Tag Archives: yard work

Looking Forward to an Enjoyable Date Day Today

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 6

This should be an interesting Date Day today. We had a wreck last Friday coming home, when someone we knew hit us from the rear going at a high speed. Turns out he was high on prescription drugs. Anyway, the car is the worse for wear, but we are OK, with no ill effects. So today’s travels will be in our van, which is much harder for me to get in and out of … but nowhere near as difficult as it was to climb up and then get down from the wrecker cab. That was a hoot, as I have so little strength, but I made it. We’ll be going to one of those huge neighborhood sales this morning, one we went to last year when they had their big sale day. Should be fun!

I’ve started back exercising twice a day with the weights and stationary bike, but the improvement seems to be coming so slowly. I worked with the compost heap yesterday for the first time in several months. It’s been a shame to put so much good garbage in the trash can, but with the strep throat, horrible cough, and adjustment to 3 new meds all at once, plus having a toenail removed, I just haven’t been up to taking care of the yard. It just about did me in to work out there for about an hour, with several breaks to sit for a spell, so I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to work on the compost.

We have some beautiful black soil from last year’s efforts, and it looks like a little bit of the centipede grass that I planted last year may have survived the winter. I am proud of the fact that we only have a partial white trash bag to put out for the garbage truck each week, too. We recycle so much of our household trash that we make a contest out of seeing how little we can send to the landfill each week.

I am continuing to lose weight, which I’m very pleased about. I fully expect to be able to stop taking the diabetic meds, and maybe even the high blood pressure and cholesterol meds, too. “All I have to do” is get my weight down to where it should be. I’ve lost about 8 pounds so far, and that’s the first time my weight has gone down in several years. Judging from the last time I lost weight, way back before I was even diagnosed with Parkinson’s, I hit a plateau about this same weight, so it’s up to me to keep on watching portion sizes and keep working at it.

I’m not on a particular diet, just counting calories and trying very hard to control the number of carbs I get at each meal. I’m using a free online program to keep track of my food intake and exercise routine, and that helps to motivate me. I also bought a book for diabetics giving nutritional information on a large number of franchise restaurant and fast food menus. That has helped me to make some wise decisions about what to eat when we eat out on Friday and Sunday. I was even able to have a very small amount of Cookies n Cream ice cream last Sunday, without elevating my blood sugar.

I am having one problem that I need to call the Diabetic Specialist about, and that’s a nagging tickle that sets off coughing spells. I remembered my mother having the same symptom, and someone at church, too, so I looked it up. And sure enough, ACE inhibitors can cause a cough. There are other kinds of high blood pressure meds he can prescribe, so hopefully it’s just a matter of changing from one to another. It’s a very insistent cough, usually leaving me frantically tearing open a throat lozenge wrapper to get it stopped. And the cough comes out of nowhere … even wakes me up from sleep … very strange. It’s definitely not the cough that GERD causes, as I’ve had that cough before. That comes from stomach acid irritating the throat, and I’m not having any trouble with that right now, as I take my GERD into account in planning meals.

So I plan to deal with the cough today and have a fun day, too. I’m pleased with my weight loss program, and hopefully I’ll continue to exercise regularly, with no interruptions. I see the Physical Therapist next week, and I want to be ready for him. Maybe he’ll even decide it’s time to up the intensity of my workout a bit, so I can regain my strength. This old lady ain’t ready to quit yet!!!

Neck Pain and Tremors Causing Problems

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 2

I’m having two main problems from the Parkinson’s right now – my very stiff and painful neck, and the much increased tremors, particularly in my right foot.

I’m sleeping with a very soft neck pillow, the kind that look like a C, and I keep it behind my neck while I sit at the computer, too. That helps me get to sleep and cuts down on the pain of just holding my head up. As the day goes on, the pain is getting worse and worse.

I am waiting to hear from my Orthopedist now about a standing MRI appointment. Hubby has Jury Duty next week, so that means I will have to wait longer to get it done. Can’t be helped, but it’s frustrating. He had to ask for a deferral back when we were taking care of Daddy, so he can’t very well ask for another one because he is taking care of me. There is absolutely no way I could drive myself to the big city, as long as it’s been since I’ve driven at all, even though I am no longer having the sudden sleep attacks. Maybe, if he is lucky, he won’t have to serve for long, and I can get it done toward the end of this week. I sure hope so. The Methacarbamol and Mobic aren’t helping enough to warrant taking the pills, so I quit taking them.

