Weekly Check In Sept 28 - Oct 4, 2008

[stevem53]

Hi Everyone..Its been raining bucket here the past couple of days, and tomorrow we will get brushed with the remnants of Hurricane Kyle..Probably another day of soaking rain and wind

I really over did it this week..I went clamming 4 days in a row, and paid for it yesterday and today, although I do feel much better today..A classic case of the mind saying yes, and the body saying no..A trip to the Chiropractor yesterday afternoon helped tremendously..They put some gadget on my back that tingles, and it works like magic..I walked out of there like I had the wind behind me

I am in the process of planning a trip out to Washington to meet Harley and go to the Hope Conference..I am really excited about it, and looking foward to it!!..Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you other people on the forum there, as well as see some of you again that I met at the WPC a couple of years ago..Only thing is..Ive never flown before..I took Amtrak to the WPC..I know..Im such a wimp, but Ive got this thing about heights..Ive braved the seas from Georges Bank to the north, and south to the Outer Banks of North Carolina without ever giving it a second thought..But the thought of flying is a phobia of mine..I guess theres only one way to get over it, is to do it..It would take a month of Sundays to cross the U.S. on Amtrak :D

[rosebud]

I've lost my post twice now. so heres the jist of it... get a tranqualizer from your Dr.
Clonazepam will do it. Don't overdose or you'll be too groggy to function when you land. its a 5 hour flight.

Good luck! :eek:

[chasmo]

Only thing is..Ive never flown before..I took Amtrak to the WPC..I know..Im such a wimp, but Ive got this thing about heights..Ive braved the seas from Georges Bank to the north, and south to the Outer Banks of North Carolina without ever giving it a second thought..But the thought of flying is a phobia of mine..I guess theres only one way to get over it, is to do it..It would take a month of Sundays to cross the U.S. on Amtrak :D


Joy's suggestion is a good one. I find that I have NO sensation of height when i am flying. I sat on the lip of a hot air balloon basket when it was 3000 feet straight down and never thought anything about it.
It;s interesting to look out the window anyway. WHen I first flew with my kids I got a copy of "Science from your Airplane Window". They were enthralled by what was to be seen out of the window.

GO with the mindset you will enjoy the flights and your time there. I am sure you will do both!!

CHarlie

[Evonne]

Steve,

Sorry to hear about all of the bad weather you are experiencing. Hopefully things will improve for you sometime soon. We are experiencing a warming trend here...very strange, but I can't complain. I hope that you have a good time at the HOPE Conference.

As for my week, it has been pretty good. I started my new job and worked four evening shifts. I have gotten to know the twenty residents pretty well already. There are a couple that are a little more challenging to care for simply because I am new and they are resistant towards new caregivers. I am just giving it time and I am sure they will come around. It has been a little more challenging physically than I thought it would be. One of my main symptoms of PD is stiffness. My muscles are really getting a workout and as difficult as it is, it does help to loosen things up. The staff for the most part has been wonderful and I am impressed with the quality of care that is provided. There are a couple of staff that aren't being too friendly. Apparently, since I hired on full time they are being moved somewhere else in the facility. They are supplemental employees and administration wants more consistency than their availability allows. I understand the need for the change, but I also understand how these employees feel. It's a catch 22, and I'm the newbie catching all of the attitude. Oh well, I can deal with it.

The hardest part about working has been being away from the kids so much. I basically only see them when I wake them up and get them off to school in the morning, unless it is a weekend or a day that they are off of school. I am so used to always being home for them and it is a really difficult adjustment. They are handling it much better than I am!:o My husband is doing a great job of taking care of the kids, animals and house when I am at work and I am so grateful for that.

Well, I better get a move on. I have a lot to do today. I hope that you all have a great week!

Evonne

[harley]

this week begins in the attack and tackle mode. i am tackling being a mother to 6 infant (about 2 weeks old) kittens as mama was attacked by a coyote and had to be put to sleep. this is giving me challenge, but also purpose.. can i do it? we will see...

I am in launch the granade mode as i am served with seperation papers on sun... (trying to beat out my lawyer).. yet as a husband of ten years cannot remember how to spell his wife's middle name properly, these papers are just reminders of why this is happening...

i tackle a dresser painted with 3 coats of paint to find beautiful solid oak underneath. a definate thumbs up to the energy used for the task.

mother is in surgery right now as the docs remove her grapefruit sized tumor from her uterus, part of the cancer atacking her body. please keep her in prayer.

and.. i atack my home to welcome steve.. coming to visit next month.. (super gigantic smiley face inserted here)....

[harley]

Hi Everyone..Its been raining bucket here the past couple of days, and tomorrow we will get brushed with the remnants of Hurricane Kyle..Probably another day of soaking rain and wind

I really over did it this week..I went clamming 4 days in a row, and paid for it yesterday and today, although I do feel much better today..A classic case of the mind saying yes, and the body saying no..A trip to the Chiropractor yesterday afternoon helped tremendously..They put some gadget on my back that tingles, and it works like magic..I walked out of there like I had the wind behind me

I am in the process of planning a trip out to Washington to meet Harley and go to the Hope Conference..I am really excited about it, and looking foward to it!!..Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you other people on the forum there, as well as see some of you again that I met at the WPC a couple of years ago..Only thing is..Ive never flown before..I took Amtrak to the WPC..I know..Im such a wimp, but Ive got this thing about heights..Ive braved the seas from Georges Bank to the north, and south to the Outer Banks of North Carolina without ever giving it a second thought..But the thought of flying is a phobia of mine..I guess theres only one way to get over it, is to do it..It would take a month of Sundays to cross the U.S. on Amtrak :D

k... cd player, headset, or laptop that plays movies , aisle seat, journal to make itinerary while here, crossword puzzles, talk to person next to you, talk to yourself, lol. tell the attendent of your phobia.. they understand and will go out of the way to make it more comfortable. some that hate to fly take night flights and sleep. remember your reason for the trip...

