinical trials in your area on the Fox Trial Finder site – https://foxtrialfinder.michaeljfox.org/

      Tom

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