I’ve tried to continue with as much exercise as possible, but DH hurt his back again several weeks ago, and his sciatic nerve is acting up. He hasn’t felt like going to the track, so I haven’t been getting enough exercise lately. I am still working out in the yard the best I can, but it makes my neck hurt worse.

I’m also having considerably more problems due to tremors. For the first year of PD I didn’t have any tremors at all. I was beginning to have small ones on Sundays mostly, while we were listening to the sermon. I finally decided that it was the uncomfortable pews, being too still too long, and being cold, all working together to stress my muscles. But that was a very mild nuisance tremor.

Since I had the steroid interaction that sent me to the ER, however, the tremor in my right leg and foot have been so strong that it makes walking and standing much more difficult. It still comes and goes, but when I get the least bit tired, as I do when I walk very much, that leg starts dancing a jig all on its own. I am having more problems with balance because of it, and I am beginning to experience what is called freezing. When I stand up, I have to kind of wait before I can get that pesky right foot to make up its mind to move where I want it to, it’s so busy moving where it wants to.

One thing’s for sure, I look like I have Parkinson’s now, where I didn’t until recently. Even my lips, tongue, and eyebrows are beginning to quiver. We had our portraits made the other day to give to our children for Christmas, and it was all I could do to hold the poses long enough to get a good picture. My face behaved, but not my leg. It took every bit of will power I had to make my leg be still. If I hold my breath and really concentrate, I can stop the tremors momentarily, thank goodness. I had to do that to get the X-rays on my neck done a couple of weeks ago, too.

So, things have been a little difficult lately, but I am still managing OK. I’ve been listing a lot on eBay, and we have had some good sales there. I’ve also been concentrating on trying to help as many people as I can on my Plush Memories blog. I’ve managed to find several lost lovies for people, and some of my blog readers there have found a few more. And, there have been a few times that we had the lovey they were looking for in stock, so I’ve made a few sales, and made some folks very happy all at the same time. That’s what makes selling the plush toys so much fun.

We are still going to Estate Sales, but this time of year there usually aren’t as many on a given Friday. That’s OK, because I really can’t manage more than a few anyway, as I tire out and hurt too much to go to very many. So, we have been doing a little bit of Estate Sale hunting and a little bit of Christmas shopping on Fridays. The only thing we absolutely have to go to stores for is all the Stocking Stuffer odds and ends that we give our children and grandchildren every year. And this year, we have been buying things for their stockings all year long, which is a blessing.

Thank goodness for Internet shopping! I’ve been buying most of our gifts online for years, but this year it has been a blessing. The black pair of Skechers came the other day, and I wore them to get our portraits made. They feel wonderful, and they do improve may stability much more than the Sunday shoes I have been wearing. Our daughters wear the same size shoes I do, so looks like they will be getting some hand me down shoes.

So, I keep going, making changes as I must.

Still Having Problems, But I’m Sleeping Longer!

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 2

I have managed to “stay in bed” for over 7 hours now 4 nights in a row. I wish I could say that means I was asleep the whole time, but that hasn’t happened yet. It is still a considerable improvement, however. The last pill I take at night is the Bentyl, which is supposed to calm my colon and prevent the spasms that have been plaguing me for so long. It is an antidepressant, so I suspect that may be at least part of the reason I’ve been able to delay getting up as well as I have been. I continue to wear the TAP each night, so maybe it’s a combination of both of them. Whatever it is, I’m thankful for it.

I’ve spent the last three days trying to overcome the stiffest neck I’ve ever had in my life. It started Wednesday evening, out of nowhere. I could feel the neck muscles all tensed up, and it was impossible for me to turn either way more than a couple of degrees. I tried the hot pad, plus took some Tylenol, and hoped I would sleep it off. I also did not wear the TAP that night, thinking that might make it worse. It was still extremely tight and painful all day Thursday, but I did go back to wearing the TAP. Nothing seemed to make it go away. It was considerably better by Friday, although I did take some Arthritis Strength Tylenol to get to sleep. Now, I am able to turn my head both ways maybe 45 degrees each way before the pain stops me.

I’m not really sure where this spasm came from. I did work out in the yard Wednesday more than I have been, and I could have over done it there. Or, it could be that I have turned the TAP screw past what my jaw can handle. Just in case it was the TAP, I backed up several turns on it to give my jaw muscles a rest.