[Curious]

:D will the kitties be old enough to go home with steve?

:hug: sending prayers for your mother.

you are one busy lady! i can't wait to hear about steve's visit and the conference.

[paula_w]

Hi Steve,

Tell them you have PD if you are given a middle seat and that it will bother the whole row.

I still pray through the entire lift off, but have overcome fear of the rest. The part that took the longest to adjust to was turbulence. But pilots always say planes don't crash from turbulence; it's just that people can get hurt if not in their seatbelts. So try not to freak out over the bumps. After being on a boat so much, turbulence should be easy.

Have fun! It's beautiful out there!
paula

[stevem53]

:D will the kitties be old enough to go home with steve?

:hug: sending prayers for your mother.

you are one busy lady! i can't wait to hear about steve's visit and the conference.

Steve has 3 kitties at home now..Hint hint :D

[Ibken]

I predict you're gonna LOVE flying. Since PD I ask for the front row and always get it. more leg room, easier access, closer to the head.

And what a beautiful reason to take flight. I'm excited for you and Harley and wish you both a wonderful visit. Bon voyage!

ibby

[stevem53]

k... cd player, headset, or laptop that plays movies , aisle seat, journal to make itinerary while here, crossword puzzles, talk to person next to you, talk to yourself, lol. tell the attendent of your phobia.. they understand and will go out of the way to make it more comfortable. some that hate to fly take night flights and sleep. remember your reason for the trip...

That takes all the fear out of flying :)

Thoughts and prayers to your Mom!!

[harley]

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

MOM MADE IT THROUGH SURGERY WITH FLYING COLORS!!!!!!!!! They got all of the cancer (turns out the chemo did its stuff and knocked most of it out), and is in FANTASTIC shape!!! whew... and THANK YOU for your prayers... God is here, and He IS listening.. Thank YOU God!

[Curious]

:yahoo:

awesome harley!! praying she has a speedy recovery.

[grant r]

Steve,

If you want to sleep, you'd better go first class (or go with Ibken's more practical advice), 'cause you look like you're pretty strapping! :) Maybe statistics will help... flying is safer than driving, by far. But then, phobias aren't logical, are they? Hope this trip gets you past it. Enjoy... Washington is beautiful.

Grant

[ol'cs]

Haven't been posting much of late. Too busy getting my schick together, for the day when I'm in grenade mode.:D
Good news about your mom Harly- i've also for some weird reason been reading a lot about cancer lately. Maybe i feel like having PD ain't so bad by reading the stories on cancer sites. They are truly heartbreaking and depressing and some are even uplifting , especially the ones who catch things like pancreatic cancer, (usually always too late when it's metastasized) and there is little hope. They, along with everybody who has a life-altering disease; either react to it with acceptance and grace and are loved by all around them because they somehow don't think of themselves anymore, or react with denial and get nasty and depressed, which just pushes your loved ones away There is a lot to be learned from the dying, as far as coping skills for some of us less endowed in this area (I plead guilty):(.
I am just waiting for my axe to fall (if it ever does:confused:). I'm not too worried though, at least I'll have enough money to get by on my own. I really feel for PWP who have to work just to get by, when they are really symptomatic. I lasted 6 years after dx, but then one day I just HAD to throw in the towel, no "choice" about it. I think that this is one of the most difficult times in the parkie experience, that's why i often preach about the vast importance of getting all kinds of insurance that one can get concerning disability and long term care, as close to the first sign that something may be seriously wrong with you. You have to have the presence of mind during this also most terrible time in a PWP;s life, to file for insurance BEFORE DX, and that is a tough thing t do, because most of us just stick our heads in the sand and try to forget about it, then kick ourselves in the butt afterward, when we lose more than just our physical health.
Steve, you afraid of flying? I would never have guessed it! I was never too fond of it, until i got a window seat with an unrestricted view of the Earth below in good weather; what a trip! It is sooo cool looking at the country from above; the REAL THING, not just a map. One time I went from New York to San Diego, with hardly any clouds all the way, the Appalachians, the Mississippi, the Midwest farmland, the Grand Canyon, the Rockies, the western deserts, the pacific ocean, A lifetime of travel in 5 hours:) :icon_exclaim:. Sometimes we forget the great experiences that we've had. I can't see why it's considered wrong to "live in the past", especially if the past was so much better than NOW !
WEll have as good a time as you can ya'all, remember, we're here for a good time, not a long time. Beating on yourself and/or others over trivial stuff (and it's almost ALL trivial!) is just a sorry waste of good time. cs

[paula_w]

Grant,

You're so right about phobias. If they were reasonable, I'd open my snail mail once in awhile.

:(
paula


Steve,

If you want to sleep, you'd better go first class (or go with Ibken's more practical advice), 'cause you look like you're pretty strapping! :) Maybe statistics will help... flying is safer than driving, by far. But then, phobias aren't logical, are they? Hope this trip gets you past it. Enjoy... Washington is beautiful.

Grant

[bryn]

My week is coming to a painful conclusion - I am running my first half marathon tomorrow and it is keeping me awake at night. It is being run in Newcastle UK and has 52000 participants, rumour has it there are too many people to run for the first few miles - heres hoping!

Bryn

[stevem53]

My week is coming to a painful conclusion - I am running my first half marathon tomorrow and it is keeping me awake at night. It is being run in Newcastle UK and has 52000 participants, rumour has it there are too many people to run for the first few miles - heres hoping!

Bryn

Good luck bryn!..People like yourself that take on these kinds of challenges with, pd give me hope and inspiration!