I did get my flu shot this week, with no side effects at all. And I made sure the nurse put the information in my records about Celestone causing me to have such a horrible Parkinson’s episode. I have not yet returned to the state I was in before the steroid shot, so I guess I won’t be getting back to that point. It’s been too long now. If I were going to recover completely, I would have by now.

I am still having those weird spaced out episodes after lunch mostly. I’ve tried eating meat, not eating meat, staying away from any protein, eating normally, eating things I’m not supposed to eat, like pizza, and eating very carefully selected IBS foods. Nothing seems to be an obvious trigger, so I’m left to think it is the medicine itself doing it. That would be the noon dose of Levadopa/Carbidopa (Sinemet). I’m not sure why I have more trouble with the noon dose, as I take this med with all three meals. It remains a puzzle.

I’ve been working hard on several computer projects lately, so I’m behind on listing items on eBay. I have got to get that done today, though, as we are being squished by all the bags of plush toys packed into our two spare bedrooms. LOL We buy them faster than I can sell them!!

So, I guess it’s time to quit blogging, and start taking some photos!!

Cpap Adventure Continues

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 6

I’ve been on the new full face mask for a week now, with one extremely good night’s sleep, night before last. I’ve been awake since 12:30AM today, though. I woke up with air just jetting out from under the bottom of the mask, where the silicon soft part had come out of the plastic part of the mask. By the time I woke up enough to realize what the problem was, and then fixed it, I was wide awake. I’m also continuing to have problems with my skin. I’m ready to try the all over the face kind. That’s not supposed to irritate skin, as it fits at the hairline and all around the face completely. This is the last style there is, basically, so I’m about to run out of options, other than not use it at all. That 8 hours of sleep on Sunday night gave me such high hopes, too.

I continue to struggle with terrible gas, and I’ll be calling my Gastro’s nurse today to report in. Stopping the Amitiza just didn’t help any. Nothing has really changed as far as feeling like something is wrong with my elimination process, either.

We walked at the track again yesterday morning, after several days off. This time it was due to DH having some pains, as I think he over did it when we started back walking the other day. Hopefully, he’ll be OK this morning, and we can get our walk in. I also worked in the yard early yesterday morning, putting another pile in the Lasagna Compost area and digging around the foundation of our new garage. We need to get a drainage ditch around the front edge, so I’m hoeing just a little bit each day. I’m also trying to sweep off the driveway every day or so, as that is good exercise for my shoulders. It sure does feel funny, though, trying to sweep left handed. But I need to exercise both shoulders, so I do it, funny feeling or not. And boy, am I right sided. I’m pitiful trying to sweep “backwards”. LOL

I’ve been doing more research, trying to see if there is anything I’ve missed about CPAP. I did find that I’m supposed to have the machine below head level, a fact that escaped me somehow. I didn’t keep it on long enough last night to know if that would stop the “rain out”, as it is called. That’s when the humidifier in the machine causes condensation in the tubing, because the air in the room is cooler. I can’t do without the moistened air, so I will need to deal with the condensation. It got so bad one night that it sounded like the thing was gargling!

I was also trying to find out of the machine is aggravating the gas I’m having, and yes, CPAP does often cause that, as many people swallow the air. It’s supposed to be something you grow out of, and can be lessened by using the Ramp Up switch, which starts the pressure lower so you can go to sleep easier. I hadn’t been using it, since going to sleep has never been my problem. But I did use it last night, and will from now on.

For all that I’m discouraged this morning, after so little sleep last night, I am still hopeful that I will adjust to the CPAP. I’m not so optimistic about my digestive system problem, though, and I am still wanting the colonoscopy. My legs and hands continue to be swollen with fluid, too. We’ll see what the doctor has to say today.

In Wait and See Mode

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by  

The CPAP machine is getting a little bit easier to stand now, but I still haven’t slept past 3:00AM with it on. That represents as much as 6 hours of sleep on a few nights, which is definitely better than before. I am having trouble keeping the chin strap on, as it is a soft band of stretchy material, with Velcro on the end. I need it because I am a mouth breather. Without it, I wake up with a sore throat and a dry mouth, as the forced air is being forced right down my throat.

So, I called the people that the CPAP machine came from, and we will take all the stuff into their office on Monday, and they’ll see what they can do to help me.

So far, I’m not satisfied with the results of the Bowel Retraining routine the Gastroenterologist has me on, as I still have difficulty getting my muscles to work effectively. I’m to call him this next week to set up the colonoscopy, if I’m not satisfied with the results, so it looks like I may be scheduling that sometime soon.

So for the time being I’m in a state of limbo, just waiting for the right time to take care of things differently.

I have tried to get more exercise the last few days, but it has to be done at the crack of dawn, literally. I was outside walking around in the front, where the street light shines, at 5:30 this morning. It was already hot, but certainly bearable. I worked in the yard a bit, swept the driveway and sidewalks (a good exercise for my shoulder), and worked up a good sweat. DH and I have both noticed that I’m slowing down again. This symptom of Parkinson’s is called Bradykinesia, and it’s my main problem, both with my legs, hands, and my digestive tract.

Blue Funk Is Now Fading

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I don’t seem to be quite as depressed as I was a few days ago, thank goodness. The money part of the estate is finally taken care of, so the only thing left to do is sell Daddy’s car and finish emptying the house of all the furniture and stuff that our DD’s don’t want. I say “only” like that’s not a big deal, but there’s a bunch of stuff to get out of our older DD’s way. We did bring Daddy’s car down to our house yesterday, so at least they can move things out to the garage now that are in their way. We didn’t want to do that while all the construction delivery trucks and workers’ vehicles were going in and out of our yard.

We put Thompson’s Water Seal on the garage floor day before yesterday, and it soaked it up like a sponge. We have to wait until tomorrow for it to be cured, but from the looks of it, we’ll have to put another coat on it before we put anything in the garage. Not that we can use it yet, anyway, as only half of it has been roofed. We’re waiting for the other special order to come, since the builder didn’t order enough of the starter strips for this particular type of shingle. It seems this pattern takes two rows, instead of the standard one, so we have half a roof at the moment. LOL

So many delays have happened with this garage that what would have had me in tears a week ago is now just funny. They don’t get paid until we’re satisfied, so it’s to their advantage to not make all these time consuming mistakes. Go figure.

We bought a pair of trekking poles the other day, as an experiment. The one piece ones are supposed to be better, according to all I could find on the Internet. But it made more sense to try out a cheaper set of adjustable ones that both of us could use at different times, until we see if we like it. Using the walking poles is supposed to be a way to protect the knee, ankle, and hip joints, plus give the upper body a complete workout while you walk. And they are recommended as an excellent exercise tool for PWP.

We’re practicing around the house right now. I’m not sure I am going to be able to use the best possible form with them, as it’s kind of confusing. It involves holding them with a strap around your wrist and then letting go of the grip when the pole goes back, as you grip the other pole as you walk. Trying to keep my feet coordinated with the poles, plus remembering what my hands are doing, all at the same time, is very confusing. But I can definitely hold onto both poles all the time and do them OK. I can already tell that they are going to increase the exercise my upper arms and shoulders get. I’ve been walking with one pound weights every other lap now, for some time, in anticipation of trying these poles. I hope that means I’m ready for them, but I’m in no hurry to try to walk very far with them right now. I’ve learned that slow and easy works better for me.

We managed to salvage enough leftover sheathing and scrap 2×4’s to have a good start on finishing off one inside wall of the garage, plus make some shelving, plus there is a good bit of the siding left over that they were going to take to the dump. We kept that, too, in case we ever have storm damage. I’ve been walking around outside the last few days with one of those magnets on a pole, picking up nails. No telling how long it will take for us to find all of them. With the drought we’re having, it’s not as if we need to be worrying about using the lawn mower in that part of the yard for awhile, so we should have it cleaned up before we need to be concerned with cutting the grass safely. As for cars, we’re still not using the new part of the driveway or going near the garage. Tearing up a tire is just not worth it.

We’re making slow headway with our eBay sales, with over 250 items listed now, so I’m hopeful that I can get back to enjoying reading everybody’s blogs soon. I did manage to skim through Ruth’s blog to see how things were going with her since Mick passed away, and I’m sorry to see that she’s had one problem after another, due to the red tape of their national health care system. The more I read what Marion and Ruth have to say about socialized medicine, the surer I become that I pray we never get it in the USA!!

Since I’m writing this at 2 AM I think it’s safe to say the insomnia is still going strong. I went to bed about 9:30PM, but I was wide awake by 12:30. I tried going back to sleep about 3:00, but didn’t succeed, so I’ve been up since 3:30 with 3 hours sleep for the night. Counting the days until I see that sleep specialist!!